The preoccupation with beauty and the sensually appealing repeatedly forms the basis of Elbeth Böniger’s works, intertwined like a labyrinth: painting, sculpture combined with painting, room installations – everything coexisting. Böniger is a thinker; her thoughts constantly wander through space and time, often coming to rest in different eras of art history. She then breaks free of all constraints to be in the here and now. She is a passionate collector, gathering diverse materials from which she draws her inspiration and new ideas. Her work is characterized by constant growth, rendering different groups of work easily distinguishable. Her studio is a melting pot: ancient African spears stand next to the most recent developments of the plastics industry. Sketches bearing witness to an ongoing process lie next to newspaper pages, small stones, text fragments, memorabilia – the vast conglomeration from which her work originates.

Like an alchemist the artist mixes varnish and colours, creating new, mysterious surfaces. Chemical-physical gimmicks generate structures, reacting and operating under Böniger’s magic wand, be it paintbrush, scraper, small rod or knife. Pigment mélanges on colour media become war paints; an homage to unfathomable emotions, a barometer of tempers and moods. The most recent works cover a span between “Readymade” and “Design”. They are highly brilliant objects or seemingly fossilised figures. This duality shows constantly in her panels, placed next to each other, or in the honeycomb pictures. Unique works of different format are often grouped together, random at first sight, yet upon closer inspection, perfectly composed.

The surfaces of her works play a central role in Böniger’s oeuvre, often provoking sheer amazement. The surrounding reflecting mirror finish fascinates as well as the undefined consistency of the multiple applied layers of paint. The works oscillate from totally planned perfection to fortuitous results. All the works share a strong tactile element. The viewer has the urge to feel and touch the works. The structures emerge from the chosen material like nets, varnish, rubber or bitumen and are woven into a whole of format and technique. The artist is a tinkerer, building imaginary and real spaces and, as an architect, organising fragments into an artistic whole.

The most recently produced group of works, shown for the very first time, are objects completely covered in lead. Like a second skin the lead fits the existing objects: jars, masks, antlers, surf – or skateboards, rendering the objects useless and yet, empowering them with a heightened presence

Bernhard Bischoff, December 2010