Dried heads hanging from a wooden beam, contraptions inspired by dystopian nightmares, and ghostly visions of faceless men: while these sound like images gleamed from next month's Fantastic Fest, they're actually all part of Volitant Gallery's current exhibition, Silver Lining flat lining.

Curated by Austin-based art historian and independent curator Till Richter, Silver Lining flat lining is the largest body of works to date by German artist Michael Wutz. Primarily a printmaker, Wutz is an extremely versatile artist who effortlessly jumps from charcoal and graphite to acrylics and, sometimes, video. The comprehensive exhibition showcases his mastery of different media—included are three large-scale paintings, one giant etching, a series of four triptychs of graphite on paper, and nearly a hundred Polaroid-format and hand-painted etchings.

While they're initially a little hard to swallow, many of Wutz’s dark and disquieting creations give way to a peculiar sense of déjà vu, recalling things filed away in our collective memory banks. Some reference infamous figures from recent history, like Richard "The Nightstalker" Ramirez, while others allude to cultural epidemics like heroin addiction.

Many of the works are impressive in scope and fantastical in nature, such as Limbus Park, an imposing etching of nearly 6x4 feet that depicts a wicked carnival-esque circle-of-life story. Its composition and imagery allude to an eclectic assortment of possible influences, from Heironymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights to Pink Floyd’s The Wall. In the massive painting, Auspicium III/Ghost Riders in the Sky, Wutz pays homage to the great German printmaker Albrecht Dürer and his legendary work, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Here, shimmering bursts of electricity illuminate four shadowy figures who hover in the clouds above a barren landscape.

Richter notes that this exhibition presents a "vision of our world close to flat lining." And, after experiencing Wutz’s work, it's easy to see why. Divorced of judgment, they present a world that is in crisis.

But what of the silver lining? In the spirit of duality, which this show has no absence of—darkness clashes with light, despair with hope, the grandiose with the intimate—there must be a silver lining. Maybe it's the impeccable craftsmanship of Wutz’s works, or their thought-provoking nature. Whatever it may be, the exhibition serves as a small reminder to not take things for granted, least of all how we are affected by the things we see and the messages they carry.

Wutz will give an artist’s talk at Volitant Gallery on Sunday, August 26 at 2 p.m. He will also be a Guest Artist in Printmaking at UT Austin during his exhibition, will give deliver a lecture on campus in early September.

[Volitant Gallery Exhibition Page]

Silver Lining flat lining: Michael Wutz
Curated by Till Richter
August 10 – September 22
Volitant Gallery
320 Congress Avenue, Suite 100