The painter and object artist Günther Uecker is regarded as a pioneer of German post-war art. The late artist leaves behind an outstanding artistic legacy, primarily characterized by iconic nail reliefs and experimental kinetic works that explore concepts of light, space, and perception.
The impressive three-dimensional work “Verstörung” (Disturbance), created in 1987, illustrates Uecker's consistent exploration of material, space, and physical experience. The title has a multidimensional meaning: in psychology, “disturbance” refers to a process by which existing patterns, beliefs, or behaviors within a system are disrupted to enable new perspectives and changes. In this work, Uecker expresses the duality of destruction and vulnerability and shows the conflict between order and chaos, control and impulse. The painting surface is incised, the nails are driven in with force, while delicate smudges and gestural traces of paint reveal a fleeting sensitivity. Uecker comments: “I had found a material that penetrates real space—not the illusionistic space visible through the canvas. And I tried to refine the material, like the nail that protrudes into the space we live in, so that the reality that exists in this space is articulated through light and shadow.” (Günther Uecker 1972, quoted from: Günther Uecker. Schriften, Gedichte, Projektbeschreibungen, Reflexionen, St. Gallen 1979, p. 144 f.).

In “Verstörung”, the nails form swirling vortexes that spiral in all directions, as if carried by an invisible wind. Light, shadow, rhythm, and movement arise from the interplay of material and space, transforming the nails into an organic, dynamic relief. At the same time, the incised painting surface, gestural traces of paint, and subtle hand prints point to the work's performative dimension, in which the artist's own body becomes an active medium for his creation.
Uecker began his artistic training in Wismar and Berlin-Weißensee in 1949 before moving to Düsseldorf in 1955, where he began studying at the art academy and eventually became a professor there. He created his first nail works, a central element of his oeuvre, in the late 1950s. In 1961, he joined the avant-garde group ZERO and continued to refine his technique while exploring in depth the interaction between matter, energy, and perception. Throughout his career, Uecker transformed simple materials into dynamic, meditative works in which light, shadow, and space offer sensual sensations, and which also reflect his deep interest in the spiritual dimension of art. [KA]