Last Saturday I took the 2 train over to Chelsea, where I saw Sergej Jensen’s new show at Anton Kern Gallery. The Danish-born, Berlin-based artist’s works are sometimes referred to as “textile paintings,” and he has proclaimed himself a maker of “paintings without paint.” Muted shades of cotton, linen, burlap–even sections of hand-knitted fabric–sewn, dyed, and pieced together, comprise a majority of his works. When he does use paint it tends to be in novel ways, such as painting the back of the canvas so the paint pushes through the weave of the fabric. This creates a unique texture and draws your attention to the back of the painting, which likens his two dimensional paintings to sculpture.

Jensen does not like to give press releases or artist’s statements. The lack of printed word from the artist combined with abstract forms focuses attention on what is directly in front of us: the artist’s materials and process.

Make sure to see the show– on view at Anton Kern Gallery until February 25.