GRAZ.- White as glacial ice. Turquoise as a mountain lake. Blue as the night. That is how Reinisch Contemporary presents itself in midsummer, showing a selection of unique textile pieces originating from the Nomad cultures of Morocco.

His latest exhibition, COLOROPHIL -GLACIERWHITEMOUNTAINLAKETURQUOISENIGHTBLUE, takes Austrian art collector and dealer Helmut Reinisch back to his original area of expertise: rare works of authentic textile art, with distinctive designs reminiscent of modern art. This seasonally inspired insight into the Reinisch collection focuses on pieces, which counter the summer temperatures in a special way.

Gallerist and collector Helmut Reinisch: “Europe is not the only place where it is a common practice to surround oneself with cool colours during the summer in order to counteract the heat. Like European artists, Oriental nomads intuitively knew how to utilise colour effects in their textiles to ‘cool down’ their tents during the summer.”

Colour psychology plays a central role in this context. Blue, for example, is associated with air and water, the expanse of the summer sky and the unfathomable depths of the sea. It stands for coldness and distance, creates space and perspective – an effect, which European Renaissance painters were already familiar with. Green is the colour of the centre and of equilibrium, of nature. In desert regions it is associated with fertility, affluence and life – a holy colour – since green is no matter of course in a sun-scorched landscape. White is the sum of all colours, stands for light and purity, and has a refreshing and soothing function, especially in combination with green and blue. Turquoise, the fusion of these colours, epitomises oceanic and glacial ice, and is psychologically perceived as the coolest colour.

The exhibition COLOROPHIL – GLACIERWHITEMOUNTAINLAKETURQUOISENIGHTBLUE includes unique pieces, whose nameless female creators imbued them with an exciting blend of artistic vision, sensitive craftsmanship and the pragmatism of nomadic culture. The selected works are striking reflections of the unexpected parallels between European and Oriental art.