FROM DUST TO BLOOM | Dubai

Stephan Kaluza’s painting practice is fundamentally concerned with depictions of nature—whether in the form of hyper-realistic oil-on-canvas works or near-abstract renderings. These two modes of painting should not be viewed as separate bodies of work; rather, they represent different states of the same subject—distinct stages in a process of transformation.

A seemingly idyllic scene is depicted. Yet, not everything in these images is pure nature: disruptions creep in, and appearances prove deceptive. The ostentatious beauty of nature—captured in the *nunc stans*, the timeless "now"—is thus rendered open to question. At first glance, the paintings appear to be precise, almost preservative images of an intact world—until a second layer emerges, sharply challenging what is being seen.