German artist engages with the multidimensionality of light and color

Dirk Salz stands in his studio, watching the resin settle. The liquid pools and shifts under gravity’s pull, forming an undulating surface that will eventually harden into a mirror-like finish. It’s a moment of surrender and control — one of many in Salz’s unconventional artistic process.

Unlike traditional painters who wield brushes and push pigments, the German artist coaxes his medium into existence, letting transparency, reflection, and materiality dictate the final composition. His works transcend minimalism, creating an immersive sensory experience where color and light are not just depicted but embodied.

Salz’s latest exhibition, “Dimensions of Light and Color,” is ongoing at Bluerider ART, Shanghai, an invitation into a world where the boundaries between painting and sculpture dissolve, and where light itself becomes the subject.

Currently based in Mülheim an der Ruhr, he defies conventional tools and techniques, replacing them with paint rollers and the gravitational forces of resin.

At the heart of Salz’s work lies an engagement with the multidimensionality of light and color. Light, the ultimate medium of revelation and energy, interacts with color — the emotional pulse of visual expression — creating dynamic, shifting compositions. The viewer’s reflection becomes part of the mirror-like art piece, blurring the lines between reality and illusion.

As Salz describes it, "The composition is essentially hidden behind the reflection, meaning that the image does not immediately reveal itself."

Salz’s mastery of epoxy resin allows him to capture and manipulate light in ways that traditional paint cannot. The material’s transparency and depth-enhancing qualities amplify the pigment layers beneath, creating an effect that is at once penetrative and reflective.

Each piece shifts in appearance depending on the angle, lighting, and even the presence of the observer, making every viewing a unique experience.

His geometric arrangements evoke minimalism, yet they invite contemplation beyond form — challenging the notion of surface versus space, presence versus void. "I want to create something that ultimately cannot be named or defined — something that remains elusive, never fully revealing itself," Salz said.

Among the works on display, DSA/M 1173# 2875 is a commanding presence. Over two meters long, its abstract color blocks appear both solid and permeable, a paradox of visual depth. In DSA/M 1214# 2915, the viewer’s gaze is drawn from deep, dark tones toward a luminous central white, evoking a meditative stillness. Meanwhile, DSA/M 1326# 3022 — a striking circular piece in red — radiates from its darker core outward, creating an expansive effect that suggests both movement and infinity.

As the eye shifts across the surface, light and reflection transform the perception of space itself. "Darkness and light, day and night, love and hate — these are things that cannot exist independently. Similarly, I strive to incorporate and contrast such elements in my paintings to create a certain tension," Salz said.

His works do not demand interpretation; rather, they encourage introspection. The smooth, reflective surfaces strip away traces of the artist’s hand, allowing the viewer’s own presence to complete the composition. In this way, the exhibition is as much about the individual as it is about the art.

"My intention is not to insert myself into the work, but rather to allow the viewer to project themselves into it — to reflect upon themselves, or even, in a way, to see their soul mirrored within it,” he noted.

If you go:

Date: Through May 4 (closed on Mondays), 10am-7pm

Venue: Bluerider ART, Shanghai

Address: 133 Sichuan Road M.

Admission: Free