Untitled (Fold)

Auerbach says the aim of her celebrated Folds series is to conjure up this fourth dimension in physical form. By using the tradition of tromp-l'oeil as a starting point, she blurs the boundaries between the conventional two and three dimensions and in the process creates a place where this fourth dimension can exist. This occurs when Auerbach creates her seemingly textured faades on a perfectly flat surface-a process which she describes as eroding the traditions of space. "To create these works," she explains, "I contort and fold the canvas, ironing it or letting it sit under weights to set the creases. After a few days I loosely spread the creased fabric on the floor and spray it directionally with acrylic paint put through an industrial house paint sprayer-a process in which pigment acts like raking light. When the paint is dry I stretch the canvas taught. The resulting flat surface carries a near-perfect of the canvas' previous three-dimensional self; the surface still appears wrinkled or folded. This is my take on tromp-l'oeil or traditional realist painting, one that relies on strategy rather than virtuosity" (T. Auerbach, quoted in S. Ovstebo, Folds, exh. cat., Bergen Kunsthall, 2012, p. 105).