On the eve of his newest solo show in Copenhagen, Trichromat, Danish artist Carl Krull sat down with his friend Henrik Haven to discuss  the making of the body of work, printmaking, and the new color dimension to his past monochromatic style. 

Henrik Haven: What is the meaning behind the title of the show “Trichromat” and how does it relate to your work?
Carl Krull: Humans have evolved a trichromatic vision making us capable of perceiving the electromagnetic spectrum visually. Inside our eyes, we have receptors that detect the energy of different wavelengths. The title of the exhibition “Trichromat” refers to ourselves being mammals that perceive the three primary colors that make up our world.

In this new body of work, we fnd ourselves in an enclosure where each of the three spatial dimensions of our world, is represented by one of the three primary colors. The subjects portrayed in these echolocated scenes emerge through highlighted paths as if they were placed in a coordinate system where each of the axes X, Y, and Z were given the colors Red, Green, and Blue.

Red, Green, and Blue defne the boundaries of our human visual playground. Every day our devices radiate with a visual bombardment. As if our eyes were the leaves on a tree, absorbing the energy of the sun, our minds are fed in technicolor photosynthesis by dreams dancing at the slightest movement of our fngertips.

10. Carl Krull wip. Photo Henrik Haven

Colors continue to invade your previously black-and-white dominated seismographic universe, what happened?
I had to go through a black-and-white decade to feel that I deserved to be allowed to work with colors. Peeling away the color from my palette made me focus on the more fundamental aspect of my praxis. It is not that I had renounced colors. They were just a step I had not yet taken. Now the box is open.

How did your relationship with printmaking begin?
My parents met each other and fell in love studying at the graphic department of the Art Academy in Cracow, Poland. All my life I have been surrounded by graphic work and posters. Eventually, I went to study at the same place where my parents met, and I have been working with printmaking ever since.

Why do you think printmaking is important?
Whether you are painting on a lithographic stone, cutting in wood, or working with another printmaking technique, the interesting common denominator is that the stone, wood, lino, or metal plate brings a great deal of character to the table, you are forced to work in dialog with the material at hand. You lose some control but get a lot in return. What I also love about printmaking is that every single print in a limited edition is a unique work of art, making art more affordable and thus more accessible for everyone.