Lothar Götz makes artworks for the walls of interior spaces as well as for the outside of buildings. He creates expanses of vivid colour in strips or other geometric shapes. His minimalist designs are made especially for the spaces they occupy; they highlight architectural features and details that might otherwise go unnoticed. Götz is intent on challenging the boundaries that exist between painting, architecture, sculpture, design and decoration. He has produced his work in a range of spaces, private and public – from domestic flats and offices to churches and schools.
Götz uses colour to define the architectural qualities and spirit of a space. He is interested in the way in which decoration and colour can have an impact upon us and in exploring how shapes, dimensions and colours influence the way we think, feel, and behave. He is inspired particularly by Modernism and Minimalism, but also Bavarian Baroque churches, Renaissance paintings and architecture of all periods.
For his exhibition at Piccadilly Circus, the artist has created an installation in response to the distinctive architecture of the ticket hall. He has produced a sophisticated composition of brilliant colour located within 22 former display windows in the ticket hall. The work is inspired by the architectural language of Charles Holden, who designed the space in 1928. Holden’s design, from the structural plans and elevations to the lighting and decorative details, aimed to provide harmony and integrity throughout. The dimensions and arrangement of the display windows provide the layout for the piece. Brightly coloured geometric shapes fill the rectangular windows and create a single large scale, rhythmic work, reminiscent of the constant movement and flow in the busy ticket hall. The shapes and colours refer to the colours of the Underground, the busy life of the station and to the radical modernist thinking behind its design.