The works exhibited range from the unbridled expressionism of Wilfried Gehring to the minimal restraint of Frank Badur. The common characteristic shared by this group is the emphasis on concept that occurs in combination with symbolic or ritualistic techniques which touch the soul as well as the senses of the observer. Helmut Dirnaichner's series of shields have been made out of cellulose, wood ashes, ground stones, and minerals. The distinctive brown colors of each shield come from different earth samples, taken from places the artist has lived. The shields progress as a narrative would, from shape to shape, varying in color nuances and in position on the wall. The most obviously totemic piece is Helmut Frerick's Unknown Document VI8. It consists of paper panels strung along heavy twine that stretches from one point on the ceiling to four rocks on the floor. The structure becomes a shelter for a small cone shaped object placed within its protective translucent paper panels. Andreas von Weizs["]acker's Moonwalk series is inventive. It consists of handmade paper with watermarks in shapes that resemble the phases of the moon. In the St. Louis installation, the cobalt blue paper was fastened to a window that allowed light to filter through the watermarks. The images that emerged---moons, eclipses, etc.---were luminous and glowed like the night sky. John Gerard's collage of handmade paper, entitled Falling Leaves, is pictorial as well, although unlike von Weizs["]acker's naturalistic images. Gerard's references are geometric and are organized by a grid system, which is rigid but allows for some shifting and fluttering of form. The work is a technical tour de force that is almost overwhelming in its intricacies. Dorothea Reese-Heim is also involved in detail and intricacy. She layers handmade paper with thread-like plant fibers. The resulting pieces resemble delicate webs defined by dew. Ulrich Wagner's large floor piece resembles an esoteric board game to be played by life-sized figures. It is comprised of thirty-six squares of deep blue paper, originally formed, while wet, on a tile floor. This results in a secondary grid pattern that is visible on close inspection. The squares along the periphery have pictographs on them that can be read. Their placement seems to imply a logical progression that, like a written text, can be decoded. The work of these fourteen paper artists is not about specific anecdotal incidents. It is, however, about paper and the rituals associated with its fabrication.
