“I am looking for special surface structures, traces and patina as well as the history of the individual elements. My main concern is the abstraction of the material and the transfer to another level.”
–Michail Pirgelis

“I am looking for special surface structures, traces and patina as well as the history of the individual elements. My main concern is the abstraction of the material and the transfer to another level.”
–Michail Pirgelis
Michail Pirgelis’ solo exhibition Opaque Surfaces presents a new and previously unseen body of works that explore the manipulation and transformation of disused aircraft parts. In his complex artistic practice, the artist approaches the subject of sculpture from various levels. His work tests the limits of our understanding, radically expanding our experience of the sculptural form.
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim II, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
81.5 × 53 × 4.5 cm
32 × 20 7/8 × 1 3/4 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim II, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim II, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
81.5 × 53 × 4.5 cm
32 × 20 7/8 × 1 3/4 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim II, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
81.5 × 53 × 4.5 cm
32 × 20 7/8 × 1 3/4 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim II, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim II, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study II, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
71 × 55.5 × 4 cm
28 × 21 7/8 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study II, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study II, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
71 × 55.5 × 4 cm
28 × 21 7/8 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study II, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
71 × 55.5 × 4 cm
28 × 21 7/8 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study II, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study II, 2021 (scale image)
For over twenty years, Pirgelis has culled material from the wreckage of discarded airplanes, most of which he finds in the Mojave Desert. A meticulous process of abstraction finds him manipulating their surfaces with increasing intensity, stripping them to expose details and structural features that are otherwise not visible – but always present. This fragmentation of the aircraft, along with subtle interventions such as grinding or polishing individual parts, leads to a transformation of the material towards abstraction.
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study III, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
67 × 74.5 × 4 cm
26 3/8 × 29 1/4 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study III, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study III, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study III, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study III (scale image)
Natural processes also mark the surfaces with traces of use and evidence of weathering from the sun and desert storms over aircraft graveyards. The result are complex aesthetic works that offer clear painterly references.
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study III, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
67 × 74.5 × 4 cm
26 3/8 × 29 1/4 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study III, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
67 × 74.5 × 4 cm
26 3/8 × 29 1/4 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study III, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study III, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study III, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study III, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study III, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study III, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study III (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study III (scale image)
Natural processes also mark the surfaces with traces of use and evidence of weathering from the sun and desert storms over aircraft graveyards. The result are complex aesthetic works that offer clear painterly references.
“The works detach themselves from their technical origin in the process of creation. The reduction to the essential is decisive.” –Michail Pirgelis
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Training II, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer, silicone
84 × 53 × 5 cm
33 × 20 7/8 × 2 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Training II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Training II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Training II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Training II, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Training II, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer, silicone
84 × 53 × 5 cm
33 × 20 7/8 × 2 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Training II, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer, silicone
84 × 53 × 5 cm
33 × 20 7/8 × 2 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Training II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Training II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Training II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Training II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Training II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Training II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Training II, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Training II, 2021 (scale image)
“The works detach themselves from their technical origin in the process of creation. The reduction to the essential is decisive.” –Michail Pirgelis
The exhibition features two groups of works. Large scale, dark monochrome sculptures including American Black and the Desert Star I and Desert Star II are installed either free-standing in the space, in front of a wall, or hanging. Thus, they constitute a space-defining element, lending an architectural dimension to the presentation. These expansive works, made of rectangular floor sections from the passenger area, are subdivided by metal braces and bits of leftover adhesive. Their vertical structure and repetition conjure associations with American Minimalism, and Barnett Newman’s zip paintings.
Michail Pirgelis
American Black, 2020
Aluminium, fibreglass, titanium, lacquer, tape
213 × 260 × 22 cm
83 7/8 × 102 3/8 × 8 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
American Black, 2020 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
American Black, 2020 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
American Black, 2020 (installation view)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Star I, 2022
Aluminium, fibreglass, titanium, lacquer, tape
300 × 534 × 22 cm
118 × 210 1/4 × 8 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Star I, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Star I, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Star I, 2022 (installation view)
Michail Pirgelis
American Black, 2020
Aluminium, fibreglass, titanium, lacquer, tape
213 × 260 × 22 cm
83 7/8 × 102 3/8 × 8 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
American Black, 2020
Aluminium, fibreglass, titanium, lacquer, tape
213 × 260 × 22 cm
83 7/8 × 102 3/8 × 8 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
American Black, 2020 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
American Black, 2020 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
American Black, 2020 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
American Black, 2020 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
American Black, 2020 (installation view)
Michail Pirgelis
American Black, 2020 (installation view)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Star I, 2022
Aluminium, fibreglass, titanium, lacquer, tape
300 × 534 × 22 cm
118 × 210 1/4 × 8 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Star I, 2022
Aluminium, fibreglass, titanium, lacquer, tape
300 × 534 × 22 cm
118 × 210 1/4 × 8 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Star I, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Star I, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Star I, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Star I, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Star I, 2022 (installation view)
Michail Pirgelis
Desert Star I, 2022 (installation view)
The second body of work consists of smaller works in matte green and white. By placing these – sometimes directly on the large monochrome works – Pirgelis erases the boundaries between surface, image, and sculpture while creating his own sculptural point of view.
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study I, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
96 × 41 × 4 cm
37 7/8 × 16 1/8 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study I, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study I, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
96 × 41 × 4 cm
37 7/8 × 16 1/8 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study I, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
96 × 41 × 4 cm
37 7/8 × 16 1/8 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study I, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Nature Study I, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Hic Sunt Leones, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
84.5 × 28.5 × 4 cm
33 1/4 × 11 1/8 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Hic Sunt Leones, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Hic Sunt Leones, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Hic Sunt Leones, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Hic Sunt Leones, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
84.5 × 28.5 × 4 cm
33 1/4 × 11 1/8 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Hic Sunt Leones, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
84.5 × 28.5 × 4 cm
33 1/4 × 11 1/8 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Hic Sunt Leones, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Hic Sunt Leones, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Hic Sunt Leones, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Hic Sunt Leones, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Hic Sunt Leones, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Hic Sunt Leones, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Italic, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
102 × 41.5 × 4 cm
40 1/8 × 16 3/8 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Italic, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italic, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italic, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italic, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim I, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
74.5 × 28.5 × 5 cm
29 1/4 × 11 1/8 × 2 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim I, 2021 (scale image)
The constituent moment of this work group is a significant dark green, varying qualities of which either trigger associations with the source or seem to eliminate them altogether: Hic Sunt Leones and Italic appear to show sections of the Alitalia logo.
Michail Pirgelis
Italic, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
102 × 41.5 × 4 cm
40 1/8 × 16 3/8 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Italic, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
102 × 41.5 × 4 cm
40 1/8 × 16 3/8 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Italic, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italic, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italic, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italic, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italic, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italic, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italic, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Italic, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim I, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
74.5 × 28.5 × 5 cm
29 1/4 × 11 1/8 × 2 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim I, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
74.5 × 28.5 × 5 cm
29 1/4 × 11 1/8 × 2 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim I, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim I, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Denim I, 2021 (scale image)
The constituent moment of this work group is a significant dark green, varying qualities of which either trigger associations with the source or seem to eliminate them altogether: Hic Sunt Leones and Italic appear to show sections of the Alitalia logo.
Several works, including the Nature Studies and the Phantom Hands, have a clear painterly quality while others show the artist working down to the bare aluminum, as seen in Opaque Surface and Desert Training. The industrial character of aluminum appears to reference the Minimalist sculptures of Donald Judd and Robert Morris. However, the surfaces of Pirgelis’ works are anything but flawless: paint residue, scratches, and holes give the works something of a graphic quality that more closely resembles a drawing. Leftover traces of paint echo the gestural character of Abstract Expressionism.
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surface, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
45 × 41 × 4 cm
17 3/4 × 16 1/8 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surface, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surface, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surface, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surface, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque White, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
64 × 54 × 5 cm
25 1/8 × 21 1/4 × 2 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque White, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque White, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque White, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians II, 2022
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
57.5 × 52.5 × 4.5 cm
22 5/8 × 20 3/4 × 1 3/4 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians II, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians II, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians II, 2022 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surface, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
45 × 41 × 4 cm
17 3/4 × 16 1/8 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surface, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
45 × 41 × 4 cm
17 3/4 × 16 1/8 × 1 5/8 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surface, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surface, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surface, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surface, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surface, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surface, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surface, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surface, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque White, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
64 × 54 × 5 cm
25 1/8 × 21 1/4 × 2 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque White, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
64 × 54 × 5 cm
25 1/8 × 21 1/4 × 2 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque White, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque White, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque White, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque White, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque White, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque White, 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians II, 2022
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
57.5 × 52.5 × 4.5 cm
22 5/8 × 20 3/4 × 1 3/4 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians II, 2022
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
57.5 × 52.5 × 4.5 cm
22 5/8 × 20 3/4 × 1 3/4 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians II, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians II, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians II, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians II, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians II, 2022 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians II, 2022 (scale image)
Several works, including the Nature Studies and the Phantom Hands, have a clear painterly quality while others show the artist working down to the bare aluminum, as seen in Opaque Surface and Desert Training. The industrial character of aluminum appears to reference the Minimalist sculptures of Donald Judd and Robert Morris. However, the surfaces of Pirgelis’ works are anything but flawless: paint residue, scratches, and holes give the works something of a graphic quality that more closely resembles a drawing. Leftover traces of paint echo the gestural character of Abstract Expressionism.
Michail Pirgelis
Phantom Hands II, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
96 × 151 × 5 cm
37 7/8 × 59 1/2 × 2 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Phantom Hands II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Phantom Hands II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Phantom Hands II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Phantom Hands II , 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Phantom Hands II, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
96 × 151 × 5 cm
37 7/8 × 59 1/2 × 2 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Phantom Hands II, 2021
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
96 × 151 × 5 cm
37 7/8 × 59 1/2 × 2 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Phantom Hands II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Phantom Hands II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Phantom Hands II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Phantom Hands II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Phantom Hands II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Phantom Hands II, 2021 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Phantom Hands II , 2021 (scale image)
Michail Pirgelis
Phantom Hands II , 2021 (scale image)
Pirgelis’s works derive their haunting quality from a fundamental self-questioning. The objects are neither invented nor manufactured. Nor are they ready-mades in the strict, post-Duchampian sense of the word: Their material and form have become completely detached from their former function; their origins barely discernible. The materiality of the works seems strangely familiar, and yet it is difficult to say why it is so or what exactly is familiar about them. Thus, the works oscillate suggestively between object, drawing, and painting, highlighting Pirgelis' complex understanding of sculpture. They were objects just waiting to be uncovered.
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians I, 2022
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
102 × 52 × 5 cm
40 1/8 × 20 1/2 × 2 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians I, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians I, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians I, 2022 (installation view)
“They were objects just waiting to be uncovered.” –Michail Pirgelis
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians I, 2022
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
102 × 52 × 5 cm
40 1/8 × 20 1/2 × 2 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians I, 2022
Aluminium, titanium, lacquer
102 × 52 × 5 cm
40 1/8 × 20 1/2 × 2 inches
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians I, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians I, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians I, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians I, 2022 (detail)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians I, 2022 (installation view)
Michail Pirgelis
Italian Indians I, 2022 (installation view)
“They were objects just waiting to be uncovered.” –Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surfaces is also the title of a recent monograph published by Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König, with texts by Tenzing Barschee, Camila McHugh and Nicolaus Schafhausen.
Photo: Ingo Kniest
Photo: Ingo Kniest
Photo: Ingo Kniest
Opaque Surfaces is also the title of a recent monograph published by Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König, with texts by Tenzing Barschee, Camila McHugh and Nicolaus Schafhausen.
Installation views: Timo Ohler
Michail Pirgelis
Opaque Surfaces
July 2–August 20, 2022
To receive all news concerning our exhibitions and events, please subscribe to our newsletter. After a long tradition of mailing poster announcements, Sprüth Magers will send this information exclusively via email going forward in order to limit our carbon footprint. Posters will still be available at our physical locations and can be sent out by mail upon request.
Our newsletter will keep you up to date with the full range of the gallery’s activities and our artists’ exhibitions, at the gallery and in museums. We send a newsletter three or four times a month.
If you sign up to receive our newsletter, we will save your email address, full name, and any other information you provide in order to send you more personalized content. We may track how often the newsletters are opened, and whether the links within them have been opened. You can revoke your consent by unsubscribing from the newsletter at any time.