THE KAZIMIR EFFECT

‘The square is a vital, regal infant.’
— Kazimir Malevich

The Kazimir Effect takes its inspiration from a simple, iconic square: Suprematist Composition – White on White by the artist Kazimir Malevich. Christian Bök has written a series of sixteen, minimal poems: each, a kanji haiku composed by juxtaposing two names for varied brands of ‘white’ sold by British Paints. Bök uses these brands of house paint to create collaged maquettes and abstract paintings, all modelled upon the palimpsest by Malevich. Bök has invented a genre of simple, visual poetry, whose sequence evolves from the concrete, pastoral image of ‘Gentle wind/ on Tokyo snow’ to the abstract, supernal motif of ‘Infinity white/ on infinity white.’