Markus Amm constructs his paintings through gradually building up layer upon layer of gesso and paint, sanding the surface between each application. The result is an ultra-smooth finish on the surface and a rougher edge – the sides revealing the impasto texture of the many layers of paint. The works have a gauzy luminosity to them, with tissue swathes of colour, which recall light leaks in 16mm film and nod to Amm's earlier experiments with photographic techniques. At the same time, there is a sculptural, solid quality to the paintings. Recently, the artist has introduced smudged gestures, disrupting the perfect surface with a swipe of a thumb or dab of a brush, adding a further geometric aspect. Markus Amm lives and works in Geneva, Switzerland. He studied at Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach, Germany in 1995 and Hochschule für Bildende Künste Hamburg, Germany in 1999. His work is included in the collections of Kunstmuseum Stuttgart; Deutsche Bank; and Der Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien Sammlung Zeitgenössischen Kunst des Bundes, Germany.