“Matchstick Star” by Thomas Wachholz is a 3-color limited edition lithograph produced by JRP|Next, in collaboration with Ruttkowski;68 gallery. For the creation of his lithographs, the artist drew inspiration from his collection of matchboxes. The motif of the exploding matchstick, creating a graphic star pattern specific to the comic book style, was appropriated for the packaging of these consumer goods. Wachholz explores the interaction between this graphic visual language and the codes of painting specific to pop art.
Over the past years, the artist has already revisited the interpretation of cultural artifacts and everyday objects, such as the matchbox and matchbooks that he collected from restaurants, hotels, gas stations, cinemas and clubs. His works are characterized by using bright colors, geometric figures and plane textures influenced by Geometrical Abstraction and Pop images. He decodes the matchstick and the star into minimal shapes, creating, in this way, playful contrast between colors, sharp and rounded forms.