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Blank marks the start of a series of large-format paintings in which Erik Schmidt centres his attention on the motif of parking cars. Some of the vehicles in this array of mid-range cars and lorries are covered with tarpaulins, and typical parking-lot fencing delimits the image in the foreground. This stands in the way of a clear view of the motifs; the grid of the wire fence distances the vehicles from the viewer’s gaze and carves up the visual space into a number of colour fields, all accorded equal value. A focus on pure surface appearance is also underscored by the coverings veiling the vehicles. Not a single human figure appears in the pictorial field. The motif of the car also appears in other series of works by the artist, such as the video Parking (2001) or the paintings Neues Deutschland (2001) and White Night Dream (2015).