TOPIA

Fragmentary Process as Creative Principle

by Tina Oelker

TOPIA-1–5: BINGO!

TOPIA is conceived as a 25-part oil painting.
Each module measures 150 × 150 × 4.5 cm.
Arranged in a 5 × 5 grid, the modules form an overall composition measuring 7.50 × 7.50 metres..

ABSTRACT LANDSCAPE

Topío (τοπίο) — Greek for “landscape”.

25 COLOURS

TOPIA builds on 25 Colours Stockholm, Tina Oelker’s ongoing artistic programme since 2015. The colour concept underlies both the individual imprimaturas of the 25 modules and the overall composition.

TOPIA is an abstract work shaped by a fragmentary process. Its 25 autonomous modules function as distinct fragments, each revealing its full potential within the evolving overall constellation. The work unfolds as an abstract landscape, navigating psychological and archetypal layers.

The development of the composition within its predefined structure, while remaining open throughout the painting process, is central to the work. The finished painting becomes a state from which momentum emerges, documented in parallel through the Veracity Report. With the completion of the 25th module, TOPIA becomes one coherent painting.

The term Topia derives from the Greek word topio (τοπίο), meaning “landscape.” The modular structure is a deliberate principle of the work, allowing the abstract landscape to unfold module by module.

MODULES

2024 – 2026

The work began with a simple sketch: a square divided into 25 fields, each grounded in a different colour. From there, TOPIA evolved through painting itself. The composition unfolded step by step until the fragments became one coherent painting.

Initiated in July 2024 and written every two weeks, the Veracity Report documents the process alongside the painting.

Principle & Process

In TOPIA, Tina Oelker develops an abstract landscape composed of 25 square modules that gradually converge into a unified composition over the course of the painting process. The artist brings together colour, form and an open compositional structure with the Veracity Report, a hybrid work of lyrical prose and audio that accompanies the development of the painting on a linguistic and acoustic level.
From the outset, the work is conceived as a 5 × 5 matrix. Its point of departure is the idea of a circle contained within a large square, unfolding across the 25 modules to form a continuous abstract landscape. The individual squares draw on the colour concept of 25 Colours Stockholm, Tina Oelker’s ongoing artistic programme, which she has been developing since 2015.

Fragmentation is a deliberate principle of TOPIA, informing both its practical execution and its conceptual approach. In the studio, Oelker can work on a maximum of six adjoining modules at any one time. She develops the composition from these limited sections, with each new module connecting to the parts already painted and extending the emerging image. The overall composition thus takes shape incrementally, without its final appearance being fully predetermined.
The work is governed by a clearly defined set of parameters: 25 squares differentiated by colour; a 5 × 5 matrix; the conception of an abstract landscape as a circular map contained within a larger square; and an open-ended compositional outcome. Within these established parameters, Oelker intuitively develops an abstract landscape in which order and change, fragment and wholeness converge, opening up psychological and archetypal dimensions.

Alongside the painting, Oelker creates the Veracity Report, an independent audio work. She writes and records the texts in German; written versions are also available in both German and English. Presented in written and audio form, the report accompanies the painting process. Its two-week rhythm corresponds to the pace of the artist’s work, establishing an additional linguistic dimension that develops alongside the painting while retaining its own distinct form.
The first modules are primed in late 2024, and painting begins in January 2025. The Veracity Report had already commenced in late July 2024. In early 2026, with the completion of the twenty-fifth module, the individual elements come together to form the complete painting.

VERACITY REPORT

A proper report on ever-shifting perspectives within the fragmentarily unfolding landscape of Topia, released every other week from July 2024 to January 2026.

ENTER

Artistic Position

Tina Oelker is a painter whose practice is developed through long-term Painting Programmes.

Her practice is cyclical: she returns to forms, motifs and experiences from shifting positions, allowing them to expand, distil and transform through renewed perception. Within precisely defined fields, structure creates space for intuition and unexpected shifts. Painting itself is her field of inquiry. Over more than three decades, she has pursued an independent and rigorous practice, rooted in experience and sustained attention.
Oelker brings a precise and assured command of composition, colour and form to her work, grounded in analytical thinking, acute observation and a deep understanding of visual perception. Personal experience becomes a starting point for examining recurring human qualities, tensions and contradictions, giving the work an archetypal dimension. Across her Painting Programmes, individual works remain autonomous while entering into new relationships within an evolving artistic field.

„The compelling force of inner reflection requires utmost focus and wisdom in order to respond properly to what calls for clear boundaries. Fair enough.„

Artist Notes

I began with an initial sketch: a circle within a square, divided into 25 fields. I primed each field in a different colour, establishing a defined starting condition. I then worked in an open, process-driven way, allowing the composition to unfold module by module. As only a maximum of six modules could be worked on simultaneously, their arrangement was repeatedly adjusted throughout the process. TOPIA took shape through the painting process itself and is now complete as a coherent abstract landscape.