In the 1980s, the German painter Gerhard Richter painted one of his most notable photorealistic series Kerze, which depicts lit candles amidst minimalist, muted interior spaces. British artist Gavin Turk reimagines these works by blowing out their flames; capturing the candles the moment they’re extinguished with their smoky trails frozen in permanence.

Turk’s work often confronts notions of authorship with cunning humor and poignancy, making him a figurehead of the Young British Artists who found their footing in the late 80s and 90s. Often drawing on several art historical references, Turk’s additional artistic prowess in various mediums makes him a multifaceted artist, all of which is exemplary in his Magritte-esque take on the Kerze paintings.

Rendered in the same muted photorealistic style as Richter, the paintings play with authenticity and touch on notions of memento mori: “The candle is a metaphysical symbol, it is a clock, it is a guide, the lit flame is a burning energetic sprite, putting it out creates smoke, an afterlife, a holy ghost, a veil, a messenger.”