THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA ACROSS MEDIA

THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA ACROSS MEDIA
Cross-media compositions in painting, music, dance, and poetry¹

¹ This lecture was presented at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (CN) and the Sitterwerk Foundation St. Gallen (CH).

_{Photo: Ep.Contemporary, Berlin 2022.}

Painting is the application of color(s) by hand or some tool to a surface.

_{Detail from Huang Binhong’s (1865-1955)}
_{Landscape in the Style of Fan Kuan, part of the Tsao Family collection}

That is, a painter deals with color, surface, and movement.

We now know countless color systems,

even the division of the surface has become a science,

Schwere Reiter, Munich 2025. Photo: Dimitri Louis

but the movement in painting remains “an unexplored forest”.

Stadttheater Lindau, 1st Lindau Biennale 2022
Photo: Susanne Unger

The movements one after the other in time and side by side on the surface were and are my guidelines in painting to this day.

Oleksiy Koval
“Good Trouble” 2025
Digital Art Space, Munich

At the age of 17, I didn’t really know it yet, but I experienced the rhythm of applying colors intensely for the first time.

Oleksiy Koval
“Anti-Climacus” 2025
Boxes Art Museum, Shunde 2025

In my mid-20s, I realized that rhythm gives form to the application of color.

Oleksiy Koval, “三十”, 2024
D_Lab Dingfeng. Photo: Ma Chunbo

Oleksiy Koval, “三十”, 2024
D_Lab Dingfeng, Guangzhou
Photo: Ma Chunbo

The rhythm brings out the primary qualities of painting.

Oleksiy Koval, “Uqlah”, 2025
50 x 40 cm, marker on PVC

If the rhythm of the color on the surface is right, the painting is right.

Oleksiy Koval, “Ж”, 2024
330 x 484 cm, ink on wall
Augsburg Contemporary

Before I apply the paint, I think about the movement:

Oleksiy Koval
“Black White Rainbow”, 2024-2025
Boxes Art Museum, Shunde

how and where do I paint on the surface?

Oleksiy Koval, “Carnatica”, 2024
120 x 93 cm, ink on synthetic textile
Private collection Munich

Unit, beat, and rhythm give form to the application of colors on a surface.

The basic unit defines the size of each type of mark on the surface.
1 is the smallest size of a mark, 2 is twice as big, 3 is three times as big and so on.

Oleksiy Koval, “Three Beats”, 2021
70 x 63 cm, marker on synthetic textile
Photo: Boxes Art Museum, Shunde 2025

If beat is a time grouping of touches on the surface, rhythm is an accentuation within the beats.

“The Beautiful Formula Collective – Steve Coleman and Five Elements”
Schwere Reiter Theater, Munich 2025

A fixed sequence of units during a single entry is a rhythmical motive.

“Weiß auf Schwarz”
Oleksiy Koval, digital painting, 2020
Münchner Freiheit, Munich

Rhythmical motive 1,5,2,3,8

The division of the surface and the procedure of movement while painting can be written down with the help of certain signs and symbols.

For more than 12 years, I have been working with other artists, musicians, and dancers to develop The Beautiful Formula Language – a language through which we write down our movement as we paint.

“Arcobaleno Bianco Nero”
The Beautiful Formula Collective 2021
Daniel Geiger, Oleksiy Koval, Thomas Rieger, Veronika Wenger
Digital painting, 102 x 290 cm, Galerie der Künstler*innen, Munich

This language makes it possible to understand the course of compositions, to realize the compositions and to design new ones.

The Beautiful Formula Workshop
Wuhan (CN), Teheran (IR), Ismit (TR), Hertfordshire (UK)

The Beautiful Formula Workshop
Teheran (IR), Koktebel (UA), Ismit (TR), Singapore (SI)

I initiated the development of The Beautiful Formula Language, but it is a group language.

THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE
Gustav Henno Stolze, Oleksiy Koval, Daniel Geiger, Thomas Rieger, Veronika Wenger, Marie Lou Strauß, Michael Wright
KloHäuschen Biennale, Munich 2024
Photo: Veronika Hofmann

Symphony N1
THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA SYNDICATE
Mixed media on MDF, 207 x 280 cm, Center of Contemporary Art, Tbilisi, 2014.
Lasha Babuadze, Karina Bugayova, Tami Chitashvili, Oleksiy Koval, Yasaman Nedaei, Kuros Nekouian, Arshia Samsaminia, Stefan Schessl, Vato Urushadze, Veronika Wenger.
Photo © CCA Tbilisi

The Beautiful Formula Language allows me to paint compositions of others, and for others to paint my compositions.

THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE
Daniel Geiger, Oleksiy Koval, Thomas Rieger, Veronika Wenger, Michael Wright
250 x 500 cm, tape on wall
Platforms Project Athens 2024

The “grammar” of the language was developed through group dynamic processes.

“Saltire” composition by Oleksiy Koval
THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE
Daniel Geiger, Oleksiy Koval, Thomas Rieger, Michael Wright
250 x 500 cm, tape on wall. Platforms Project Athens 2024

“Crosspurpose” composition by Michael Wright
THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE
Daniel Geiger, Oleksiy Koval, Thomas Rieger, Michael Wright
250 x 500 cm, tape on wall. Platforms Project Athens 2024

“Fill Up” composition by Oleksiy Koval
THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE
Daniel Geiger, Oleksiy Koval, Thomas Rieger, Veronika Wenger, Michael Wright
250 x 500 cm, tape on wall. Platforms Project Athens 2024

“The federal awkward 18” composition by Thomas Rieger
THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE
Daniel Geiger, Oleksiy Koval, Thomas Rieger, Veronika Wenger, Michael Wright
250 x 500 cm, tape on wall. Platforms Project Athens 2024

“Spanischer Wein” composition by Veronika Wenger
THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE
Daniel Geiger, Oleksiy Koval, Thomas Rieger, Veronika Wenger, Michael Wright
200 x 450 cm, Full HD projection on wall. Platforms Project Athens 2024

“Doppelgänger”
THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE
Karina Bugayova, Daniel Geiger, Oleksiy Koval, Kuros Nekouian, Veronika Wenger
Marker, tape on paper, 70 x 60 cm
Munich 2016

Signs and symbols emerged only after a member of our group had written down a composition of his or her own.

“Backjump”
THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE
Daniel Geiger, Oleksiy Koval, Veronika Wenger
Digital painting, Full HD
Amsterdam Art Weekend, Gallery Reuten 2019

“86”
THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE
Oleksiy Koval, Veronika Wenger
Koktebel, Crimea, Ukraine 2013
Photo © Sergiy Kazmiruk

We are less interested in the development of a language system, and much more in the diversity of our compositions.

“Keil” composition by Oleksiy Koval; “Epigonal” composition by Daniel Geiger; “Französischer Wein” composition by Veronika Wenger; “Low Tide” composition by Oleksiy Koval
THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE
Daniel Geiger, Oleksiy Koval, Thomas Rieger, Veronika Wenger, Michael Wright
130 x 230 cm, ink on synthetic textile
Photo © Songshan Lake Boxes Art Museum

“Quattuor Novissima”
THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE 2023
Oleksiy Koval, Thomas Rieger, Veronika Wenger
3,30 x 10,50 m, ink, spray, emulsion paint on wall
Galaxie Neuer Künste, Halle (Saale)

The Beautiful Formula Language is the tool that provides us with a vivid entry point and a recognizable conclusion when painting.

“Quattuor Novissima”
THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE 2023
Oleksiy Koval, Thomas Rieger, Veronika Wenger
3,30 x 10,50 m, ink, spray, emulsion paint on wall
Galaxie Neuer Künste, Halle (Saale)

No one before us has composed the movement in painting.

“Fill Up”
THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE
Daniel Geiger, Oleksiy Koval, Thomas Rieger, Veronika Wenger, Michael Wright
200 x 300 cm, projection on glass
WIHH Gallery, Amsterdam 2024

The Beautiful Formula Collective – Duo with Steve Coleman and Kokayi – Alina Sokulska
Lothringer 13 Halle, Munich 2022
Photo: rhythmsection.de

The Beautiful Formula Language not only enables the realization of artworks in different areas of the visual arts, but it is also effective across media.

Steve Coleman, Oleksiy Koval
Städtische Kunsthalle Lothringer13, Munich 2016
Photo © Jörg Koopmann

I have learned a lot from the music of Steve Coleman, American saxophonist, composer and bandleader, for my painting and I am still learning.

THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE - STEVE COLEMAN AND FIVE ELEMENTS, Schwere Reiter, Munich 2025
Daniel Geiger (painting), Oleksiy Koval (painting), Thomas Rieger (painting), Veronika Wenger (drawing),
Steve Coleman (alto saxophone), Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet), Rich Brown (electric bass), Sean Rickman (drums)
Photo: Dimitri Louis

THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE – STEVE COLEMAN AND FIVE ELEMENTS
Daniel Geiger (painting), Oleksiy Koval (painting), Thomas Rieger (painting), Veronika Wenger (drawing),
Steve Coleman (alto saxophone), Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet), Rich Brown (electric bass), Sean Rickman (drums)
Schwere Reiter, Munich 2025. Photo: Dimitri Louis

What fascinates me most about Colman’s music is his rhythmic forms and the way he varies them.

In addition, The Beautiful Formula Collective has realized joint word-painting-drawing performances with rapper and poet from the USA Kokayi, Ukrainian poet Ganna Osadko and poet from Guangzhou Huang Lihai.

Stadttheater Lindau, 1st Lindau Biennale 2022
Photo: Susanne Unger

And if in the case of a performance with a musician or poet The Beautiful Formula Collective has to listen and paint,

Steve Coleman, Alina Sokulska, Víctor Aicua, Daniel Geiger, Oleksiy Koval, Thomas Rieger, Veronika Wenger
Münchner Kammerspiele, 2025. Photo: rhythmsection.de

THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE – ALINA SOKULSKA
Die lange Kunstnacht, Kunstverein Augsburg 2023
Photo: Kunstverein Augsburg

in the case of a joint performance with a dancer we also have to look and paint.

The Beautiful Formula Collective has been working with the Ukrainian dancer Alina Sokulska from Barcelona for two years and has already realized several cross-media performances in front of an audience.

An intensive exchange between visual compositions and choreographies, both based on rhythm,

Steve Coleman, Alina Sokulska, Víctor Aicua, Daniel Geiger, Oleksiy Koval, Thomas Rieger, Veronika Wenger
Münchner Kammerspiele, 2025. Photo: rhythmsection.de

enables interdisciplinary performances in the media of painting, drawing and dance.

In the fall of 2024, together with Alina Sokulska, I wrote a composition titled Ilm Al-Raml (The Book of Sand).