“Painting has no surface at all in general,” the German artist André Butzer told Garage magazine in 2017. “It’s about depth and something in between, but not about the surface. It’s also not about motivation.” Butzer’s recent canvases do have quite a bit of color, laid on thickly. Characterized as “Science Fiction Expressionism,” Butzer works between figuration and abstraction. Vivid stick figures, flowing shapes, and scribbled lines play with light and space. To celebrate the artist’s 50th birthday, this show presents a selection of 22 works created between 1999 and 2022. —Elena Clavarino