1 + 2 = 3 (Triptych), 1998

Buren follows a strict code of form based on the stripes of a classic awning fabric. A trivial pattern becomes worthy of art. Work 1 plus work 2 equals work 3. The spacing is that of a continuous sequence of 8.7 cm wide stripes and results in a stringent structure. 
For 30 years, the vertical stripes of 8.7 cm width, have been the constant element in the works of Buren, who has systematically investigated their artistic potential in paintings, objects and most often, in site-specific public installations. The artist explains: "In the years 1965-1966, I found the striped fabric with which I could first execute a personal, later a radical criticism of the artworks – by reducing my own activities to something more or less desperate, more or less in vain."