Künstlerhaus Bethanien

Michael Kutschbach

26 Mar - 11 Apr 2010

© Michael Kutschbach
MICHAEL KUTSCHBACH
"Callooh! Callay!"

26th March - 11th April 2010, Studio 3
Tuesday - Sunday, 2 - 7 pm
Opening: Thursday, 25th March 2010, 7 pm

MICHAEL KUTSCHBACH has been working with biomorphic forms in his drawings and sculptures for some time now, and also consciously permits himself to be inspired by the formal language of architecture and design. His drawings develop from a large number and variety of forms, which the artist produces using different lead and graphite pencils as well as graphite dust on pre-cut drawing paper. In time-consuming work Kutschbach shades, smears, erases and scratches his way to the finished drawing, using a variety of erasers and rulers. Kutschbach's constellations of a cheerful scurrility - "combinations of hand axe and intergalactic refuse" (C. Tannert) -, are perfectly suited to the titles that the artist gives them, making wide use of Lewis Carroll's witty play with words as found in his book "Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There". In Kutschbach's drawings the viewer sometimes believes that he can recognise things that actually exist, whereas in the case of the sculptures, what we see seems more like a poetic description of something invented than of everyday and familiar objects.
During his stay at Künstlerhaus Bethanien Kutschbach has produced a large number of drawings and circa ten plaster casts, which he works on using black and grey ink with an airbrush. For the exhibition "Callooh! Callay!" he has arranged plaster sculptures, small-format drawings and a gigantic mural drawing in the grey nuances of graphite in order to create a space-consuming installation. Its playful cheerfulness captivates the visitor as soon as he enters the room, inviting him to a journey into the realm of imagination.
Michael Kutschbach currently holds a grant from the Australia Council for the Arts, Sydney, in the context of our International Studio Programme.