Thomas Rentmeister
29 Nov 2008 - 10 Jan 2009
THOMAS RENTMEISTER
29/11/08 - 10/01/09
“Dirty Minimalism” was Ursula Panhans-Bühler’s invention to characterize Thomas Rentmeister’s art. Not interested in the clean, industrial look of Minimalism this artist obviously wanted to touch a formal level. The smooth and seductive polyester sculptures that made Rentmeister popular in the 1990s intertwined with daily consumerist products like chocolate past (Nutella), milk and baby-cream (Penaten-creme).
He lifted these daily products to a level of the archetype where he could work with their universal meaning though unmistakably referring to highly personal emotions and memories. After Rentmeister had assembled refrigerators into gigantic blocks, filling every hole with baby-cream he turned these “white ware” sculptures into literally white “ware” piles of cotton bulbs, tampons, sheets and pillowcases, underwear, different brands of washing-powder, soap, sugar and sugar cubes . In the 2005 solo show in museum Boijmans van Beuningen we could recently witness these formal sculptures and images out of consumer goods: “Minimal Pop”.
Thomas Rentmeister made a selection of new works for his third solo-show at Ellen de Bruijne Projects, ranging from a shiny milk-white polyester floor-sculpture, to a trashy found-object reminiscent of leftovers of a successful celebration of “something”; From a wooden box with a variety of cotton wool products to a constellation of pipes which reminds most of a giant “walker” (rollator). Be prepared to meet a humorous and surprising, concentrated and serious Rentmeister show on the 29th of November!
29/11/08 - 10/01/09
“Dirty Minimalism” was Ursula Panhans-Bühler’s invention to characterize Thomas Rentmeister’s art. Not interested in the clean, industrial look of Minimalism this artist obviously wanted to touch a formal level. The smooth and seductive polyester sculptures that made Rentmeister popular in the 1990s intertwined with daily consumerist products like chocolate past (Nutella), milk and baby-cream (Penaten-creme).
He lifted these daily products to a level of the archetype where he could work with their universal meaning though unmistakably referring to highly personal emotions and memories. After Rentmeister had assembled refrigerators into gigantic blocks, filling every hole with baby-cream he turned these “white ware” sculptures into literally white “ware” piles of cotton bulbs, tampons, sheets and pillowcases, underwear, different brands of washing-powder, soap, sugar and sugar cubes . In the 2005 solo show in museum Boijmans van Beuningen we could recently witness these formal sculptures and images out of consumer goods: “Minimal Pop”.
Thomas Rentmeister made a selection of new works for his third solo-show at Ellen de Bruijne Projects, ranging from a shiny milk-white polyester floor-sculpture, to a trashy found-object reminiscent of leftovers of a successful celebration of “something”; From a wooden box with a variety of cotton wool products to a constellation of pipes which reminds most of a giant “walker” (rollator). Be prepared to meet a humorous and surprising, concentrated and serious Rentmeister show on the 29th of November!