Thomas Rentmeister
Objects. Food. Rooms.
20 Oct 2011 - 05 Feb 2012
THOMAS RENTMEISTER
Objects. Food. Rooms.
20 October, 2011 - 5 February, 2012
Thomas Rentmeister, born in 1964 in Reken (Westphalia), studied under Günther Uecker and Alfonso Hüppi at the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf. During the 1990s he became prominent with his elegant polyester works which combine sculptural presence with a hint of the organically soft or even flowing. Thus, the reflective sculptures, which appear differently depending on the visitor’s point of view, lose their context-independent autonomy and “melt“ into their environment. His objects and installations, for which from the late 1990s on he has been using materials untypical for sculpture like handkerchiefs, potatoe chips, Penaten or Nutella creme, are yet another reference to everyday life. These materials do not only complement the plastic quality of his sculptures with their material-dependant dominant smell, they also ironize the neutral objectness that is so important to minimalism by establishing a humorous link between art and life. For Rentmeister, art is much more than just a formal exercise – sculpture (and its materials) is an everyday phenomenon, we just aren’t always aware of the esthetic quality of sugar cubes and handkerchiefs.
The exhibition, which has been realized by the Kunstmuseum, will after its presentation in Bonn be shown at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts in Australia and includes works from all creative periods as well as recent works specially made for the show.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalog available from DuMont publishers including essays by Christoph Schreier, Stephan Berg, Amy Barrett-Lennard, Leigh Robb and Hannes Böhringer.
Objects. Food. Rooms.
20 October, 2011 - 5 February, 2012
Thomas Rentmeister, born in 1964 in Reken (Westphalia), studied under Günther Uecker and Alfonso Hüppi at the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf. During the 1990s he became prominent with his elegant polyester works which combine sculptural presence with a hint of the organically soft or even flowing. Thus, the reflective sculptures, which appear differently depending on the visitor’s point of view, lose their context-independent autonomy and “melt“ into their environment. His objects and installations, for which from the late 1990s on he has been using materials untypical for sculpture like handkerchiefs, potatoe chips, Penaten or Nutella creme, are yet another reference to everyday life. These materials do not only complement the plastic quality of his sculptures with their material-dependant dominant smell, they also ironize the neutral objectness that is so important to minimalism by establishing a humorous link between art and life. For Rentmeister, art is much more than just a formal exercise – sculpture (and its materials) is an everyday phenomenon, we just aren’t always aware of the esthetic quality of sugar cubes and handkerchiefs.
The exhibition, which has been realized by the Kunstmuseum, will after its presentation in Bonn be shown at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts in Australia and includes works from all creative periods as well as recent works specially made for the show.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalog available from DuMont publishers including essays by Christoph Schreier, Stephan Berg, Amy Barrett-Lennard, Leigh Robb and Hannes Böhringer.