Roman Signer
Donation from the Ursula Hauser Collection
09 Sep 2023 - 10 Mar 2024
Roman Signer, Installation view, Ursula Hauser Collection
Roman Signer, Kraft des Regens 1, 1974, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, Donation Ursula Hauser 2022
Roman Signer, Bett, 1997, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, Donation Ursula Hauser 2022
Roman Signer, Grosser Tropfen, 1973, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, Donation Ursula Hauser 2022
Roman Signer, Aquarium, 1998, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, Donation Ursula Hauser 2022
Roman Signer, Grosser Tropfen, 1973, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, Donation Ursula Hauser 2022
Roman Signer, Wasserleiter, 1971, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, Donation Ursula Hauser 2022
Curated by Gianni Jetzer
Kunstmuseum St. Gallen presents a new exhibition of works by Roman Signer (born 1938, Appenzell, Switzerland) on the occasion of the generous donation from the Ursula Hauser Collection of eight important sculptures by the artist. Long considered a leading exponent of Process and Conceptual art, Signer is known for his experimental object arrangements and installations which utilize elemental forces, such as wind, water, and gravity, and are characterized by their humorous and poetic overtones.
The Ursula Hauser Collection donation includes five early sculptures, made between 1971 and 1977, based on Signer’s observations of water—its energy, fluidity, elasticity, and its cohesive qualities. “Grosser Tropfen” (The Big Drop), for example, focuses on the formation and tension of a drop of water at the moment before it falls. As so often in his work, we encounter a construction that is neither purely artistic nor purely scientific. In this in-between space, Signer plays with our expectations, challenges our preconceptions, and expands our perspectives on both art and nature. The three other sculptures from the Ursula Hauser Collection—"Hauptstrasse und Nebenstrassen” (Main Street and Side Streets), “Bett” (Bed) and “Aquarium”—date from the 1990s and are shown here for the first time.
In addition, the display will include the temporally and thematically related interactive sculpture “Wellenapparat” (Wave Apparatus), 1976, from the collection of the Kunstmuseum St. Gallen. The wave generated is comparable to a naturally occurring wave in its appearance, elegance, and dynamic.
This is the first exhibition Kunstmuseum St. Gallen is holding at the Kirchhoferhaus, the historic palace located opposite the museum. The magnificent rooms of the piano nobile apartment provide a lavish setting for Signer’s works—the contrast between his minimal objects and the ornate bourgeoise interior is striking.
Kunstmuseum St. Gallen presents a new exhibition of works by Roman Signer (born 1938, Appenzell, Switzerland) on the occasion of the generous donation from the Ursula Hauser Collection of eight important sculptures by the artist. Long considered a leading exponent of Process and Conceptual art, Signer is known for his experimental object arrangements and installations which utilize elemental forces, such as wind, water, and gravity, and are characterized by their humorous and poetic overtones.
The Ursula Hauser Collection donation includes five early sculptures, made between 1971 and 1977, based on Signer’s observations of water—its energy, fluidity, elasticity, and its cohesive qualities. “Grosser Tropfen” (The Big Drop), for example, focuses on the formation and tension of a drop of water at the moment before it falls. As so often in his work, we encounter a construction that is neither purely artistic nor purely scientific. In this in-between space, Signer plays with our expectations, challenges our preconceptions, and expands our perspectives on both art and nature. The three other sculptures from the Ursula Hauser Collection—"Hauptstrasse und Nebenstrassen” (Main Street and Side Streets), “Bett” (Bed) and “Aquarium”—date from the 1990s and are shown here for the first time.
In addition, the display will include the temporally and thematically related interactive sculpture “Wellenapparat” (Wave Apparatus), 1976, from the collection of the Kunstmuseum St. Gallen. The wave generated is comparable to a naturally occurring wave in its appearance, elegance, and dynamic.
This is the first exhibition Kunstmuseum St. Gallen is holding at the Kirchhoferhaus, the historic palace located opposite the museum. The magnificent rooms of the piano nobile apartment provide a lavish setting for Signer’s works—the contrast between his minimal objects and the ornate bourgeoise interior is striking.