focus: processual
07 Nov - 20 Dec 2014
FOCUS: PROCESSUAL
Stefan Geiger, Jörg Gelbke, Florian Köhler, Henry Staschik
7 November - 20 December 2014
The exhibition focus:processual presents works by Stefan Geiger, Jörg Gelbke, Florian Köhler und Henry Staschik, alumni of the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe. The focus of this show lies on work developed with a process-based approach. The exploration of materiality, but also of space and time is emphasized. Subtle, subversive and overt transitions take place. The distillate of pine cone charcoal produces a lump of pitch, burnt shovels of earth visualize the marks made by digging in loamy ground, rebar is built into a wall, leaking rust over the course of time – these works point to an engagement with sculptural composition and the processual. An aspect of uncertainty, not always directly controllable, is inherent to all of the pieces.
Stefan Geiger‘s work focuses on the transformation of inconspicuous materials. A screw with its thread sanded off completely is used as a nail to fasten the sandpaper used on it to the wall. The traces of abrasion are clearly visible on the sandpaper, and its original condition is completely neutralized. The previously tough paper is reduced to a limp and drooping sheet of material. The transformation and repurposing of materials in Stefan Geiger‘s practice is also visible in the work “o.T. ” Two book covers are set in frames cast out of the letterpress type metal blocks of a dummy text. The name of the book is not revealed. The distance between the two frames corresponds to the spacing of the book‘s pages, as if opened.
Jörg Gelbke‘s sculptures are often developed in several phases. For instance the imprint of a standard-size, square iron rod, recast in different materials such as clay, gelatin and bronze. The castings are subjected to deforming processes over a certain period of time. The clay casting is air-dried, the gelatin casting is buried for 10 months, and the bronze cast is exposed to fire. The deformed material is then recast in metal. The cracks in the air-dried clay and the melted shape of the gelatin are now captured in bronze. The sculptural procedure is highly influenced by material and time, its outcome is subject to uncertainty. The direct intervention of the artist is only minimal.
Florian Köhler also employs the aspect of uncertainty in the production of his work, for instance his concrete castings containing metal grating. During the process of drying, the concrete develops fissures due to the grating within it. How many cracks develop and how deep they are cannot be predetermined. Painterly lines emerge, delicately traversing the material. They become a creative medium, sketching abstract landscapes based on various surface formations. Sometimes the concrete surface is intensely structured, sometimes only a few rifts run through the material. The pieces oscillate between sculpture and painting, while the perceived pictorial process is owed to material and time alone.
Henry Staschik‘s artistic process can be protracted, running through several phases. He builds kilns out of galvanized steel, which serve the purpose of burning a wooden box, the shipping crate of another artist‘s work. Each kiln has a unique shape and is fired only one time. The wooden box is filled with clay and placed inside the kiln designed for it. During the process of firing, the crate burns to ash, leaving behind the sintered clay. The final ceramic product is presented along with its kiln in a manner corresponding to the work of art whose crate was burnt. A highly complex process facilitates the creation of the ceramic sculpture, while the kiln becomes an art object as well as a tool.
Maria Tanbourgi
translation by Zoe Claire Miller
Stefan Geiger, Jörg Gelbke, Florian Köhler, Henry Staschik
7 November - 20 December 2014
The exhibition focus:processual presents works by Stefan Geiger, Jörg Gelbke, Florian Köhler und Henry Staschik, alumni of the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe. The focus of this show lies on work developed with a process-based approach. The exploration of materiality, but also of space and time is emphasized. Subtle, subversive and overt transitions take place. The distillate of pine cone charcoal produces a lump of pitch, burnt shovels of earth visualize the marks made by digging in loamy ground, rebar is built into a wall, leaking rust over the course of time – these works point to an engagement with sculptural composition and the processual. An aspect of uncertainty, not always directly controllable, is inherent to all of the pieces.
Stefan Geiger‘s work focuses on the transformation of inconspicuous materials. A screw with its thread sanded off completely is used as a nail to fasten the sandpaper used on it to the wall. The traces of abrasion are clearly visible on the sandpaper, and its original condition is completely neutralized. The previously tough paper is reduced to a limp and drooping sheet of material. The transformation and repurposing of materials in Stefan Geiger‘s practice is also visible in the work “o.T. ” Two book covers are set in frames cast out of the letterpress type metal blocks of a dummy text. The name of the book is not revealed. The distance between the two frames corresponds to the spacing of the book‘s pages, as if opened.
Jörg Gelbke‘s sculptures are often developed in several phases. For instance the imprint of a standard-size, square iron rod, recast in different materials such as clay, gelatin and bronze. The castings are subjected to deforming processes over a certain period of time. The clay casting is air-dried, the gelatin casting is buried for 10 months, and the bronze cast is exposed to fire. The deformed material is then recast in metal. The cracks in the air-dried clay and the melted shape of the gelatin are now captured in bronze. The sculptural procedure is highly influenced by material and time, its outcome is subject to uncertainty. The direct intervention of the artist is only minimal.
Florian Köhler also employs the aspect of uncertainty in the production of his work, for instance his concrete castings containing metal grating. During the process of drying, the concrete develops fissures due to the grating within it. How many cracks develop and how deep they are cannot be predetermined. Painterly lines emerge, delicately traversing the material. They become a creative medium, sketching abstract landscapes based on various surface formations. Sometimes the concrete surface is intensely structured, sometimes only a few rifts run through the material. The pieces oscillate between sculpture and painting, while the perceived pictorial process is owed to material and time alone.
Henry Staschik‘s artistic process can be protracted, running through several phases. He builds kilns out of galvanized steel, which serve the purpose of burning a wooden box, the shipping crate of another artist‘s work. Each kiln has a unique shape and is fired only one time. The wooden box is filled with clay and placed inside the kiln designed for it. During the process of firing, the crate burns to ash, leaving behind the sintered clay. The final ceramic product is presented along with its kiln in a manner corresponding to the work of art whose crate was burnt. A highly complex process facilitates the creation of the ceramic sculpture, while the kiln becomes an art object as well as a tool.
Maria Tanbourgi
translation by Zoe Claire Miller