David Renggli
14 Mar - 12 Apr 2014
DAVID RENGGLI
Flamingo Blue Jeans Penis
14 March - 12 April 2014
Galerie Peter Kilchmann is pleased to present Swiss artist David Renggli (*1974) for the first time in a single exhibition.
Renggli studied at the School of Applied Arts in Zurich and the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. His artistic oeuvre spans painting, sculpture, works on paper, as well as sound installations, all of which Renggli combines in a cleverly devised labyrinth of semiotics and aesthetics. A central theme is found in the system of language, especially its inclination to misconceptions and double entendres which make human interaction so exciting. Confusion, surprise, incomprehension – to name only a few results of treacherous communication situations – constitute the source for Renggli's art. In his art works the artist abstracts everyday expressions with his nonchalant esprit and quiet subversive irony.
The main focus of the exhibition lies on new, large-scale reverse paintings on glass in black & white and color from the series “I love you” (2014, various formats, glass, ink, anodized aluminum, wood frame). The title picks up one of the most trivial set phrases of today. Even so, the powerful presence of color and forms provide content in another sense and challenge the distinction between illusion and reality. The intensity and luminance of the art works is intriguing. The transparency of the compositions add unexpected depth to the paintings, as paint streaks cast a shadow on the gleaming aluminum background. The two-dimensional glass plane is thus transformed into a three-dimensional shape, an intriguing force of attraction with tremendous expression.
Stone sculptures, so-called “Daybeds” (2013, concrete, stone, aluminum, approx. 72 x 170 x 57 cm) made of arranged river rocks and coins, are shown side by side with the paintings. The décor seems to be randomly placed – some benches only allow one to sit on the edge, whereas others provide enough space to lie down. Here, resting becomes a sensory journey of discovery in a world of stranded knickknacks and treasure troves.
Large neon sculptures (2013, neon, metal, transformer, approx. 400 x 200 x 50 cm) are placed at different locations as well as on the roof of Maag Event Hall. Each sculpture is dedicated to a single word, an expression that “everyone understands intuitively, yet does not possess any specific meaning,” Renggli states. “Sorry”, “Irgend” or “Aber” are words used so often in everyday situations, that they have become emptied of meaning. Renggli takes them out of context and makes them into abstract light objects that develop their own visualized formal expression and allow for an illusionary playfulness. The neon sculptures were last shown in 2013 in the single exhibition “Scaramouche” in the Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen.
The last space is dedicated to works on paper from the series “Charm of Ignorance” (2012-ongoing, in series of 9 works on paper, each 42 x 32 cm). Thematically the works revolve around our Western culture. Renggli combines pictures of profane and religious architecture elements with cut-outs from art catalogs and tabloids, snippets of his own works, furniture pieces, fashion, pornography or Teletubbies. At times single elements are embellished or altered by adding paint, leafs, bandaids or strips of tape. They are odd combinations, at times comical or scandalous – yet always intriguing on closer examination. The artist chose a selection of 2000 works from this series for his single exhibition of the same title at the Museum im Bellpark in Kriens in 2012, where the works on paper were hung in salon style.
The book “David Renggli, 25% Painting” (2013), recently published by Edition Patrick Frey, shows a selection of the series “Charm of Ignorance” (2012-ongoing) and its precursor “You, can you recommend your psychiatrist” (2007) on nearly 500 pages. The publication can be purchased in the gallery.
Important single exhibitions include, apart from already mentioned exhibitions at the Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen and the Museum im Bellpark, Kriens, exhibitions at Galerie Münsterland, Emsdetten (2013), and Kunsthalle Winterthur (2006).
Works by Renggli are currently shown as part of the collection exhibition of the Migros Museum for Contemporary Art in Zurich, and will be part of the exhibition “Gastspiel” in the Museum Rietberg, Zurich, opening on July 12.
Flamingo Blue Jeans Penis
14 March - 12 April 2014
Galerie Peter Kilchmann is pleased to present Swiss artist David Renggli (*1974) for the first time in a single exhibition.
Renggli studied at the School of Applied Arts in Zurich and the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. His artistic oeuvre spans painting, sculpture, works on paper, as well as sound installations, all of which Renggli combines in a cleverly devised labyrinth of semiotics and aesthetics. A central theme is found in the system of language, especially its inclination to misconceptions and double entendres which make human interaction so exciting. Confusion, surprise, incomprehension – to name only a few results of treacherous communication situations – constitute the source for Renggli's art. In his art works the artist abstracts everyday expressions with his nonchalant esprit and quiet subversive irony.
The main focus of the exhibition lies on new, large-scale reverse paintings on glass in black & white and color from the series “I love you” (2014, various formats, glass, ink, anodized aluminum, wood frame). The title picks up one of the most trivial set phrases of today. Even so, the powerful presence of color and forms provide content in another sense and challenge the distinction between illusion and reality. The intensity and luminance of the art works is intriguing. The transparency of the compositions add unexpected depth to the paintings, as paint streaks cast a shadow on the gleaming aluminum background. The two-dimensional glass plane is thus transformed into a three-dimensional shape, an intriguing force of attraction with tremendous expression.
Stone sculptures, so-called “Daybeds” (2013, concrete, stone, aluminum, approx. 72 x 170 x 57 cm) made of arranged river rocks and coins, are shown side by side with the paintings. The décor seems to be randomly placed – some benches only allow one to sit on the edge, whereas others provide enough space to lie down. Here, resting becomes a sensory journey of discovery in a world of stranded knickknacks and treasure troves.
Large neon sculptures (2013, neon, metal, transformer, approx. 400 x 200 x 50 cm) are placed at different locations as well as on the roof of Maag Event Hall. Each sculpture is dedicated to a single word, an expression that “everyone understands intuitively, yet does not possess any specific meaning,” Renggli states. “Sorry”, “Irgend” or “Aber” are words used so often in everyday situations, that they have become emptied of meaning. Renggli takes them out of context and makes them into abstract light objects that develop their own visualized formal expression and allow for an illusionary playfulness. The neon sculptures were last shown in 2013 in the single exhibition “Scaramouche” in the Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen.
The last space is dedicated to works on paper from the series “Charm of Ignorance” (2012-ongoing, in series of 9 works on paper, each 42 x 32 cm). Thematically the works revolve around our Western culture. Renggli combines pictures of profane and religious architecture elements with cut-outs from art catalogs and tabloids, snippets of his own works, furniture pieces, fashion, pornography or Teletubbies. At times single elements are embellished or altered by adding paint, leafs, bandaids or strips of tape. They are odd combinations, at times comical or scandalous – yet always intriguing on closer examination. The artist chose a selection of 2000 works from this series for his single exhibition of the same title at the Museum im Bellpark in Kriens in 2012, where the works on paper were hung in salon style.
The book “David Renggli, 25% Painting” (2013), recently published by Edition Patrick Frey, shows a selection of the series “Charm of Ignorance” (2012-ongoing) and its precursor “You, can you recommend your psychiatrist” (2007) on nearly 500 pages. The publication can be purchased in the gallery.
Important single exhibitions include, apart from already mentioned exhibitions at the Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen and the Museum im Bellpark, Kriens, exhibitions at Galerie Münsterland, Emsdetten (2013), and Kunsthalle Winterthur (2006).
Works by Renggli are currently shown as part of the collection exhibition of the Migros Museum for Contemporary Art in Zurich, and will be part of the exhibition “Gastspiel” in the Museum Rietberg, Zurich, opening on July 12.