Stoffwechsel

Featuring works by Ulrich Kretschmann, Gerhard Mantz, Nina Neumaier, Rudolf Valenta

Opening: Friday, June 14, 2013, 7:30 PM

As part of the art festival 48 Stunden Neukölln, which in 2013 carries the theme "Perspective Shift!", the Kunstverein Neukölln presents the exhibition "Stoffwechsel." This exhibition showcases excerpts from the oeuvre of four artists who have consciously reoriented themselves throughout their careers, highlighting the causes and trajectories of these changes. Artistic creation with a high degree of conceptual coherence may require multiple shifts in material or method to better align with the artistic intention or to fully realize the existing creative potential. Similarly, biographical upheavals can also give new direction to artistic work.

Ulrich Kretschmann initially gained recognition through sculptural installations that focused thematically on concepts such as fragmentation or the alienation of space. The formal language of these spatial installations was strict, characterized by concrete geometric designs, mostly in black and white. An accident at work prompted a shift in genre, accompanied by a desire for a more sensual creative process than what purely rational conceptual art could offer. This led to the creation of his first atmospheric sky or landscape images, reminiscent of Romanticism, imbued with great poetry. Just like in his earlier installations, these works allude to a transcendence beyond the visible, which the viewer must ascribe meaning to.

Gerhard Mantz has increasingly moved away from real space in his work and now primarily engages with digital media. Three selected works illustrate his journey from sculpture to computer-based art, driven by the question of immateriality. In his piece "Tamar," the body loses its material character through its fanned-out form and dark, powdery color. Through computer modeling, Mantz designs virtual objects that exist on the edge of the conceivable. Uncertain in their external dimensions, they seem to float in a vacuum. In the 3D animation "Ayumi," the solidity of the object has completely vanished: transparent forms glide into one another, appearing and disappearing.

Nina Neumaier consciously abandoned her scientific career in audiovisual communication design to dedicate herself solely to fine art. Starting with vibrant, expressive canvas painting, she gradually discovered reverse glass painting. Her experimentation with this ancient technique led to new visual discoveries, where figurative elements and her love for color remained intact. Due to fundamental experiences, color then literally disappeared from her life. She began creating black-and-white reverse glass drawings; new inquiries led to abstract artistic solutions: the forms of the past became simpler, clearer, and more uncompromising.

Rudolf Valenta, born in 1929 in Prague, operates in the tension between mathematical principles and aesthetic beauty. As a self-taught artist, his artistic development was heavily influenced by biographical factors such as war, forced labor, and emigration. His early work, created alongside his forced labor in a mine, reflects an emotional self-exploration. He quickly transitioned from abstraction to concrete art, realized in various media: sculpture, painting, printmaking, collage, installation, environment, and sound. In recent years, he has also discovered the possibilities of computer graphics, as he says, because his "studio is full."

Special opening hours for the art festival 48 Stunden Neukölln

Fri., June 14, 7 PM – 12 AM
Sat., June 15, 2 PM – 12 AM
Sun., June 16, 2 PM – 7 PM