stückwerk

Opening: Friday, November 14, 2014, 7:30 PM
Exhibition duration: November 15 to December 14, 2014
Location: kunstraum t27
Mon-Fri: 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Participating artists: Andreas My • Matthias Stuchtey • Matthias Surges

The exhibition featuring Andreas My, Matthias Stuchtey, and Matthias Surges brings together sculptural works composed of multiple pieces made from mostly homogeneous materials. Using quite different methods, the sculptors create new entities that engage artistically with the original material while transforming it in surprising, aesthetic, and confusing ways. This is not about superficial "re-" or "upcycling," but rather about creating entirely new contexts of perception and spatial conglomerates.

Andreas My utilizes corrugated cardboard, which he sources in the form of fruit and vegetable boxes from grocery stores. He cuts these into fine, short strips and reassembles them into complex structures. While the origin of the material is almost obscured through this disassembly, the resulting work allows for a free engagement with the substance. The artist views his works as spatial drawings that develop through the combination of line and matter. Technically, Andreas My's sculptures can be seen as sections of tubular structures. The method of construction invites organic associations. Through the selective or arbitrary use of the cardboard, the sculptures exhibit a strong differentiation in color, emphasizing the gray cut surfaces when viewed from the front, while showcasing vibrant colors from the side. It is only through the viewer's movement in the space that finely nuanced color gradients become visible.

Matthias Stuchtey works with sought-after or found elements from furniture and boxes. This includes factory-produced cabinets, drawers, and nightstands, as well as orange or cigar boxes. Through cutting and reassembling according to new structural guidelines, the inside and outside intertwine. The new designs evoke a variety of associations with architectural forms. His series, such as "Trabanten," "Kullen," or "Havanna," can be described as diverse variations that meaningfully arise from the materials used. They impress with balanced composition and poetic subtlety.

Matthias Surges employs different materials to explore the relationship between surface and space, as well as viewer perception. Starting from reliefs, his works have increasingly detached from the wall. His "corner furniture," sculptures made mostly from merely leaning materials, create complex spatial structures. Photographs of such realized works are cut and rearranged for collages, resulting in entirely new spatial contexts of astonishing realism that, upon closer inspection, do not form logical sequences. The coarsely assembled, trace-showing works are intentionally juxtaposed against the initial impression of an apparent perfection.

Further events related to the exhibition:

Thursday, December 4, 2014, 7:30 PM
Projections curated by Anja Dornieden and Juan David González Monroy
With kind support from the Cultural Department of the Neukölln District Office in Berlin

Sunday, December 14, 2014, 7:30 PM
Finissage with artist talk and drawing of the art lottery