DavisKlemmGallery Projektraum, Kirchstraße 4, 65239 Hochheim am Main Mehr...
Project #13: malatsion
THE ARTIST
malatsion (*1974) comes from Saint-Tropez, France. She studied archaeology, art history and fine arts in France - fields of activity that are can be found in her works. Since 2004 she lives and works in Frankfurt, Germany. Her works are regularly exhibited throughout Europe and internationally. She has been honored and supported by numerous scholarships, most recently receiving a travel grant from the Goethe Institute, which took her to Norway.
MATERIALS
In aquariums filled with water are soft sculptures, molded from silicone that the artist has colored with pigments. Weighted down with stones, the sculptures remain on the bottom of the aquariums. Like aquatic plants, the delicate sculptures “grow” in the water. Pumps create a slight movement in the water, making an impression that the sculptures are organic..
PRODUCTION
malatsion has developed the installation like a construction kit. Each individual part was carefully selected. The silicone parts are poured into molds and the silicone is mixed with a certain density of pigments to create layers of translucent and opaque layers. The water is treated with additives to prevent the formation of algae and thus discoloration. It also had to be left to stand for some time to prevent the formation of air bubbles, which would undesirably alter the visual impression. Setting up the installation can therefore take several days.
INFLUENCE
In the past, artists were usually not only dedicated to art. They experimented with the production of colors and materials, traveled and explored the world at the same time, were well-read and explored perspective and mathematics. In recent years, this form of open engagement with the world has come back into focus under the term "artistic research". Artists not only use genuinely "artistic" means - paint and brush, stone and chisel, paper and pencil, camera and light - but also methods that are regarded as scientific. They categorize, reveal connections and explore. malatsion also questions the purpose and benefits of research: are science, research and technology really as free from subjectivity as we think?
INSTALLATION
malatsion presents project #13 as a laboratory – leaving an impression of living organisms in a sterile research atmosphere. But if the objects of investigation were produced by the artist herself - what is being researched? malatsion gives her sculptures the title "Healing Process. Holobiont". A holobiont is "a concept from biology that refers to a community of organisms that live together in a symbiosis" (source: www.pflanzenforschung.de) Sutures on the sculptures refer to a surgical procedure that may have something to do with the healing process.
The installation is one of the artist's various methods of approach to the topic of humankind and environment. The objects undergo a healing process in an environment that is shielded from humans and at the same time created by humans. This refers to the process of renaturation, which gave many natural environments the opportunity to recover during the Corona pandemic - without human influence. malatsion's objects raise the question of artificiality and nature as well as the influence of humans on their environment, in both a positive and negative sense.
Water and sculpture, color and movement: malatsion succeeds in presenting a fascinating and aesthetic total work of art with many facets.
THE SPACE
The 20 m² room, in which pens and exercise books were previously sold, is now available to artists from the DavisKlemmGallery as a project space. Instead of regular but limited opening times, the room can be viewed around the clock: the entire room and thus the project can be viewed at all times thanks to the large window front. Changing projects, installations, works of art and artists can be discovered here. The current presentation will be on view until February 18th, 2024.
DavisKlemmGallery Projektraum, Kirchstraße 4, 65239 Hochheim am Main Mehr...
Project #12: Bean Finneran
THE ARTIST
Bean Finneran was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1947; she lives and works in Calistoga, California. As a performance artist, she was part of the ZONE Theater Company in Boston in the late 1960s and then a member of the SOON 3 avant-garde theater company, currently serving as associate artistic director. She has been involved in ceramic sculpture for over 25 years. She regularly exhibits internationally. Her works can be found at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, the collection of Microsoft Corporation, Redmond (Washington State), and the Korea Ceramic Foundation, Icheon, South Korea, among others. From September 28th to November 5th, 2023, Kunstverein Bellevue-Saal on Wilhelmstraße in Wiesbaden will present an exhibition of the American artist's work.
MATERIALS
Clay. Glaze. Color. The materials at Finneran are very elemental. Clay is one of the oldest materials on earth. As early as about 30,000 years ago, people discovered the practical use of clay as a material in everyday life. Vessels of all kinds have been made from it ever since. Finneran uses this material to create, in turn, very natural sculptures reminiscent of grasses, for example. However, she does not leave it at that. By using bright colors and glaze she transforms primal clay into something new and makes her her sculptures vibrant.
PRODUCTION
The production of Bean Finneran's sculptures is time-consuming: piece by piece, clay element by clay element. Her sculptures consist of thousands of hand-rolled and hand-painted clay elements. The artist herself calls her basic building element a "curve," because of the slight bend that occurs when the clay is rolled. Everything is made by hand: individually rolled by hand to the appropriate length and diameter with matching curve. Painted by hand. Carefully packed by hand. Carefully unpacked by hand and finally built by hand into a three-dimensional body..
INFLUENCE
Bean Finneran is inspired by nature. Working in the middle of a salt marsh, she translates her impressions of nature into art: a body of work made up of many individual pieces. Rather than transferring or imitating the motif directly into art, she instead interprets her understanding of nature as a repeating concept. Just as grass and leaves decay and grow anew over seasons and years, her installations of individual elements reflect the cycle of natural emergence with each assembly and disassembly. At the same time, there is also a reference to the individual in the repetition. Each sculpture is created individually piece by piece and always by using the same basic elements.
INSTALLATION
Finneran's installations are flexible: the size of a sculpture depends on the space and the amount of clay elements. Thus, sculptures made with the same basic elements can occupy the representative Bellevue Hall in Wiesbaden in its entire size and also fill this project space. In particular, the glow of the color, but also the complexity of the individual elements create a kind of aura that attracts attention and seems to illuminate any room from within itself.
THE SPACE
The 20 m² room, in which pens and exercise books were previously sold, is now available to artists from the DavisKlemmGallery as a project space. Instead of regular but limited opening times, the room can be viewed around the clock: the entire room and thus the project can be viewed at all times thanks to the large window front. Changing projects, installations, works of art and artists can be discovered here. The current presentation will be on view until November 19th, 2023.
DavisKlemmGallery Projektraum, Kirchstraße 4, 65239 Hochheim am Main Mehr...
Project #11: Maria Wallenstål-Schoenberg
MATERIALS
The materials are classic: canvas and oil paint. The artist exploits the strengths of oil paint: the intensity and clarity of color as well as the possibility to play with it. Under the upper, determining layer of color, a second one shines through. The meandering edges of the forms seem to glow due to the translucent colors of the lower layers. The structure on the surface reveals that Maria Wallenstål-Schoenberg does not use small delicate brushes, but works over large areas, sometimes using palette knives. This lush use of paint in just the right amount gives her works their energy.
THE ARTIST
Maria Wallenstål-Schoenberg was born in Uppsala, Sweden, in 1959. She studied at the University of Uppsala. After moving to Germany, she took art courses with Doz. Clemens Etz in Ulm and with Prof. Jerry Zeniuk at the Munich Art Academy in Munich. The German-American painter Zeniuk is a representative of color field painting, which is also reflected in Maria Wallenstål-Schoenberg's style. She lives and works in Munich, Germany, but also has a studio in Sweden. She is represented by galleries in Germany and Switzerland and regularly exhibits internationally.
PRODUCTION
The bright colors with slumbering colors peeking through underneath are created by Maria Wallenstal-Schoenberg's technique. On top of the still wet paint she applies the next color with a palette knife. On the one hand, the top layer of paint captures the luminous colors of the lower layers, which glow here and there like lava that is cooling down. On the other hand, the uneven application of the paint makes the works lively on the surface. These "imperfections" of the surface also make them look natural.
INFLUENCE
Although Mark Rothko used other colors and forms, Maria Wallenstål-Schoenberg's works are reminiscent of his artworks. Like no other, his name and artwork are associated with Abstract Expressionism and color field painting. Monochrome paintings with only one, two or three colors are typical of this art movement. From the beginning, it provoked with reduction and minimalism - a clear rejection of classical painting focused on motifs. To this day, minimalist works irritate, representing an antithesis to the daily flood of images. Thus, even more than half a century after its establishment, it has not lost its relevance.
INSTALLATION
Each painting is unique and individual - yet the effect is intensified when presented together in a space. As an ensemble, the individual works become parts of a color frenzy. The sequence of works also brings a new quality. It becomes clear that the individual works are variations of a main theme. Not only do the individual works become more interesting in comparison, but there is also an overall effect. The walls open up like windows into another world. They show a space in which forms float and perhaps can only be seen for a moment while viewing.
THE SPACE
The 20 m² room, in which pens and exercise books were previously sold, is now available to artists from the DavisKlemmGallery as a project space. Instead of regular but limited opening times, the room can be viewed around the clock: the entire room and thus the project can be viewed at all times thanks to the large window front. Changing projects, installations, works of art and artists can be discovered here. The current presentation will be on view until September 3rd, 2023.
This time-lapse video shows the first ten projects presented at the DavisKlemmGallery project space. Starting in July 2021 during the Corona pandemic, the project space was established with the aim to give a platform to artists even during this challenging crisis. Project #10 was installed in April 2023. The project space has established itself as an exhibition space and as an addition to the exhibitions shown at DavisKlemmGallery.
Mehr...
Project #1: Albrecht Wild; #2: Petra Scheibe Teplitz; #3: Günter Beier; #4: Mario Hergueta; #5: Nicole Fehling; #6: Ulrich Schreiber; #7: Bean Finneran and Katharina Gierlach; #8: Birgitta Weimer; #9: Katja Then and Konrad Winter; #10: Petra Scheibe Teplitz.
DavisKlemmGallery Projektraum, Kirchstraße 4, 65239 Hochheim am Main Mehr...
Project #10: Petra Scheibe Teplitz
MATERIAL AND PRODUCTION
Petra Scheibe Teplitz works with found materials. For almost ten years she has been occupied with the subject and the material "shooting target": Which shooting targets are there? What are they used for? What are they made of? From the serially printed papers of the shooting targets in various formats, the artist cuts out long narrow strips. She assembles these into new structures that correspond not only in color but also in their structure to shooting targets again. Although she works mainly with the found materials, she has modified the material for the rabbit installation. The rabbit silhouettes were also originally printed on cardboard. To make the rabbits run as they are seen here, she transferred the silhouettes to wood.
THE ARTIST
Frankfurt artist Petra Scheibe Teplitz (*1953 Isenhagen), who has no interest in hunting or shooting, uses found materials in her works. She disconnects these from their previous use and adopts their aesthetics for her works. In doing so, she draws on everyday materials, some of which are not deemed worthy of storage - packaging and plastic bags, for example. Her works thus become a museum of everyday things or everyday aesthetics. The common thread is structure and repetition. At the same time, she breaks this up again and again. Her works can be found in the collection of the Arp Museum Rolandseck and the Frauenmuseum Wiesbaden, among others.
INFLUENCE
Petra Scheibe Teplitz's turn to the trivial, to mass-produced products such as shooting targets is reminiscent of Pop Art, e.g. Campbell's soup cans by Andy Warhol. Due to serial production, each individual product has a low price. The artists of Pop Art turn this concept on its head by exaggerating the serial again. Petra Scheibe Teplitz also works serially here: the shooting targets and the rabbits repeat themselves like Warhol's Monroe faces. Petra Scheibe Teplitz, however, goes one step further by creating unique pieces and turning the principle around. From the quasi-infinitely available shooting target papers, she creates intricately crafted one-of-a-kind pieces.
THE INSTALLATION
The installation consists of various individual works of art. The "shooting targets" are individual works and the rabbits together are an existing work of art. While her shooting targets have already been exhibited side by side in this or other exhibitions, the installation with the rabbits is a novelty. Together they make a harmonious picture, probably not only because they match in color, but also because they come from the same "family" of shooting targets. Reminiscent of a shooting booth, Petra Scheibe Teplitz wants her installation to be understood as a stimulus of reflection. She does not want to invite anyone to shoot. After all, her rabbit installation isn’t called "Run, hunter, run" for nothing.
THE SPACE
The 20 m² room, in which pens and exercise books were previously sold, is now available to artists from the DavisKlemmGallery as a project space. Changing projects, installations, works of art and artists can be discovered here. The current presentation will be on view until June 25th, 2023.
DavisKlemmGallery Projektraum, Kirchstraße 4, 65239 Hochheim am Main Mehr...
Project #9: Katja Then & Konrad Winter
ARTISTS
Katja Then (born 1973 in Würzburg) and Konrad Winter (born 1963 in Salzburg) work together for this joint installation in the project space. Both currently live and work in Bad Kissingen. Although their techniques, approaches and works seem very different at first glance, they do have some things in common, which become visible in the project space. Questionable ideal worlds and nostalgic illusions can be found in both works.
MATERIALS
Wood, aluminium, car paint, acrylic glass, acrylic paint - that might sound like a workshop for futuristic pieces of furniture. For Konrad Winter, aluminium and car paint have become his trademark. The industrial materials stand in charming contrast to his impressionistic style. Katja Then often uses found materials in her works. For the project space she used sleds.
PRODUCTION
Katja Then works with ready-mades. She uses found materials - such as sleds. In this case, however, she changes them. Instead of the fabric covering as a seat, she uses an acrylic sheet onto which she applies a "colour fabric". The seemingly simple structure of the surface requires working stroke by stroke, day by day, so that the individual layers can dry and be clearly distinguished from one another. This creates the overlapping, partially transparent structure.
In contrast, Konrad Winter's colours are anything but transparent. Highly glossy, they reflect the light in some places, but are never translucent. His works start from photographs that are edited into light impressions. These individual light impressions are translated into areas of colour - when viewed up close, the motif is not recognizable. The photo template for this work comes from Winters' own camera - taken in Hochheim at the Madonna am Plan, just a few steps away from the project space.
INFLUENCE
Renoir, Mondrian and Duchamp meet each other at ... what sounds like the beginning of an art historical joke makes sense when looking into the project space. Just as Impressionism was able to capture so aptly the emotional sensation of the sun in the field, here the speed of a carousel or sleigh ride is captured. Here, the colour fields lie so separate and tidy next to each other that they are in no way inferior to the neat colour weaving of the toboggan. To juxtapose colour and surface in this way and let them work without subordinating themselves to a motif - Mondrian sends his regards. And let's not forget Duchamp, who was the first to place prefabricated objects in space and declare them to be works of art.
INSTALLATION
The sleds were the starting point of the joint installation. Similar installations of the sleds initially showed them as fabric-covered sculptures in a room. Later the sleds were hung on a wall and now they have moved back into a project space where they are again a sculpture, but this time enhanced with a painted image. They both inhabit the space as well as start a painterly conversation with the painting on the wall. The idea for Konrad Winter's painting first came when asked to develop an idea for the project space and were created especially for this project. From Katja Then's stationary sleds to the rapid sleigh ride including the whirl of colours - the idea for project #9 was born. Konrad Winter deliberately moved the camera so fast that the photograph had to be blurred - is the Madonna still recognisable? To depict the fleetingness of the moment, Winter also intervenes for the first time in the surface of his aluminium plates: By bending the aluminium panel, the image nestles into the corner of the room.
THE SPACE
The 20 m² room, in which pens and exercise books were previously sold, is now available to artists from the DavisKlemmGallery as a project space. Changing projects, installations, works of art and artists can be discovered here. The current presentation will be on view until April 10th 2023.