03 Jul 2008

Tobias Rehberger: The chicken-and-egg-no-problem wall-painting

As if in a march past, Tobias Rehberger presents in this installation some 40 works spread along 70 metres. Casting chronology to the wind, he has simply placed works from 15 years of creative production next to one another: chairs reminiscent of designer classics, his 'vase portraits', artificial limbs mounted on plinths, paper flowers with a Japanese ring to them, lamps made of Velcro tape, objects made of Perspex, video racks. Lit by spotlights, the works all cast their shadows onto the white wall facing them. The old works are bathed in a new glory, while simultaneously a new work comes into being: a mural made of light, shadows and colour.

With this installation Tobias Rehberger transposes three dimensions into two. By combining the play of light with painting for his wall piece, he retains the dependency between the objects in space and what is depicted on the wall – for if the lights went out the wall painting would more or less disappear. The artist likes 'the idea that something elaborate and solid could be the starting point for something vague and sketchy.'

Tobias Rehberger's the 'chicken-and-egg-no-problem' wall-painting is quite intent on not being a retrospective, although his remit – to present works from the last 15 years – almost compelled him to create just that. But not a single feature of a classic retrospective can be seen here: the choice and positioning of the works casts themes and chronological aspects to the wind. Nor was the importance of the exhibits for the artist's oeuvre a factor. They have been taken as raw material for something completely new. With this installation, the artist raises the question once again about function, utility value and authorship in art.

The artist Tobias Rehberger (*1966) studied from 1987 to 1992 under Thomas Bayrle and Martin Kippenberger at the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main, where he currently teaches. His works, which straddle fine art, design and architecture, reflect on the function and utility value of art.

The exhibition has been taken on from the Stedelijk Museum CS in Amsterdam.

Sponsored by Dornbracht Culture Projects