AN DER OBERFLÄCHE_ON SURFACE

With works by Auguste Rodin, Medardo Rosso, Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Constantin Brâncuși, Max Bill, Mary Vieira, Janet Cardiff/Georges Bures Miller, Daniel Canogar, Dorothee Golz, Rebecca Horn, Carsten Nicolai, Julian Opie, Georg Baselitz, Jeppe Hein, Elina Autio, Stella Hamberg, Evan Roth, Michael v. Kaler, Heike Weber, Berlinde de Bruyckere and others

“The first impression is fundamentally different from the one received when the eye, tired of observing, is at rest.” Medardo Rosso: Impressionism in Sculpture, 1901.

The surface of an object may be alluring or repellent, nondescript or exciting. It is our first impression. It invites us to contemplate, grasp and interpret. This exhibition shows how the surface and its meaning in sculpture have changed over time, presenting eminent examples from the 20th century with key works by pioneers of modernity such as Medardo Rosso, Auguste Rodin, Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Constantin Brâncuși, Max Bill, Mary Vieira, in order to shift the subject into the focus of our age: where does the surface of an artwork lead? What does it tell us about the process of creation, by the hand of the artist, and of her intentions? What ideas does the outer shell of a work of art inspire and what hides beneath the surface?

Among the most notable works in the exhibition are the life-sized fully plastic bronze sculpture “Eva” by Auguste Rodin (1881) and the intimate early wax sculpture “La Portinaia” (1883/84) by Medardo Rosso, the “sculptor of light”. Featuring works by artists from countries such as the US, Great Britain, Spain, Belgium and Finland, the exhibition shows how surfaces determine our behaviour in the world of things. They activate our visual memories and tactile senses. It is surfaces that address our imagination and store of experiences, arouse emotions and trigger a process of meaning generation. Positions of the 21st century are marked by works by Georg Baselitz and his monumental BDM group, Julian Opie, Carsten Nicolai, Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, Rebecca Horn, and Berlinde de Bruyckere. To a large extent, this exhibition is groundbreaking in the context of 20th and 21st century sculpture. It was inspired by the omnipresence of the surfaces of digital devices, by the aesthetics of smoothness and the desire to penetrate the surface. The title plays on different associations with the term surface: it is primarily about the manifestation of the surface of an artwork as one of its essential artistic qualities. The second reading suggested by the title is that of superficiality – that which seems to resist any attempt to discover a deeper meaning. The superficial is that which can be grasped immediately, it is the first impression that will linger in our memory.

Ever since the first drawings and cave paintings have been passed down, surfaces have been carriers of messages that communicate the values of a culture. This applies equally to everyday surfaces and to the surfaces of a work of art. In the artistic genre of sculpture, surface is one of the pivotal carriers of the meaning of a work. Surfaces, their texture and materials, are charged with different connotations, sparking off aesthetic debates and at the same time communicating the representative claims of an artwork.