german artist and sculptor andreas schmitten exhibits his latest creation, a series of large-scale space sculptures, in the shotcrete nave; the central exhibition space of the könig gallery, germany. the works were developed over the past two years, in the artist’s home studio, and were created during the pandemic – a period characterized in part by social paralysis.
pictures by roman märz
the massiveness of the works of andreas schmitten is underlined by the high walls and the sacred atmosphere of the ancient space of the church. the artist reinforced the impression of “over-representation” with meticulously crafted plinths, some of which are more prominent than the sculptures they support. the reduced formal language of the works and the perfect craftsmanship with which they are made encourage associations with design. nevertheless, the sculptures only fulfill their function as works of art rather than being functionally oriented.
the title of the exhibition, sesshaft — meaning established, refers to the human way of life. since humans abandoned the nomadic way of life tens of thousands of years ago, they have left ever clearer traces of their existence, also in the form of artistic production. globalization makes this way of life more and more vulnerable.
for andreas schmitten, the pandemic was a turning point that shed light on humanity and the way we live together. his sculptures were previously often negatives of human bodies, body fragments are now clearly visible. these elements in the form of legs, arms and a face blend harmoniously into pools. as a place of purification, they usually serve to flush out bodily secretions, an action that suddenly took on special significance during the pandemic.
project info:
Last name: SESSION TREE
artist: andreas schmitten
exposed to: KÖNIG GALERIE, berlin, germany
exhibition date: June 26, 2020 to August 29, 2020
designboom received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘, where we invite our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
edited by: yasmina karam | design boom