13.09.2013 — 28.02.2014Electric SpiritOne Man ShowAnselm Reyle

Through analysis and reconsideration of the different styles, genres and concepts from past eras of art history – from early Abstraction (Otto Freundlich) to American minimalism and expressionism of the 1950s and 1960s (Barnett Newman, Kenneth Noland, Jackson Pollock) and the shrill monochromes of Yves Klein to ready-made objects by Marcel Duchamp – Reyle creates series of large-scale abstract paintings, sculptures and installations made with fluorescent colors, neon lights and found objects that have been removed from their original function. Using unusual shiny materials like foil, glitter, mirrors and special-effects pastes, the artist persistently remakes and explores the definition of painting.

Reyle’s “foil paintings” have given him a distinct identity in the art world. The foil enclosed in colored Perspex boxes emits a shimmering glow and invites the viewer to engage in a tactile experience, which the viewer is denied at the same time.

The artist’s fascination with high gloss effects and decorative material taken from the merchandising world frames his critique of kitsch. The clash of low culture and high art is the focal point of Reyle’s art, confronting the viewer with the thin line at which these two categories meet.

The sofas by Anselm Reyle presented at the exhibition are the found objects masterly transformed to the new design objects, that reflect both the uniqueness of artistic style and the exaggerated decorative elements of the kitsch culture.

By juxtaposing precious materials and trash, Reyle creates work that is a witness to our time. It prompts reflection on the prevailing values of contemporary world consumer culture with its superficiality and the triumph of brands and glamour – a world where beauty and the perfection of external facades has become a total obsession, a social fetish.

Born in Tubingen, Germany, in 1970, Anselm Reyle studied at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Stuttgart and in Karlsruhe. Since 1997, he has been living and working in Berlin. Since 2009, he has held a post as professor at the Fine Arts Academy in Hamburg.

The artist’s exhibitions include shows at Albertina Modern (Vienna, Austria), The Royal Academy of Arts (London, UK), Tate Modern (London, UK), MOCA Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles, CA, USA), Latvian National Museum of Art (Riga, Latvia), the Centre National d’Art Contemporain (Grenoble, France), Neue Nationalgalerie (Berlin, Germany), Arken Museum for Moderne Kunst (Ishøj, Denmark), Cobra Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Palazzo Grassi (Venice, Italy) and Kunsthalle Zurich (Zurich, Switzerland).

SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS:

Centre Pompidou (Paris, France)
Pinault Collection (Venice, Italy)
Daimler Contemporary (Berlin, Germany)
Sammlung Boros (Berlin, Germany)
Arken Museum of Modern Art (Ishøj, Denmark)
Saatchi Gallery (London, UK)
Rubell Family Collection (Miami, FL, USA)

13.09.2013 — 28.02.2014Electric SpiritOne Man ShowAnselm Reyle