Overview
His project for the gallery's Paris space is entitled Embrace Romance! He has placed at unusual angles along the walls, a dozen large panels that seem to both expand and contract the space.
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris is pleased to present an exhibition of new works by Austrian artist, Gerwald Rockenschaub. Rockenschaub always surprises us with his large-scale, site-specific installations whether they be conceived for the Consortium in Dijon, or for the Biennale de Lyon or for the upcoming Documenta 2007. His installations are characterized by their minimalist forms, shiny surfaces, and bold colors. His artistic vocabulary is diverse and stretches freely from painting to Plexiglas boxes, from works on coloured metallic paper to prints even to inflated objects made of PVC.
His project for the gallery's Paris space is entitled Embrace Romance! He has placed at unusual angles along the walls, a dozen large panels that seem to both expand and contract the space. These panels create new perspectives, trick the eye in an immediate yet subtle manner, and transform the visitor's experience in the space. The dialogue between these forms and colours creates a very new spatial architecture.
By creating these constructions, with their minimalist aesthetic and vibrant colours, Rockenschaub seeks to engage the viewer at a deeper level, and to provoke strong sensory reactions. He provokes an analytical correlation between the work and the gallery space, as well as between the work and the viewer, forcing one to follow a particular path when exploring the space resulting in a specific point of view.
Rockenschaub's formal language is linked to consumer products, design and the culture of the logo. His works, which make use of prefabricated colours and industrial production methods, never reveal the artist's handiwork. His creative process does not reside in the physical creation of the piece itself, but instead in the choice, the layout, and the organization of ideas that embody it.
Rockenschaub is interested in the relationship between "high-end" and "low-end" cultures, particularly the correlation between all sorts of electronic music and art. Gerwald Rockenschaub was a member of the music group Molto Brutto and is also a renowned DJ. He explores the limits between art and technology, art and culture and in doing so observes the specific convergence of conditions that spark the creation of art.
Rockenschaub began exhibiting his work in the early 80's. Since then, his works have been widely shown in Europe and in the United States. He participated in the Venice Biennial in 1995. In 2000 a huge retrospective of his work entitled "Funky Minimal" was presented at the Kunstverein in Hamburg and the Consortium in Dijon, this was followed in 2001 by his participation in the Biennale of Lyon. His work is present in the collections of major museums, such as the Centre Georges Pompidou.
Gerwarld Rockenschaub was born in Austria. He lives and works now in Berlin.
