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280113: Kunsthalle Mainz: Attila Csörg? and Roman Signer
Kunsthalle Mainz
Attila Csörg? and Roman Signer
09.11.2012 – 17.02.2013
Close to the water
By Daniela Gregori
The red boat, including its paddles, is hanging in the air and is visible from a great distance - as if a crane had fished the kayak out of the Rhine River. At the same time this seems to confirm the Kunsthalle Mainz’s new motto of wanting to be a “local provider with a long-distance effect”. Since September 2012, Thomas D. Trummer is the new head of the Kunsthalle and initiated the exhibition with works by Roman Signer, who created this installation, and Attila Csörg?.
Signer and Csörgö literally devote themselves to the elements of water, air, fire and space, light, matter – and, in view of the original usage of the venue, the choice made by the artists is self-evident. Constructed in the 1880’s, the building was originally utilized for the energy supply of cargo ships. Today, a café is located in the former engine carriage house and a multi-floored glass tower connects the two historical buildings. All in all, this is probably the most beautiful Kunsthalle in Germany.
Signer’s outside installation finds its indoor counterpart in “Canal” (1995), in which the kayak is balancing in a narrow water-filled pool. In “Volets” (2012) two shutters mounted on a wooden wall fight against three alternatingly active ventilators. After the two shutters have finally closed, they open again as soon as the fan starts to work on the reverse side. Similar to an acoustic self-portrait, one can hear noisy snoring coming out of a tent that is right next to the “Volet” installation.
Attila Csörgö, on the other hand, is more of a quiet nerd. It is fascinating to watch his bricolage in which the edges of a dice, a tetrahedron and an octahedron are guided as if by magic to form an icosahedron and then return to their initial position. For the experimental set up “How to construct an orange” (1993-2006) the artist tests various constructions of a paper body floating almost motionless above a fan.
In the tower one finds Csörgö*s Mahlstrom-Project (1995) that constitutes part of the evn-collection. Used oil creeps up the sides of a rotating aluminum kettle, thereby forming a whirlpool and transforming its own reflection. Watching a tank ship on the Rhine River, it becomes clear that this work could only have been created for this venue.
Here is some wisdom which is not only valid in sports: before anyone celebrates far-reaching success, he first has to win at home. By the way – the next exhibition is devoted to David Claerbout.
Kunsthalle Mainz
55118 Mainz, Am Zollhafen 3-5
Tel: +49 (0)6131 12 69 36
Fax: +49 (0)6131 12 69 37
email: mail@kunsthalle-mainz.de
http://www.kunsthalle-mainz.de
280113
Kunsthalle Mainz
55118 Mainz, Am Zollhafen 3-5
Tel: +49 (0)6131 12 69 36, Fax: +49 (0)6131 12 69 37
Email: mail@kunsthalle-mainz.de
http://www.kunsthalle-mainz.de
Öffnungszeiten: Di, Do, Fr 10-17, Mi 10-21, Sa, So 11-17 h
Kunsthalle Mainz
55118 Mainz, Am Zollhafen 3-5
Tel: +49 (0)6131 12 69 36, Fax: +49 (0)6131 12 69 37
Email: mail@kunsthalle-mainz.de
http://www.kunsthalle-mainz.de
Öffnungszeiten: Di, Do, Fr 10-17, Mi 10-21, Sa, So 11-17 h
