translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville,
060414 : Galerie nächst St. Stephan: Daniel Knorr – Lunarium
Galerie nächst St. Stephan
Daniel Knorr – Lunarium
26.03.2014 – 03.05.2014
Night in the city
By Susanne Rohringer
In a city where, in 1791, the Queen of the Night and the High Priest Sarastro met each other and struggled for their dominance in Mozart's "Magic Flute", the German artist, Daniel Knorr thematises his associations in "Night and City". In his exhibition "Lunarium" with Rosemarie Schwarzwälder, besides the night it also deals with the Genius Loci of the city of Vienna. This respect for the location is reflected, above all, in his "Depression Elevations". Knorr takes the plaster cast of pieces of asphalt which he pours out with coloured synthetic material in his studio and lets the object which appears harden. By this means, translucent "plastic corpi" are created, which make the depths and twists of the asphalt visible. Besides the synthetic polyurethane used in Industrial Design, Knorr employs a gaudy colourfulness which ranges from translucent pink to inky blue and which, amongst others, reflects the choice of colour of the current advertising industry.
This unassuming colour-room intervention in the Galerie nächst St. Stephan are completed in the neighbouring room by a walk-in cage in which music instruments are found. The work "Block" relates to the classical musical tradition which captured the world in an imperialist language. With this installation, Knorr, who has already exhibited this work in New Zealand, hits a nerve in Vienna's cultural life because today, Mozart or Bruckner are played worldwide and, with the West East Divan Orchestra, even conquer the conflict-laden Arabic world. The question arises as to whether or not this music is a joy or a burden. In Knorr's exhibition, the instruments can be played by the visitor.
In the last room in the gallery, snippets of placards pasted over are presented which Knorr pasted onto illegal poster boards in Berlin; these were soon covered by other works. It came to a panopticon of unregimented, uncensored space in the City of Berlin. Something similar could be arranged for Vienna.
In the room on the ground floor of the Galerie nächst St. Stephan, the artist will offer a "Lunarium" during the exhibition up to the beginning of May from 0-5 hours in the morning, which will be visible from outside.
Galerie nächst St. Stephan
1010 Vienna, Grünangerg. 1/2
Tel: +43 1 5121266
Fax: +43 1 5134307
E-mail: galerie@schwarzwaelder.at
http://www.schwarzwaelder.at
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11-18, Sat 11-16 hours
Mehr Texte von translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville
060414
Galerie nächst St. Stephan Rosemarie Schwarzwälder
1010 Wien, Grünangerg. 1/2
Tel: +43 1 5121266, Fax: +43 1 5134307
Email: galerie@schwarzwaelder.at
http://www.schwarzwaelder.at
Öffnungszeiten: Di-Fr: 12-18h
Sa: 11-16h
Galerie nächst St. Stephan Rosemarie Schwarzwälder
1010 Wien, Grünangerg. 1/2
Tel: +43 1 5121266, Fax: +43 1 5134307
Email: galerie@schwarzwaelder.at
http://www.schwarzwaelder.at
Öffnungszeiten: Di-Fr: 12-18h
Sa: 11-16h