Nymphius Projekte: Exhibitions by Friederike Nymphius
BERLINER METALLPLASTIK - BERLIN METAL SCULPTURE
16. April – 3. July 2010
Andreas Golinski, Knut Henrik Henriksen, Bernhard Heiliger, Thomas Kiesewetter, Matschinsky-Denninghoff, Gerold Miller, Manfred Pernice, Katja Strunz, Hans Uhlmann
During the 1950s, Bernhard Heiliger and Hans Uhlmann revived Berlin‘s reputation as a centre of sculpture. Their sculptures had an impact on the city, which was traditionally dominated by figuration. The style of their works, which are based on principles such as functionality, rationality and purism, was intended as a contribution to creating a new, modern cityscape and image of life after the war. These ideas are reflected in their sculptures of steel, bronze or copper, simultaneously calling to mind a new historical image of Berlin between construction/deconstruction, function/dysfunction.
In the 1980s, Matschinsky-Denninghoff created an internationally famous landmark for the division of the metropolis on the Kudamm. The chrome-nickel steel used for the monumental sculpture Berlin highlights the inner and outer resistance against this state of dead faint.
The fall of the Berlin Wall has opened up new perspectives and allowed the development of a new awareness of life in which the visions of Bernhard Heiliger, Hans Uhlmann or Matschinsky-Denninghoff have become reality. A group of young Berlin artists with Andreas Golinski, Knut Henrik Henriksen, Thomas Kiesewetter, Gerold Miller, Manfred Pernice and Katja Strunz has once more put the spotlight on abstract sculpture. It employs abstraction as a means of expressing contemporary, urban conditions of perception and contributes towards firmly establishing the new image of Berlin as a living place of renewal.
This exhibition is aiming to present a sketchy outline of Berlin´s long and vivid tradition of metal-sculpture.
