Dirk Skreber
so so so mottekoi
October 13–November 11, 2012
NANZUKA
Shibuya Ibis Bldg. B1F
2-17-3 Shibuya Shibuya-ku
Tokyo 150-0002 Japan
T +81 3 3400 0075
F +81 3 5809 2103
info [at] nug.jp
Skreber often paints the sites of natural disasters and traffic accidents. These subjects reveal his fascination with the process through which familiar scenery or forms become transformed, and take on a separate existence. Referring to sculptures he created by crashing cars, Skreber says, “my concern was not at all about accidents. Instead, my focus was using a massive, completely real transfer of energy as an open door to a perspective on the flow of physical laws and metaphysical energies, loading and unloading, transforming and retransforming like batteries or spiritual bodies.”
In his paintings, Skreber makes allusions to the scenery of his hometown in northern Germany. Influenced by the brimming energy of iron and steel industrial complexes, Skreber’s work reflects a scientific approach, sometimes through trial and error, to the way he invents imagery. One technique showcases illuminated forms through an optical gradation created by plucking away at foam tape–an example of the artist’s inventive practice. Skreber has also developed a painting method by which he creates forms through thickly layered paint in broken concentric rings.
The exhibition includes the artist’s 2012 film work, Turgidity, which documents an orchestrated car crash in slow motion. Other works include model cars crashed around steel poles and new works on canvas.
Dirk Skreber was born in Lübeck, Germany and studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. His works are included in The Saatchi Collection, the Museum für Moderne Kunst (MMK) in Frankfurt, and Skulpturenpark Köln, among others. Skreber received the National Gallery Prize for Young Artists (Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin) in 2000, and is one of Germany’s leading contemporary artists.
The artist will be visiting Japan for the first time on the occasion of this exhibition. There will be an opening reception with the artist present on October 13th starting at 18h.
