Attila Csörgő
Roman Signer
November 9, 2012–February 17, 2013
Kunsthalle Mainz
Am Zollhafen 3-5
55118 Mainz, Germany
Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10–5pm
Wednesday 10–9pm; Saturday, Sunday 11–5pm
T +49 6131/12 69 36
F + 49 6131/12 69 37
mail [at] kunsthalle-mainz.de
www.kunsthalle-mainz.de
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The new director of the Kunsthalle Mainz, Thomas D. Trummer, is beginning his tenure with a double exhibition. The idea of an exhibition project presenting Attila Csörgő and Roman Signer is related to the institution’s location and situation. The Kunsthalle Mainz building was constructed in the 1880s to provide power for the cargo operations of the harbour facilities. It encompassed a boiler house and an accumulator tower as well as equipment for the hydraulic supply of the harbour cranes.
The historical monument’s original function is the source of inspiration for this first show. Roman Signer is keenly interested in scientific experimentation in the areas of physics and chemistry. In his humorous works, he plays with basic elements such as water, air and fire, showing them in various aggregate states and under diverse energetic conditions. His body of work arises from lively events in which surprising twists become artistic facets. The exhibition at the Kunsthalle Mainz assembles room installations, sculptures, photographs and videos of the past years. Signer has moreover created a work in situ especially for Mainz: a hanging kayak in the customs port. The paddle boat dangles from a historical crane in the immediate vicinity of the Kunsthalle.
The Hungarian dOCUMENTA (13) participant Attila Csörgő addresses the foundations of space, light and matter in his works. His artistic means are handcrafted devices assembled from threads, clamps, sticks and nuts. With these “poor” media, he develops highly efficient machines. His series on the metamorphosis of platonic bodies made with do-it-yourself technology are among the most astounding testimonies of contemporary art. Through reflection and the exploration of human perception, art becomes a means for Csörgő to allow clever engineering inventions as well as mathematic hypotheses to become thematic.
Events
Thursday November 8, 8pm— Artist Talk: Attila Csörgö in conversation with Regina Wyrwoll, Cologne
Tuesday November 20, 7pm— Artist Talk: Roman Signer in conversation with Thomas D. Trummer
Wednesday December 5, 7pm–Lecture by Leonhard Emmerling, Munich
Wednesday January 9, 2013, 7pm— Lecture by Rainer Metzger, Karlsruhe
Wednesday January 23, 7pm—Lecture by Roos Gortzak, Karlsruhe / Amsterdam
Special thanks to
Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna
Galerija Gregor Podnar, Ljubljana / Berlin