MARKUS SCHINWALD
2017-04-03Upon entering the exhibition space the viewer walks towards a long row of ten canvas sack sculptures – all hung in a single file along one wall of the gallery, each filled with arrangements of Chippendale-legs, some splayed, some demure. In his sculptural practice Schinwald has always been interested in the manipulation of pieces of furniture. He often uses Biedermeier table or chair legs, characteristic of a 19th-Century style. He saws them off and rearranges them in uncanny ways that bring out their anthropomorphic qualities. The half-hidden wooden parts stretch the fabric, which is reminiscent of the white cloth that is used to cover and protect furniture, thus creating weird and sexually allusive forms. The stretched fabric acts as both sling and cocoon, concealing joints and limbs that struggle as much as they acquiesce. Besides the row of sacks Schinwald also intervenes with the actual gallery space: The jigsaw-like assembly of large, interlocking metal panels that extend across the ceiling, are embossed with a pattern that creates the impression of a complex, suspended machine, a kind of exposed mechanical viscera. The metal mimics the bas relief gesture of Rococo stucco, curving and extending overhead, blanketing the entire space in a mildly aggressive red sheen and giving the whole show a slightly erotic touch.
In transforming the white gallery ceiling into a red tiled artwork Schinwald bestows a completely different atmosphere upon the room and makes a Gesamtkunstwerk of the space. At the entrance of the gallery, the ‘Jubelhemd” is displayed. One of Schinwald’s earliest works, is a fabric piece inspired by the tailored shirts worn by orchestral conductors. The altered arms force the wearer to keep their arms raised, a gesture that evokes both celebration and capitulation. Though the ‘Jubelhemd’ is celebrating its 20th anniversary, its ambivalent extremes seem particularly relevant in today’s political climate.
Opposite – Jubelhemd, 1997
Exhibition runs through to May 20th, 2017
Giò Marconi
via Tadino 20
I-20124 Milan
Italy
