Friedemann Grieshaber: Rough Gray : Verena Kerfin Gallery, Köthener Strasse 28, Berlin 10963
Past
exhibition
Overview
The sculptures presented evoke a dialogue between form, space, and architectural resonance, where the boundaries of figure and structure blur into a symbiotic relationship. Friedemann Grieshaber's works occupy a liminal space between the archaic and the modern, invoking the essence of Brutalist aesthetics while addressing deeply human themes of inhabitation, transformation, and the interplay of materiality and spirit.
These towering forms, some rough and primal, others precise and calculated, align with the artistic traditions of Constantin Brâncuși’s essentialist geometry and the monumental rigor of Le Corbusier’s architectural principles. Grieshaber’s approach seems to reconcile these traditions with a contemporary sensitivity, suggesting the human form as both inhabitant and architecture. His sculptures seem to address the "housing of the human" — not merely as a physical structure but as a metaphor for the emotional and spiritual spaces we occupy.
Grieshaber employs concrete as a medium — a material associated with strength and permanence but rendered here with surprising delicacy. The rawness of the concrete, its surface varying between smooth and jagged, reflects a duality that characterizes human existence: strength juxtaposed with vulnerability. The interplay of positive and negative spaces further emphasizes this duality, creating voids that evoke absence or introspection, while the solid forms assert presence and stability.
In their repetitions and variations, the works recall the organic rhythm of nature and the structured cadence of Gothic architecture. The verticality of these forms conjures comparisons to ecclesiastical spires, while their fragmented compositions suggest ruins — perhaps a nod to the impermanence of constructed environments and the inevitability of decay. In this way, the sculptures stand as meditations on temporality and endurance, evoking both the ephemerality of human life and the enduring spirit of artistic expression.
Grieshaber’s sculptures also dialogue with the lineage of architectural sculpture, from Michelangelo’s unfinished “Prisoners” series to the geometric abstraction of Russian Constructivists like Tatlin. These influences are not merely historical nods but active participants in the works’ interrogation of space and identity. The sculptures simultaneously evoke the permanence of ancient monoliths and the experimental, almost precarious configurations of modernism.
The gallery setting enhances this interplay between the sculptures and their surroundings. The juxtaposition of rough, tactile surfaces against stark white plinths and a vivid blue wall transforms the space into a theatrical arena, where the viewer’s gaze oscillates between the monumental and the intimate. The open windows and visible street beyond merge interior and exterior, blurring the boundaries between public and private, structure and void — themes central to Grieshaber’s exploration.
At the heart of these sculptures is an anthropomorphic sensibility. The towering forms, fractured yet coherent, suggest human postures frozen in time, as if caught between moments of movement and stasis. This evokes existential questions: Are these figures embodying shelter, or are they seeking it? The notion of "human as housing" becomes a metaphor for the internal architectures we build — the psychological and emotional frameworks that shape our identities and interactions with the external world.
The fragmented yet cohesive designs resonate with the philosophical writings of Gaston Bachelard, who considered the house as a site of imagination, memory, and self-discovery. Grieshaber’s sculptures appear to externalize these internal processes, their jagged edges and open spaces reflecting the complexities and contradictions of human experience.
Grieshaber’s works embrace a brutal yet fragile beauty, a testament to the “will to form” that transcends mere aesthetics. In their arrangement within the gallery, the sculptures challenge viewers to engage with the process of arrangement itself — the act of organizing chaos into structure, of finding coherence in fragmentation. This act mirrors the creative process, revealing the invisible labor of construction and deconstruction.
Ultimately, Grieshaber’s sculptures are not merely objects but spaces of contemplation. They invite viewers to navigate the tensions between form and formlessness, presence and absence, interiority and exteriority. In their silent, towering presence, they embody the eternal dialogue between material and spirit, offering a poignant reflection on the human condition and the enduring power of art to shape our understanding of the world.
These towering forms, some rough and primal, others precise and calculated, align with the artistic traditions of Constantin Brâncuși’s essentialist geometry and the monumental rigor of Le Corbusier’s architectural principles. Grieshaber’s approach seems to reconcile these traditions with a contemporary sensitivity, suggesting the human form as both inhabitant and architecture. His sculptures seem to address the "housing of the human" — not merely as a physical structure but as a metaphor for the emotional and spiritual spaces we occupy.
Grieshaber employs concrete as a medium — a material associated with strength and permanence but rendered here with surprising delicacy. The rawness of the concrete, its surface varying between smooth and jagged, reflects a duality that characterizes human existence: strength juxtaposed with vulnerability. The interplay of positive and negative spaces further emphasizes this duality, creating voids that evoke absence or introspection, while the solid forms assert presence and stability.
In their repetitions and variations, the works recall the organic rhythm of nature and the structured cadence of Gothic architecture. The verticality of these forms conjures comparisons to ecclesiastical spires, while their fragmented compositions suggest ruins — perhaps a nod to the impermanence of constructed environments and the inevitability of decay. In this way, the sculptures stand as meditations on temporality and endurance, evoking both the ephemerality of human life and the enduring spirit of artistic expression.
Grieshaber’s sculptures also dialogue with the lineage of architectural sculpture, from Michelangelo’s unfinished “Prisoners” series to the geometric abstraction of Russian Constructivists like Tatlin. These influences are not merely historical nods but active participants in the works’ interrogation of space and identity. The sculptures simultaneously evoke the permanence of ancient monoliths and the experimental, almost precarious configurations of modernism.
The gallery setting enhances this interplay between the sculptures and their surroundings. The juxtaposition of rough, tactile surfaces against stark white plinths and a vivid blue wall transforms the space into a theatrical arena, where the viewer’s gaze oscillates between the monumental and the intimate. The open windows and visible street beyond merge interior and exterior, blurring the boundaries between public and private, structure and void — themes central to Grieshaber’s exploration.
At the heart of these sculptures is an anthropomorphic sensibility. The towering forms, fractured yet coherent, suggest human postures frozen in time, as if caught between moments of movement and stasis. This evokes existential questions: Are these figures embodying shelter, or are they seeking it? The notion of "human as housing" becomes a metaphor for the internal architectures we build — the psychological and emotional frameworks that shape our identities and interactions with the external world.
The fragmented yet cohesive designs resonate with the philosophical writings of Gaston Bachelard, who considered the house as a site of imagination, memory, and self-discovery. Grieshaber’s sculptures appear to externalize these internal processes, their jagged edges and open spaces reflecting the complexities and contradictions of human experience.
Grieshaber’s works embrace a brutal yet fragile beauty, a testament to the “will to form” that transcends mere aesthetics. In their arrangement within the gallery, the sculptures challenge viewers to engage with the process of arrangement itself — the act of organizing chaos into structure, of finding coherence in fragmentation. This act mirrors the creative process, revealing the invisible labor of construction and deconstruction.
Ultimately, Grieshaber’s sculptures are not merely objects but spaces of contemplation. They invite viewers to navigate the tensions between form and formlessness, presence and absence, interiority and exteriority. In their silent, towering presence, they embody the eternal dialogue between material and spirit, offering a poignant reflection on the human condition and the enduring power of art to shape our understanding of the world.
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