Exhibition in Soho, New York
www.artpod.org
Saffer creates intricate abstract compositions from single sheets of painted, cut and folded paper. Using an economy of means, he establishes a complex system of formal and thematic relations. His vibrantly colored works defy categorization, mining the expressive spaces between drawing, painting and sculpture. Continuing a tradition of hard-edged abstraction rooted in the paper cut-outs of Henri Matisse and the painterly juxtapositions of New York School artists such as Fritz Bultman and Lee Krasner, Saffer takes a decidedly methodical albeit intuitive approach. Drawn from printed sources and basic paper materials, these double-sided works may be traced to their origin and can conceivably be unfolded to reveal a single form or element. Through his process, Saffer carves out a space for the viewer that resists repetition and facile interpretation.
Unter Teppichen
Kohlenhof Kunstverein Nürnberg
"Der Mensch ist das einzige Lebewesen,
das weiss, dass es sterben wird. Die
Verdrängung dieses Wissens ist das
einzige Drama des Menschen."
Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Press
(PDF, 18 KB)
Saffer creates intricate abstract compositions from single sheets of painted, cut and folded paper. Using an economy of means, he establishes a complex system of formal and thematic relations. His vibrantly colored works defy categorization, mining the expressive spaces between drawing, painting and sculpture. Continuing a tradition of hard-edged abstraction rooted in the paper cut-outs of Henri Matisse and the painterly abstractions of New York School artists such as Fritz Bultman and Lee Krasner, Saffer takes a decidedly methodical albeit intuitive approach. Drawn from printed sources and basic paper materials, these double-sided works may be traced to their origin and can conceivably be unfolded to reveal a single form or element. Through his process, Saffer carves out a space for the viewer that resists repetition and facile interpretation.
Installation view, solo exhibition Kate MacGarry Gallery, London
Stefan Saffer created a new installation for his second show at the gallery. Purple carpet transforms the space, creating a backdrop for a group of new sculptures. These are models made in raw, painted wood. They have a formal construction and sometimes include found materials, at the same time alluding to something large scale or functional.
The installation takes it´s form from Epic Theatre, a movement arising in the early to mid 20th century and inextricably linked to the German playwright Bertolt Brecht. It assumes that the purpose of a play, more than to entertain or to imitate reality, is to present ideas and invite the audience to make judgments on them. Characters are not intended to mimic real people, but to represent opposing sides of an argument, archetypes, or stereotypes. The audience should always be aware that it is watching a play, and should keep an emotional distance from the action. Brecht described this ideal as the Verfremdungseffekt, translated as "alienation effect". "It is most important that one of the main features of the ordinary theatre should be excluded from the engendering of illusion". Common production techniques in epic theatre include simplified, non- realistic set designs and announcements or visual captions that interrupt and summarize the action. Brecht used comedy to distance his audiences from emotional or serious events and was heavily influenced by musicals and fairground performers, including music and song in his plays. This collection of objects negotiates the space like characters on stage, each with it´s own narrative, taking a certain position within the group. On closer inspection the works reveal themselves as handmade in construction, their improvised nature allowing a discourse to take place.
Installation view
Quest, 2008
(Herzstueck A / a variation of Heiner
Muellers drama "Herzstueck")
wood block carved and painted, books,
ceramic ball, wooden boxes, metal
rotating platform
Narcissus, 2008
(Herzstueck B / a variation of Heiner
Muellers drama "Herzstueck")
woodblock carved. cactus, lightbulbs,
glass balls
infinite dot, 2008
white bookbinding tape, colour pencil,
foamboard, paint - installation
My Renaissance Angst, 2008
mixed media on archival cardboard ,
cut out, shadow on the wall
Press release
(PDF, 15 KB)
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All images used with permission from Rut Sigurdardottir.
Installation variable size, Gouache on cut out and folded posters, gouache on wall,
earth, plants and picture frames | View from Minton´s Playhouse exhibition
Curated by Katharina Schlüter, Caravan Berlin at Artnews Projects, Berlin
Installation view from LynchMob exhibition
ist of works:
Stage & Kingdom, 2009
carpet, leather chair, steel poles, tape
PalmPulp, 2009
rotating platform, monitor, pvc, paint
Shedem Kuk, 2009
knives, clay, paint, kukuk clock
Curated by Emilie Trice & Christopher David.
LYNCHMOB brings together a group of 30
international contemporary artists, each of
whom were asked to create and contribute
work stemming from, inspired by or in
direct response to the oeuvre of David
Lynch.
Press release and card
(PDF, 1,3 MB)
The Garden of Eden
curated by Nina Katharina Schlüter
CARAVAN Berlin is a mobile gallery that organizes exhibitions in the city of Berlin
He had shut his eyes (...).
"You are changing" she said.
"Oh you are. (...) Yes you are and you´re
my girl Catherine."
"You are Catherine."
"No I´m Peter."(...)
(Ernest Hemingway ,
The Garden of Eden, 1987)
Press
(PDF, 520 KB)
www.caravanberlin.com
Mobile
Japanese Soji Paper, Acrylic paint, Gouache, Metal- and Bamboo Frames,
Threads, Timber, Throw-On Objects, 120 x 120 x 200 cm
An interactive mobile compositions where each part functions as an image AND as a drum at the same time. People are allowed to create a sound by hiding the elements careful. The movement of the Mobile is provoked by Wind and drumming and there the Mobile can be plaid like a imaginary instrument.
“Imaginary Travels” at the AmerikaHaus Berlin organized by ArtPodgUG Berlin.
www.artpod.org
Exhibition: "In Significant´s" Ocean Project, Malmö, Sweden Volvo Amazon, windscreens painted
Installation View wall piece with spray paint, nails and fabrique tape
exhibition: Neue Galerie, Dachau
Paper, car varnish, beer tables and benches
(2 m x 0,5 m x 1 m)
The site specific installation tries to densify space in a german beer-tent manor. The beer tables an benches guarantee a maximum of seating space within any given room. Looking at just the strict order of the tables in the gallery one can find visual parallels to the ground floor plan of the Dachau Concentration Camp. The exhibition space seems cold and empty. It is not clear what the seating is for. The colorful covers are made from paper which had been varnished in different car colors. The smell of varnish still evaporates. These car colors , metallic effects and shiny gloss, are playing a big role in the life of young Dachau people. The car is the symbol for status in countryside Germany. The installation SET reflects the Dachau of the past and the Dachau today and creates an empty social space which seems to create a void and a sense of loss for its visitors. How do we fill our area with life again ? What are we aware off? Everybody was entering a SET of questions during this group show.
Halle eins, Gallerie Koestring Maier, München
Metal Poles and wood panel
6x 0.5 x 0,2 meters
Handmade flags on 2 lines, color pencil, gouache, water colors, wax Crayon
(50 m x 3 m x 3,5 m)
Coloured Pencil, Coloured Tape installed on wall and floor
(5 m x 5 m x 2 m / 16.5 feet x 16.5 feet x 6.5 feet)
Exhibition "Flashpoint" at Globe Gallery Newcastle, UK
in collaboration with Richard Woods for "Eigenheim, everything but the kitchen sink"
exhibition at Kunstverein Goettingen
artboard, ink, wood, paint, electric drill; 100 x 100 x 300 cm
