OLIVER KÜMMERLI
OLIVER KÜMMERLI
The photographic medium has always been central to his artistic practice. The relationship to the supposedly objective, but also to the subjective, has been crucial for Oliver to explore, understand and rethink the techniques of this medium. Oliver is interested in pushing boundaries by exploring where the image ends and space begins, as well as as well as the material and textural properties of the image. Therefore, he treats the photograph as an object rather than a simple image. Through this approach, Oliver examines architectural landscapes and transforms them from the outside into the exhibition space exhibition space, from two-dimensional images into three-dimensional installations, around a a spatial narrative. He often wonders what might happen if we demolished all buildings to explore the potential to create something new from the ruins.
His focus is on spatial practices and the production of space as they reflect the current state of the built environment and the possible future of architecture. This research has led him to develop a series of works in which he continually rearranges parts to see new ways of looking. One of these series is xeno-places, in which he reshapes interstitial spaces, transforming interstices, gaps and niches from architectural models into alien structures, and from positive to negative spaces, in order to challenge our conventional notions of place by blurring the boundaries between the physical and the non-physical, the tangible and the intangible.
Exhibitions
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Canton of Zug — Studio Scholarship in Berlin
Studio Scholarship in Berlin
September 2024 —December 2024
For a few months, Oliver Kümmerli will be in Berlin to complete his residency in the studio space of the Canton of Zug.
Interview with Oliver Kümmerli
In a conversation with NOA contemporary, Oliver Kümmerli gave some insights into how his residency is going.
How well did you know Berlin before you went there for the residency?
I had already been to Berlin five times, mainly for art and culture. Now I see the residency as a wonderful opportunity to make new contacts and maintain existing ones.
Can you tell me something about the series of works you are currently working on in Berlin?
In Berlin, I am continuing my work series “Zwischenräume”, in which I examine the architectural development of the city. I am particularly interested in built structures and the social dynamics they trigger. I translate spaces, gaps and niches - from the positive to the negative, from the three-dimensional to the two-dimensional and from architectural models to new, strange structures. I am currently working with the cyanotype technique and experimenting with different negatives in combination with different materials.
Has Berlin unexpectedly changed your view of your own work or inspired you to do something different?
As I've only been in Berlin for a month, my working process hasn't changed fundamentally yet. At first I needed time to settle into my new studio and the city. In this first month, I travelled a lot by bike to explore Berlin. I did a lot of writing, collecting ideas and reading, especially the book Smooth City (Against Urban Perfection, Towards Collective Alternatives by René Boer), which inspired me and will certainly have an influence on my upcoming projects in Berlin.
Apart from your studio of course, what is one of your favourite places that you discovered during your stay?
I spent a lot of time in Berlin's parks - the city is incredibly green. I particularly liked the Monbijoupark in my neighbourhood. I also discovered a small bookshop called Hopscotch, which has a great selection of art books, including small editions by local artists. For good conversation, I like to go to the Zosch bar, which is just round the corner.
You've now had a few weeks to settle in. What are you most looking forward to in the coming months?
I'm looking forward to continuing to cycle through the city to explore and document the spaces in between. At the same time, I want to make the most of my time in the studio, as it always takes me a while to get into the creative flow. I'm excited to see how my work will develop over the coming months.
Images curtesy of the artist.
Bad Posture™ — TIME FOR RE [FRACTION].
Duo exhibition with Anaïs Defago
July 28, 2024 — October 10, 2024
Opening on Saturday, July 27, at 4 p.m.
Exhibition curated by Dr. Ismene Wyss, Co-responsible for art and culture for the Mobiliar Art Collection and Curator, as well as Marlene Bürgi, Curatorial Fellow at Gebert-Foundation for Culture.
TIME FOR RE-[FRACTION] alludes to a myriad of thoughts, which the duo-show with Anaïs Defago and Oliver Kümmerli entails: a temporal dimension (time for something), light and shadow (refracting light), and architectural elements that are fractured (fractions, fissures, buildings ripped down or apart). The title is a statement that calls for reevaluation by using the square brackets as proxy, charged with potential to rethink, remake, and reproduce.
Text by: Bad Posture
Exhibition views, TIME FOR RE [FRACTION], Bad Posture™, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2024, ©Thea Giglio.