Andreas Schmitten
Stehend im Raum
30.06. – 25.08.2019

Graduate, art and sponsorship prizes, scholarships, gallery exhibitions at home and abroad, participation in group exhibitions such as the Bundeskunsthalle, solo exhibitions such as the Kurhaus Kleve and purchases from larger public collections less than a decade after completing his training, indicate a particular interest in the art world. The artist whose work has received this remarkable attention is Andreas Schmitten. Andreas Schmitten (*1980) studied philosophy at the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf and then fine art at the Academy of Fine Arts / Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf. He completed his studies in 2012. Since then, he and his works have experienced the interest outlined at the beginning.

His works are freestanding sculptures, sculptural display cases that have been described as “constructed images” on the wall or in the room, models, installations as well as drawings and picture stories. The variety of materials he uses is large. It ranges from wood, fabrics, needles and yarns to various plastics and metals, fluorescent tubes or LEDs, acrylic paint, colored and pigmented pencils, paper and cardboard. What all the works of art have in common is precise execution, mostly friendly, striking colors, a flawless surface, shine with and without lighting, sometimes opulence and a beguilingly beautiful design as well as the impression of being recognizable or legible.

In fact, some works or their components can be clearly recognized at first, as is the case with the showcases that will be on display in the Kunsthalle Bremerhaven. The drawings or picture stories can also be recognized. They show stories or can be read as instructions for action. But despite this clarity, despite the friendly colors and the flawless execution, a mixture of fascination and alienation often arises. Because the beautiful appearance contrasts with paradoxical, bizarre stories, with decay and transience or with an almost cold, aloof formal consequence.

The Kunstverein Bremerhaven of 1886 would like to thank the Cultural Foundation of the Norddeutsche Landesbank and the Karin and Uwe Hollweg Foundation, whose kind support made Andreas Schmitten’s first exhibition in northern Germany possible.

Curated by Dr. Kai Kähler.