Clemens Behr continues to show us why he is one of today’s top contemporaries. Here is a set recent installations during his travels. One of the most interesting works is a wall installation that resembles a traditional mural but with his extra added sculptural elements. Clemens again is pushing new boundaries and mediums showing us a glimpse of what future murals could look like. The second set of pictures is a preview for his upcoming solo exhibition “Splitter” which will take place this week at Gestalten Place. If you are in Berlin don’t miss it.
GF
SPLITTER
An Exhibition by Clemens Behr
Date: June 13, 2013–August 4, 2013
Time: 12:00–20:00
Location: Gestalten Space, Sophie-Gips-Höfe, Sophienstraße 21, 10178 Berlin
Vernissage: June 13, 2013, 18:00–21:00
The artist will be in attendance.
Gestalten is pleased to present a solo exhibition by young Berlin-based artist Clemens Behr. In SPLITTER, new installations conceived especially for our exhibition space and a selection of Behr’s latest artworks converge to offer a compelling snapshot of his emerging artistic career.
Clemens Behr almost always creates site-specific works that are characterized by the use of found material. Evolving out of an approach that originates between deconstruction and rearrangement, Behr’s temporary formations serve as reflections of his visual impressions of a given surrounding. His almost performance-like design process is not based on any sketches. Still, Behr’s final results, which are always documented in photos, look as though he was guided by a specific visual goal. These photos, in turn, become artworks themselves, as they are mostly the only remnants of his ephemeral installations. This circumstance indicates the significant influence of American conceptual artist Gordon Matta Clark and his building cuts on Behr.
The exhibition title SPLITTER is a double entendre that refers to the artist’s approach as well as to the visual impression his installations convey. By playing with both destruction and construction, Clemens Behr raises questions about ephemerality and permanency. In the same way, his work facilitates a dialog between our perceptions in the second and third dimensions. Against this background, the importance of photography to his work becomes even clearer—thanks to photography, Behr’s spatial, walk-in installations can become striking cubistic images after the original structures have been destroyed.
Alongside his temporary site-specific interventions, SPLITTER also presents a number of durable objects. With his recent change to more stable materials such as wood and tiles, Clemens Behr has abandoned his use of cardboard boxes, which had become a trademark of his abstract spatial installations. It is especially revealing to experience Behr’s work at the time of this significant artistic shift since it gives an outlook on what is still to come.
For further information or to request a preview of the available work, please contact the gallery at berlinspace@gestalten.com.