Mario Merz
Curated by Dieter Schwarz
presented by the gallery :
PETER FREEMAN INC |
 |
T: +1 212 966 5154 F: +1 212 966 5349 e-mail:
Skulpturenhalle
Berger Weg 16 41472 Neuss/Holzheim
Tel: +49 (0) 2182 – 829 85 20 e-mail:
10.04 > 14.08.2016
 Exhibition view Skulpturenhalle, 2016 |
 1989 Basketwork, Cono,507xø249 cm |
 Untitled, 1982 Paint on canvas, bamboo, 421 x 496 x 45 cm |
 "Coccodrillo Fibonacci", 1989 Crocodile, neon numbers, varied dimensions |
Born in 1925 in Milan, where he died in 2003, Mario Merz left an artistic legacy of immense power that breaks through every barrier of convention. The materials he used – glass, stone, steel, bundles of sticks, neon numbers, painted cloths – are like actors in a performance, in which they truly shine.
The elementary domend form of the igloo, which Merz embraced, represents an existential concept far removed from that of the cubic space. Indeed, space seems to be compressed within the igloo, whose dynamic curves rise to converge at the crest. Another concept that Merz adopted was the Fibonacci sequence, which follows a similarly steep curve in emulation of the organisational systems found in nature – such as the procreation of animals, the structure of pine cones or sunflowers etc. This approach even seems to spill over into the paintings that Merz created on large swathes of cloth. Instead of stretching them on frames like canvas, he spread them across the walls like visual carpets. As such, they represent a direct transcription of his poetic imagination, rooted in the tradition of Romanticism that flourished north of the Alps. In his sweeping, circular gestures, Merz echoed the expansive growth of vegetation – while luminescent Fibonacci numbers scramble across outlines of gigantic creatures, conjuring visions of some all-encompassing energy.
The works presented in the exhibition and the installations have been kindly loaned by Konrad Fischer Galerie, Düsseldorf and Galerie Pietro Spartà, Chagny.
Dieter Schwarz
