"Sometimes It's Better Than Ever"
PILEVNELI Dolapdere
September 9 - November 2, 2019
PILEVNELI Gallery is pleased to present a new body of works by Tobias Rehberger, as well as five previously shown sculptures, on view at its Dolapdere location in Istanbul between September 9 – November 2, 2019. The exhibition titled “Sometimes It’s Better Than Ever” will include works by Rehberger such as the ‘Infections’, ‘Portrait Sculptures’, ‘Mother Without Children’, and ‘Refuse’, along with the artist’s watercolors and neon works.
Among Germany’s leading contemporary artists, Rehberger works within the realms of architecture and design to explore the two disciplines’ possible relations to fine art. He presents himself as a catalyst rather than an artist as his works often generate social interactions as functional offerings rather than drawing attention as mere objects. He questions and challenges what art is, stating that art that deals only with art is not art.
Art is often encountered in a sterile environment, the white walls of a gallery or a museum. The viewer automatically assumes that artwork on a pedestal or behind a cord is not to be touched. Rehberger, on the contrary, invites his viewers to take part in an experience by creating art from new, less sanctified contexts: neon signs we see on the streets, lamps made of velcro. He investigates the functionality of an abstract art object inside the sterile walls to find out where the boundaries of art lie. Rehberger believes that cognitive confusion is a pivotal part of his art. By using everyday objects, which fulfill functional roles, within sterile contexts, he aims to create unexpected and confusing visual combinations for the viewer.
Tobias Rehberger also approaches architectural spaces as a part of the cognitive experience he invites his audience to be a part of. Rehberger interprets and transforms physical spaces, as seen in the reinstallation of his favorite bar, Bar Oppenheimer, in New York during Frieze Art Fair in 2013. By employing the use of ‘dazzle camouflage’ patterns, a tactic used during the World War I to make it more difficult for soldiers to pinpoint a target, the artist creates a life-size sculpture out of a room. A new example of Rehberger’s interactive architectural installations, will be on display at Pilevneli Gallery as a part of his solo show.
The space will occupy the terrace of the gallery space for at least 6 months as a social platform for interaction where people can eat, drink and spend time.
