Since the 1920s, Germany has been a prime contributor to modern art despite being a survivor of two brutal world wars.
Institutions such as the Bauhaus were responsible for bringing about the integration of art and design. In fact, the impact has trickled down the ages and is evident in Come-in: Interior design as a Contemporary Art Medium in Germany.
Dr. Renate Goldmann, director of museums in the city of Düren, and Volker Albus, professor of Product Design at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design are the two curators of the exhibition. They seek to explore the connection and distinction between art and design by presenting 25 artworks, which include individual objects, installations, sculptures, and videos.
Utilitarian perspective
After travelling through 16 countries, Come-In arrives in Mumbai after a stopover in Kolkata. The show has been produced by Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa), Stuttgart, and presented by the Max Mueller Bhavan/Goethe Institut.
Most of the works of the 18 artists, including Mumbai-based Shilpa Gupta and Shreyas Karle, transcend symbolism and narrative content, and move away from being two-dimensional. For instance, the presentations of furniture, including a bar counter, a sofa and a coffee table, go beyond their utilitarian perspective. The exhibits are scenic recreations and play with the viewer’s perception.
Goldmann says the works were chosen or specially created for the show to act as a reference to contemporary events and history. For example, Claus Föettinger’s installation, Herrmann’s Döner Inn, is a narration of American culture harking back to German history. Föettinger says, “It’s also kind of a Nazi joke which happens quite a lot in my work.” With three symbols — the logo of McDonald’s, an inverted cross, and the crescent moon — Föettinger forms an old-German-style illuminated bar setting. A small television set, placed inside the cross, screens the film Föettinger made while visiting döner kebab stands in Dusseldorf and Berlin.
“My work goes through a different kind of human situation, especially with drinks,” says Föettinger, who keeps water, sometimes tea, and in Mumbai’s case coconut water at his installation. The exhibit perfectly encapsulates how a utilitarian object’s aesthetics can transcend its usability.
Another highlight is Do Not Disturb by Erik Schmidt. Made in 2000, the installation has a wallpaper with jungle motifs alluding to a stay at a hotel where patrons would like to remain undisturbed. “It is interesting to see my work after so many years,” says Schmidt.
His work has been heavily influenced by the pop culture of the 90s. “The Brit art was what we referred to, there was also graphic design. There was a lot of impact from media, especially through music videos,” he says.
Another installation by Schmidt is Homestory. Made in collaboration with Corinna Weidner, it is a commentary on his Berlin flat and studio.
Gupta’s work is an interpersonal piece with mirrors that is open to interpretation. She says, “In Mumbai, you are surrounded by a lot of people, it is impossible for everyone to look at the world in the same way.”
Come-in: Interior design as a Contemporary Art Medium in Germany, at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Fort, till December 16.Contact 22881969 (NGMA) or 22027710 (Max Mueller Bhavan).
The author is an intern with The Hindu
