Martin WöhrlFrom Nose to Tail

“From Nose to Tail” is published on the occasion of the solo exhibition “Elephant in the Room” by Martin Wöhrl (*1974) at the Kunstverein Ingolstadt, in which his concrete works played an outstanding role. As a term, however, the title comes from gastronomy and refers to the most complete possible use of an animal, from the fillet through the offal to its tail. The artist takes this up because he attributes the same value to all the constituent materials of his sculptures and also reworks the offcuts left over from his production into ever new combinations. Born in Munich, Martin Wöhrl constructs his sculptures by combining material set pieces of really existing architecture, whether sacred or profane in nature, in ways that create a dialogue – linoleum and brass, for instance. At times this looks as though he were fantasising dream images into being. Initially, however, in keeping with his basic aesthetic conviction of a minimalist approach to material, it was wood, concrete and plaster that were preferred: concrete cubes were stacked one on top of the other, frames placed on the wall, tubes set up in the space. The quotational use of architectural elements from sacred or profane contexts – a “Gothic” rosette, say – has since led to expansions in which minimalism collides with brutalism on the one hand, while on the other a disconcerting adaptation of historicist appropriation appears to take place.

Exhibition:
30/5 – 5/7/2020, Kunstverein Ingolstadt