15.10.2023 until 14.04.2024
The State Collections of Classical Antiquities and the Glyptothek regularly present temporary special exhibitions of contemporary artistic positions that relate to their own collection. Examples of this are the famous "Glyptotek Drawings" by the US artist Jim Dine (*1935) or the fourteen large-format sculptures made of wrought iron shown last year under the title "Beyond Hellas" as well as a selection of drawings and watercolours by the Spanish-Swiss architect and artist Santiago Calatrava (*1951).
As part of the exhibition "Raum O", a walk-in large sculpture by Hildegard Rasthofer (*1967) and Christian Neumaier (*1965) will be on display centrally in the inner courtyard of the Glyptothek. As an artist duo, both work under the label Rasthofer/Neumaier in an interdisciplinary way in the fields of experimental architecture and plastic-sculptural design. Their object entitled "Raum O" consists of six curved elements made of mirror-polished stainless steel that form a room in the shape of a rotunda nine metres in diameter that can be entered from all sides. The gently moving wings provide access to the empty interior.
One of the major themes of ancient Greek art is the representation of the human body. While the works by Dine or Calatrava in the Glyptothek are based on an artistic reinterpretation of historical representations, Rasthofer/Neumaier pursue a different approach. It is true that they also create an encounter with bodies with their "Raum O". But it is only in the confrontation with the viewers that the sculptural event is revealed. Their three-dimensional construction defines a spatial body whose boundary surfaces blur. Surrounding bodies are then silhouetted against the polished shell. Through movement in the space, the mirror images dissolve and, as in a kaleidoscope, form themselves again and again into distorted images that contradict idealised images.
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Work
Room O, by Hildegard Rasthofer and Christian Neumaier, walk-in sculpture (2023), 3.6 x 9 metres, mirror-polished stainless steel, structural steel, multiplex panels, total weight 23.5 tons.
Artist
As an artist duo, Hildegard Rasthofer (*1967) and Christian Neumaier (*1965) work interdisciplinarily under the label Rasthofer/Neumaier in the fields of experimental architecture and plastic-sculptural design.
Rasthofer is an architect who studied architecture at the Technical University in Munich. Neumaier is a trained metalworker and art smith of master rank and has been involved in metal sculpture for decades.
For further information → https://rasthofer-neumaier.art/
Catalogue
The exhibition is accompanied by a → catalogue with a foreword by Florian Knauß, Director of the Staatliche Antikensammlungen und Glyptothek in Munich, and an essay by Elisabeth Katharina Maier.
The photographic material made available here may be used free of charge in the context of editorial reporting on the State Collections of Classical Antiquities and the Glyptothek with reference to the work "Room O" by Rasthofer/Neumaier, provided the source reference ©Anne Wild. The use for commercial purposes is not permitted.
