Honor Fraser is pleased to present Don’t Worry About The Motion On The Ocean, an exhibition of new work by Tillman Kaiser
In Tillman Kaiser’s premiere exhibition in the United States he continues to tackle imagery in the modern landscape. Kaiser bases his compositions, both sculpture and painting, on simple structure and pattern that reflect his interest in perception. His approach to art invokes Surrealism, Futurism, Constuctivism, and Dada. Highly influenced by modern architecture, Kaiser abstracts the familiar so the form of an object becomes more important than the function.
In the tradition of Duchamp’s ready-made Kaiser finds the everyday and turns it into an art object. Familiar items appear ominous in his work. The viewer as a result is set off balance, and Kaiser uses this to his advantage. He wants his art to be like “a very nice drug,” once consumed, the viewer feels amazing yet strange at the same time. This strangeness is seen in Viele Striche, one of five large paintings made for the exhibition, translated “many lines” he uses the images of wooden sculpture from a German artist from the 1960s names Dieter Finke. Black objects precariously balance on triangular shapes echoing the angular lines that make up the composition. Kaiser’s use of silkscreen, egg tempera, and pencil on canvas give his paintings an ethereal feel that looks like the pieces are cut from fabric.
Kaiser’s sculptures serve as the inspiration for the shapes seen in his canvases. Always in black or white, they emphasize his interest in form over function, as seen in What Goes Around, Comes Around. A large, black, cardboard object with eyes appears as a futuristic creature from another planet. In fact these eyes Kaiser purchased during his time in India and are used by the Jains on their holy marble sculptures to give life to the object. Made out of enamel and copper the eyes do appear alive and make the viewer question whether the sculpture is friend or foe.
In the project room a wallpapered image of a Feather Duster Sea Worm is seen. Kaiser likens himself to the sea creature; sorting out the usable and holding on the rest to be used in his art.
Tillman Kaiser was born in Graz, Austria. He received his education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in 1998. He has had solo exhibitions at layr:wuestenhagen contemporary in Vienna, and Neue Galerie Graz in Graz. His second publication, Ready add-ons, published by layrwuestenhagen contemporary will be available in time for the exhibition. Kaiser lives and works in Vienna.