MICHAEL SAILSTORFER | Z 46
We are delighted to participate in the 2020 edition of Gasträume, a public art exhibition initiated by the the city of Zurich, with Michael Sailstofer’s new production Z 46.
Large, hewn from pale marble and thus suggesting a particular weightiness, this sculpture lies on the green ground with no base.
It is not hard to draw a connection between the title Z 46 and the object: The number indicates a very specific molar on the lower jaw in a set of human teeth.
Lying on the lawn at Basteiplatz in Zurich, this piece typifies the work of Berlin-based German sculptor Michael Sailstorfer (b. 1979), who strives to expand the concept of sculpture — often with literally explosive consequences. He catapults trees into the air, for instance, or uses a popcorn machine to send corn kernels flying into the exhibition space. The large marble tooth at Basteiplatz, which a giant could have lost, is part of a group of works that the artist has been working on for several months: At first, he made his tooth sculptures out of salt stone — a perishable material that wears away and dissolves over time, just like human teeth. When the artist exhibited the teeth in a rural Bavarian gallery, he even allowed cows from the neighbouring pasture to partake of the unusual art commodity and, as photographically documented, to lick the salt. With the Zurich tooth hewn from Carrara marble, Sailstorfer now brings art’s claim to eternity into play — in a thoroughly tongue-in-cheek way.
Gasträume 2020 Zurich, Kiör (Art in the Public Space)
Register your interest and contact us at mariechristine@liviefineart.com
Courtesy of Studio Michael Sailstorfer and LIVIE FINE ART, Zurich
Photos © Taiyo Onorato & Nico Krebs / Kunst im öffentlichen Raum Zürich («Gasträume 2020»)
Kindly supported by Liberty Specialty Markets, Zurich, and Cosmotrans AG, International Fine Art Services
ABOUT THE WORK
Michael Sailstorfer
(* 1979 Velden, lives and works in Berlin)
Z 46, 2020
Bianco di Carrara Marble
70 x 130 x 70 cm
A new production for the “Gasträume 2020” initiative of the City of Zurich for Art in the Public Space
Basteiplatz Zurich
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Michael Sailstorfer, born 1979 in Velden, lives and works in Berlin.
Since his studies at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich (with Olaf Metzel; 1999-2005), and at Goldsmiths College in London (2003-2004), Sailstorfer’s sculptural practice has been based on the kinetic, minimalist and pop tradition of the 1960s and 1970s, updated by inspirations emanating from everyday or technical materials. By de-contextualizing and reconfiguring these, the artist initiates radical shifts in meaning. The artistic transformation of objects and spaces, not least through light, sound or smell, challenges physical boundaries and creates original images that often evoke a poetic dimension. Moreover, much of his work deals with natural forces and the way we perceive them through form and physical space. Often a hint of quirkiness and visual wit appears in Sailstorfer’s art.
His works are always precise answers to the attributes of the places for which they are designed – be it the gallery or public indoor or outdoor spaces. Through international residencies such as Villa Aurora Residency, Los Angeles (2005) or the International Studio Program, Office for Contemporary Art Norway, Oslo (2006), as well as a large number of solo and group exhibitions and public art projects, Sailstorfer’s work has gained worldwide attention and recognition.