Thomas Stimm

The central and eponymous work of Thomas Stimm’s new exhibition is the ceramic “Schön und Umsonst” (“Beautiful and Free”), which was created in 1995 and is therefore almost 30 years old. In this exhibition, Stimm reflects on his work and says, “I was also surprised that I am still preoccupied with this topic”. He is referring to nature, which has been the subject of his work for over 30 years.

The “flower” is now characteristic of his work. Whether herb, flower or tree – he places his works in interior and exterior spaces in an alienated form both in terms of proportion and colour. The reduced minimal form vocabulary underlines the inevitability of experiencing the natural world.

In the 1980s, when abstraction was still in full swing, Stimm recalls, “it was even frowned upon to work with flowers, since one easily got the reputation of making such art for money”. Thomas Stimm was not deterred by this and, on the contrary, saw it as a provocation when he showed his first flowers in 1985.

“Mach dich der Erde untertan” (“Make yourselves subject to the earth”) is the title of one of his new works (2022). Boldly written on a sign, this sentence sticks out of the grass and reminds us, now perhaps more than ever, of our responsibility. Thinking about nature was and is always relevant.

However, Thomas Stimm categorically rejects the metaphorical meaning of his works: they do not stand for something else, but always for themselves and are to be unmistakably presented in this relevance that rests within itself.

“I’ve always felt a connection to nature, which ultimately counts us humans among its creations,” says Thomas Stimm. The artist wants to share this way of seeing and feeling nature with us.

Opening
Thursday, December 1, 2022, 6 – 8 pm