MOTOR at Kunst Raum Riehen / Riehen

MOTOR
Samuli Blatter, Karin Borer,
Stefan Burger, Daniel Kurth, Max Leiß,

Selina Lutz, Nico
Müller, Alexandra Navratil, Aldo Solari, Inka ter Haar,
Anna B.
Wiesendanger, Aline Zeltner

Curated by Martin Chramosta

June 20 – August 23 2020


Kunst Raum Riehen 
Baselstrasse 71, Riehen, Switzerland

Photo: Moritz Schermbach

In this group
exhibition, 12 artistic positions engage with the title term “MOTOR”:
The engine as a clock generator, as a converter of one energy into another. The
curatorial selection of the artist and curator Martin Chramosta is not
primarily focused on movement per se, but rather puts the stress on the inner
and outer impulses that drive artistic production in general and the practice
of the presented artists in specific. Fuel, energy streams and moving lines run
through their works. When they meet, they even intensify themselves – or lead
to crackling discharges. The presented works range from rhythmic drawings,
auratically charged paintings and reliefs to conceptual objects and
installations created by repetitive artistic manipulations or technical production
processes. Gears, vessels and relics of industrial history are juxtaposed with
natural eruptions or the representation of the human body, allowing conclusions
on the tradeoff between nature, man and technology. The Kunst Raum Riehen is
being transformed into a housing, vibrating from within with constant humm and
buzz. The noises originate from several sound- and video works. Their tracks
overlap in the space and create a motor-like basic noise. The acoustic sources
can only be localized gradually as one passes through the three exhibition
levels. The exhibition marks the beginning of the reopened art season after the
lockdown-induced state of rest in the Kunst Raum Riehen. For this purpose, an
energetic show has been created within short time and its dynamics will
hopefully transfer to the visitors.

– Eva-Maria Knüsel