Artists

Stefan Burger

Press release

Stefan Burger (*1977) exhibits two luminaire objects in the Dada Library which light up the room as well as, hopefully, the visitors’ moods. The sculptures, made from poured glass and aluminum, continue Burger’s work with art as a commodity which he began at the Cabaret Voltaire in 2020. The notions that can be attributed to the sculptures fluctuate between pretty and ugly, pedantic and snotty, decorative and useful, disgusting and erotic. They are hybrid installations or tilting figures which, depending on the view, lean towards different qualities and interpretations and deal with decoration and function. Some form-references can be derived from the work process: when liquid glass is joined together, it always hangs towards the ground. Brezel and Böppel (in the tradition of Bollen and Bölleli) serve as ornamental repetitions, relaxed and low in meaning, yet distantly related to eclectic decorative strategies such as Baroque Rocaille. The supporting structure of the luminaries, a former ladder, originates from the Zurich sewer system and was wrested from one of the descending shafts. Originally intended to serve as a help for entering and exiting the shaft, the shaft step now enjoys its new functions as reading light and as object shaping the ambiance. Working with liquid glass involves colors of intense radiance, which continue to shine indestructibly happily thanks to their ceramic nature. Even the name of the color palette which was used – «Narcissus, zentrales Höhlengrau, Erbse, Flamingo» (I&II) – is intended by the artist to amplify joy; an invitation to cheer up.