Martin Wöhrl “Hand In Hand”

Spencer Brownstone Gallery

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Spencer Brownstone Gallery presents Hand In Hand, the third solo exhibition with Munich-based artist Martin Wöhrl.

Three years after his last show at SBG, Wöhrl returns with new works that allude to forms found in a number of cultures in history while maintaining his idiosyncratic sense of humor and irony. His tectonic wall sculptures are comprised of wood, paint, and veneers. The material, collected from common construction material or found objects, are cut and assembled into minimalist works that recall folk quilts, heraldic shields, tiles, and contemporary artists like Frank Stella and Sol Lewitt.

Wöhrl’s work oscillates between weighty art historical representations and DIY craft patterns; between master craftsmanship and imperfection. The cast cement sculpture, Glocknerblick, combines the proportions of a Greco-Roman column with the shape of a support beam he discovered in a cabin atop Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Austria.

The exhibition also features a series of metal sculptures each under the title of Eierman & Co. These refer to the prominent 20th century German architect and furniture designer Egon Eierman. Despite the works’ functionalist eponym, they are comprised of painted metal prisms and stands that, though inviting in appearance, prohibit friendly interaction due to their rusted hard edges.

Martin Wöhrl was born in 1974 in Munich, where he studied at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste and later at the Glasgow School of Art. His art resides in public and private collections throughout Europe and the United States, including a number of large scale public installations. He received the Lothar-Fischer prize in 2011 and has been the recipient of numerous other grants. His work has been widely exhibited at venues internationally, including CCA Center, Mallorca; ArtMetropole, Toronto; Neues Museum, Nuremburg and the Stadtische Kunsthalle, Munich.