About the Exhibition
Claudia Wieser’s constellation of five large-scale geometric sculptures creates an immersive environment for exploration. Each form differs in size, shape, and pattern, and combines painted, photographic, and mirrored details to create vibrant compositions that highlight the dynamism of the city and its people. Ranging between seven and 13 feet in height, the sculptures are clad in more than 1,500 clay tiles that were hand-painted by the artist in her Berlin studio. Wieser (b. 1973, Freilassing, Germany), who trained as a painter, leaves traces of her meticulous brushstrokes in each attentively-designed tile. Highly polished stainless-steel details reflect the surroundings and movement of visitors. Recognizable image fragments that capture the pulse of the city are featured alongside the patterned tiles. They include photographs taken by the artist in New York, slides of a German family trip to the city from the 1980s that she found online, and reproductions of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures—together, they reflect the parallel experiences of humans throughout time.
Clustered at the iconic vista where the Manhattan Bridge frames the Empire State Building, Wieser’s Rehearsal may be seen as both a meeting place and a theatrical set that hearkens back to ancient Roman forums—public spaces for assembly, interaction, and the exchange of ideas. Her title draws attention to the interplay between visitor and artwork to suggest something still in process and ever-evolving. Inviting both exploration and reflection, Wieser offers a moment to immerse ourselves and play a role in her mesmerizing sculptural installation.
Claudia Wieser: Rehearsal is curated by Public Art Fund Associate Curator Katerina Stathopoulou.
Image Gallery
Location
About the Artist
Berlin-based artist Claudia Wieser (b. 1973) is known for her Modernist-inspired geometric constructions. Influenced by the work of Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee, who embraced spirituality as part of their aesthetic process, Wieser broadens their ideals to consider the coexistence of abstraction and physiological experience. The artist’s hand is readily evident in a multimedia process that is both meticulous and delicate, as seen in her fine colored pencil and gold leaf drawings. Through an early apprenticeship as a blacksmith at Bergmeister Kunstshmiede, Wieser honed her understanding of art and the object, the aesthetic and the functional. This studied craft informs her approach to the technical drafting of her multi-faceted mirrors, hand-painted and patterned ceramics, and carved wooden sculpture.
En Español: Sobre la Exposición
A partir de una constelación de cinco esculturas geométricas a gran escala, Claudia Wieser (n. 1973, Freilassing, Alemania) crea un envolvente entorno de exploración. Con diferentes tamaños, formas y diseños, cada escultura combina detalles espejados, en pintura y fotografía, para crear composiciones vibrantes que ponen de relieve el dinamismo de la ciudad y de su gente. Las esculturas, que tienen entre dos y cuatro metros de altura, están revestidas de más de 1500 baldosas de arcilla pintadas a mano por la artista, y exhiben sus precisas pinceladas. Los detalles pulidos en acero inoxidable reflejan el entorno y los movimientos de los visitantes, mientras que fragmentos reconocibles de imágenes —que incluyen fotografías que tomó la artista en Nueva York, diapositivas de una familia alemana de viaje en la ciudad en la década del ochenta y reproducciones de esculturas de la Antigua Grecia y la Antigua Roma—captan el pulso de la ciudad.
Rehearsal puede considerarse tanto un lugar de encuentro como un escenario teatral que evoca los antiguos foros romanos: espacios públicos para reunirse, interactuar e intercambiar ideas. El título de la exposición, que significa “ensayo”, destaca la interacción entre el visitante y la obra como algo que está en constante evolución. Al invitarnos a explorar y reflexionar, Claudia Wieser nos ofrece un momento para sumergirnos y participar en esta hipnótica instalación escultórica.
La exposición ha sido curada por Curadora asociada de Public Art Fund Katerina Stathopoulou
Acerca del Artista
La artista Claudia Wieser, nacida en 1973 y radicada en Berlín, se destaca por sus construcciones geométricas inspiradas en el modernismo. Con una marcada influencia de la obra de Wassily Kandinsky y Paul Klee, quienes hicieron de la espiritualidad una parte esencial de su proceso estético, Claudia Wieser amplía estos ideales para pensar la abstracción en coexistencia con la experiencia fisiológica. La destreza de la artista en múltiples medios se hace evidente en lo meticuloso y delicado de su proceso, como se puede apreciar en sus ilustraciones a lápiz de color y en pan de oro. Gracias a una temprana formación en la herrería, en Bergmeister Kunstshcmiede, Claudia Wieser refinó su concepción sobre el arte y el objeto, lo estético y lo funcional. Esta práctica artística en el oficio da cuenta de su enfoque en la elaboración técnica de los espejos multifacéticos, las baldosas con diseños pintados a mano y las esculturas talladas en madera.
Bloomberg Philanthropies is the presenting sponsor of Claudia Wieser: Rehearsal. Leadership support for Rehearsal is provided by the Girlfriend Fund, Elizabeth Fearon Pepperman & Richard C. Pepperman II, and David Wine & Michael MacElhenny with major support from Marianne Boesky Gallery, Regine Leibinger, and Jessica Silverman.
Significant support is provided by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, New York; Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e.V.; and the Walentas Family Foundation with additional support from the Casado Santapau Gallery and Anonymous.
Claudia Wieser: Rehearsal is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Special thanks to engineering partner Silman, as well as Agrob Buchtal and Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Public Art Fund is supported by the generosity of individuals, corporations, and private foundations including lead support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, along with major support from Abrams Foundation, the Charina Endowment Fund, the Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts, The Fuhrman Family Foundation, The Marc Haas Foundation, Hartfield Foundation, William Talbott Hillman Foundation-Affirmation Arts Fund, the Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, Red Crane Foundation, and The Silverweed Foundation.
Public Art Fund exhibitions are also supported in part with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
