Troug- Cadmium Yellow Deep 2003

JOHANNES GIRARDONI

WoodWaxBees Wax
254 ⨯ 28 ⨯ 55 cm
ConditionNeeds restoration
€ 5.000

Gallerease Selected

• About the artwork
  Exhibited in Museum Ludwig 2005
  
  Part of Series 2003–2011, Beeswax, pigment, wood
  
  Light Re­ac­tive Or­ganic Sculp­tures com­prise an ex­ten­sive body of work that has evolved over the past two decades. The work fo­cuses on re­duc­tive in­ves­ti­ga­tions at the in­ter­sec­tion of sculp­ture and paint­ing, and ex­plores the con­tin­u­ously shift­ing re­la­tion­ship be­tween light and ma­te­r­ial. De­spite an el­e­men­tal ma­te­r­ial vo­cab­u­lary — found wood, beeswax, and pig­ment — the work’s phys­i­cal con­stel­la­tion be­comes both the car­rier of an ex­plic­itly painterly event, while also be­ing the foun­da­tion of an im­ma­te­r­ial phe­nom­e­non. The pieces are of­ten ex­am­i­na­tions of phe­nom­e­no­log­i­cal processes, where a hol­low or empty space — a tan­gi­ble empti­ness — turns out to be the ac­tual cen­ter of the work. Op­po­sites and con­tra­dic­tions, as well as the com­plex di­alec­tic be­tween them, are the fun­da­men­tal themes. The or­ches­tra­tion of ma­te­r­ial and light, pres­ence and ab­sence, things found and things formed, all re­sist clear fix­a­tion, thereby main­tain­ing and cre­at­ing works with their own non-de­riv­able re­al­ity.
  
  The pri­mary ma­te­r­ial or­ga­ni­za­tion is found wood that forms the base for color built with pig­ment and beeswax. The wood is har­vested from ur­ban de­bris at build­ing con­struc­tions and de­con­struc­tions, and in its worn and de­te­ri­o­rated con­di­tion, cre­ates an in­stant his­tory. These struc­tures be­come the foun­da­tion for an ar­chi­tec­ture of color in which the ma­te­r­ial is color, and the color is ma­te­r­ial. Built by sus­pend­ing vary­ing de­grees of pig­ment in layer over thin layer of beeswax, light trav­els into the wax and en­cir­cles the pig­ment. This re­sults in light re­ac­tiv­ity, and jux­ta­posed to the sta­tic, aged struc­ture of the wood, the sculp­tures’ pig­mented wax evolves and adapts to chang­ing am­bi­ent light sit­u­a­tions. These sculp­tures hold light.
  
  "Girardoni’s use of wax, influenced by Jasper John’s paintings with encaustic — such as Flag and Target — and related to Brice Marden’s use of the material in his opaque, monochrome pictures from the 1960s, ultimately led the artist to sculptural procedures: “Wax catalyzed the move away from ‘painting’ … The beeswax allowed me to ‘build’ color.” Girardoni prefers using wooden slats, boards, or parts of wooden beams as construction material, where traces of their use have been recorded. To this the artist applies the material color — pigmented wax. Through their ready-made character the artist instills a uniqueness and reference to life in the objects. At first glance, the works, which are oriented towards geometric forms and series, seem like minimalist art in the succession of Carl Andre, Sol LeWit and Donald Judd. The major difference in Girardoni’s works, however, is that they have an organic and human atmosphere, while the cubes, fences and plates, due to their industrial production, emanate coolness. (…) Even though Girardoni leaves both the inner and outer panels abstract, he is nevertheless concerned with a contemplative experience, and not solely with a matter-of- fact inventory of color, material, and structure. Joseph Beuys had attributed beeswax a symbolic-spiritual function, that of warmth and energy. These may also be experienced in Girardoni’s objects, paired with painterly, coloristic, and tactile qualities".
  
  – Florian Steininger
• About the artist

  Johannes Girardoni, an Austrian-American artist born in 1967, is known for his captivating fusion of digital and analog media and has left an indelible mark in the fields of sculpture and installation art. From intricate, delicate creations to expansive, interactive light wonders, Girardoni's artistic repertoire spans a breathtaking spectrum.

  Growing up in a picturesque village near Vienna, Girardoni's creative journey crossed continents when he moved to California with his family in 1982 at the tender age of fourteen. His formative years at Bowdoin College in Maine from 1985 to 1989, where he double majored in history and art, laid the foundation for his artistic odyssey. During his tenure at Bowdoin, Girardoni honed his craft as a visiting artist at the renowned MIT Media Lab.

  Girardoni's artistic development from two-dimensional to three-dimensional expression reflects his preference for experimentation. Influenced by the hot wax painting techniques of greats such as Brice Marden and Jasper Johns, his work embodies a captivating interplay of formal contrasts.

  The world became aware of Girardoni's ingenuity when he presented his first exhibition in New York in 1991, propelled by the astute eye of art curator Friedhelm Mennekes. Over the years, Girardoni's artistic footprint expanded worldwide, with notable exhibitions such as the exhibition "Personal Structures" at the Ludwig Museum, Germany, in 2005 and participation in the exhibition "Origins" organized by the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art in Peekskill, New York, was sponsored.

  One of Girardoni's groundbreaking contributions is the concept of "Refrequenced Sculpture", which is expressed in his 2009 installation "7 Minutes 20 Seconds" in the exhibition "Creative Migration" at the Austrian Cultural Forum in New York. His major work “The (Dis)appearance of Everything,” presented at the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011, seamlessly combines light and sound to create an immersive, interactive experience.

  In 2013, Girardoni presented a fascinating presentation entitled "Off and On" at Nye & Brown in Los Angeles, California, which featured avant-garde installations that transform light and sound using cutting-edge technology. In particular, his 2018 survey exhibition at Levy Gorvy London entitled "Sensing Singularity" featured the groundbreaking installation "Metaspace V3", a testament to Girardoni's pioneering spirit in integrating software-driven elements into human interaction.

  His notable works include “The Infinite Room,” a monumental sculpture in Washington State, and “Spectral Bridge,” an architectural marvel that adorns the Spectral Bridge House in Venice, California, as testaments to Girardoni's artistic prowess. A tome entitled Johannes Girardoni published in 2007 provides a comprehensive look at his artistic journey, while its inclusion in the prestigious collections of institutions such as the Fogg Museum at Harvard University and the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Germany, underscores his enduring legacy .

  Girardoni's outstanding contributions have received recognition, culminating in awards such as the prestigious Francis J. Greenburger Award in 2019. Critics and connoisseurs alike have praised Girardoni's work for its impressive resonance and innovative fusion of media. From the lush landscapes of Hungary to the bustling streets of New York, Girardoni's art transcends boundaries and invites the viewer on a transcendent journey of exploration and introspection.

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