The ACO Wagenremise and the Sculpture Park at NordArt 2016
When you think about what you saw in the house, you always end up looking in the garden and the garage to find treasures that other people would miss. If you managed your way out of the Carlshütte before nighttime, you will certainly enjoy the sun with a drink in one hand and the map in the other.
Let’s head first to where my paintings enjoy some company: the Wagenremise. That is where my finger is pointing at.
Don’t be confused by the fence at the entrance: it is not a sculpture…. or is it? Look around you. Art can be what you decide it to be. For example you will find in the park some elegant cast iron garden furniture dating from when the factory was still in operation. It is worth appreciating.
Let’s be honest, if a giant girl riding a dinosaur is heading to the Wagenremise, there are certainly a few pieces that are out of the ordinary in the building. I even saw 3 Leprechauns running inside it. I’m not sure what they were up to but they couldn’t be doing any harm.
I hope my directions and explanations to reach the Wagenremise were good enough and nobody got lost or distracted on the way. This video by the NordArt organization will guide you to the place. That is where everybody is gathering.
We may now enter the place and see what place of choice and disposition Wolfgang Gramm gave to the paintings. Let’s not be upset by the fact that the wooden puppet Billy by Pekka & Teija Isorättyä seems more preoccupied by his latest manucure than the display of art around him. He is just a puppet…!! (Note that the floor is, in fact, a brick wall, this is the twillight zone).
For those who know me, I like to display my paintings myself in an original way that add a meaning to the picture presented. Adding layers of meaning creates as many opportunities for each of us to understand and feel what we want from the art. The way Wolfgang Gramm displayed my 6 paintings is just brillant. I love the fact there is a gap for everyone to understand the way they want to. Is there a painting missing? Did it fall off a truck on the way to Germany? Did a jealous husband destroy the painting of his wife he didn’t know existed before coming to NordArt? Or more likely, were the 3 leprechauns running that fast because they were up to some larceny? Only if we find them at the next rainbow, will we know.
A week prior to NordArt opening, a globetrotter of the art scene was at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), where he sadly dropped his glasses and left them on the floor. However, an an art afficionado, he kept touring the world in the search of more beauties. I was lucky to meet him at the NordArt admiring some artwork as you can see below. Although it didn’t do him good to lose his glasses.
Once the tour of the ACO Wagenremise was completed, it was time to enjoy the Sculpture Park and the sunny weather. More to see, more to enjoy there.
Certainly the ones you can’t miss are the giant gorillas called Original Sin by Liu Ruowang. They can be seen from everywhere and are quite impressive. I wish I had a factory and the financial support he has so I could spread the world with giant sculptures of Renardo and Poulo (especially in La Défense in Paris, Canary Wharf in London or the financial district in NYC. Call me). I can tell you, a Poulo who lays an egg on a bear or a bull, can be rather impressive. It also makes a good French omelette at lunch break. But let’s get back to the army of apes.
This sculpture installation will tour Europe and North America in a three year exhibition and it first stop was in Büdelsdorf for NordArt 2016. So we were quite lucky to have a first look at them. But more than that, I noticed they were all interrested by looking at something. I joined the crew and as I always do, I looked at the direction all the other were looking at. I tried for a good 10 minutes but never found the big banana I was hoping they were staring at.
More than that, the park is a nice and quiet place to wander around and the more you look, the more you find some great art. Sometimes behind a tree, over a hedge. Don’t underestimate the time you can spend there. It is enchanting.
It is even possible to find some unusual angle views that give a different perpective and somehow meaning to the art on display.
As I was reaching the end of the park, Kapla by Peter lunberg looked like an arch of triumph for NordArt 2016. Very happy to discover this sculpture that was like nothing I have seen before.
To mark the opening day of the exhibition, a group photo with all the artists was organized amongst the wolves. So, if you like to play “Where is Wally”, you will enjoy it. Note that I don’t wear a red & white stripped top.
NordArt is held in Büdelsdorf (50min drive north of Hamburg), Germany, until the 09 October 2016 and is open Tuesday – Sunday, 11 am – 7 pm.
The full address is
NordArt
Kunstwerk Carlshütte
Am Ahlmannkai
24782 Büdelsdorf
Germany
