Manuel Wroblewski

Händler der vier Jahreszeiten

23 Mar 2024 - 20 Apr 2024
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In Manuel Wroblewski’s first exhibition at KEWENIG’s pied-à-terre, the space becomes a parcours of floor-to-ceiling columns and pedestals at different heights which all bear fruit, vegetables, or seafood. This installation of sculptures appears simple at first glance. Only a few of the fruit sculptures are true to scale, most are enlarged, sometimes significantly enlarged, but the proportions are always harmonious.

For his works, Wroblewski almost exclusively uses found or obtained wooden crates from markets, mostly those for fruit and vegetables. He has been working with this material for several years and has created numerous objects that leave the original material recognisable. This also applies when Wroblewski paints the objects with gouache and oil paint in such a natural way that an almost trompe-l’oeil effect is achieved.

Oranges, garlic, radishes, cauliflower and lemons, for example, are depicted in their own, often bright colours. Their arrangement on columns, all made of the same thin wood and one of them decorated like the vedute of an Ionic column, refers to a higher value, beyond harvest, the farmer’s market, kitchen or meal. For Wroblewski, this new attribution of value is an essential aspect of the reflected perception of the subject.

This also becomes clear in the pedestals for some of the sculptures. They are never simple cuboids; rather, the arrangement of coloured geometries evokes memories of the De Stijl aesthetic or the combination of monochrome spatial bodies of the plinths of Constantin Brâncuși (1876–1957), who himself attributed a sculptural value to them. The fact that the purpose of the pedestal is to elevate and thus emphasise something valuable is of decisive importance in these works, as Wroblewski rejects the usual hierarchies: in terms of the care with which the materials are processed and their presence in the space, the pedestals are in no way inferior to the objects; both are enhanced here.

The attribution of a new, higher value is also the criterion that, for Wroblewski, creates the link to the title of the exhibition. ‘Händler der vier Jahreszeiten’ (The Merchant of the Four Seasons) is the original title of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1972 film about the life and relationships of a travelling fruit and vegetable merchant.

Based on the simplicity of the subjects, which are as everyday as the material used, Wroblewski creates parallel worlds in this transformation that are somehow familiar and yet enigmatic. This exhibition shows scenographies that demand a re-evaluation when they sharpen the eye for things that were previously undiscovered or at least underestimated.

Manuel Wroblewski was born in Eckernförde, Germany, in 1975. Before his artistic career, he worked as a boat builder in northern Germany, among other activities. After moving to Berlin, he initially worked as a theatre actor before turning to the visual arts. Wroblewski lives and works in Berlin.

Works

pied-à-terre
noun; plural des pied-à-terre
UK/piˌeɪ.dætˈeər/US/piˌeɪ.dætˈer/

French: a small house or apartment in a city that you own or rent in addition to your main home, where you stay when visiting that city for a short time;

Unlike a classic gallery, the pied-à-terre offers more than just a place to display art—it’s a creative foothold for experimentation and collaboration. Borrowing its name from the French term for a "temporary home," this dynamic space invites artists and galleries to step beyond traditional boundaries and explore new territories. With a constantly evolving programme, pied-à-terre combines the fresh voices of emerging artists with a reimagining of historically significant positions, fostering a lively exchange between creators and the public. It’s a place where art is not simply shown, but actively discovered, experienced and transformed.

pied-à-terre
Mommsenstr. 4
10623 Berlin
mail@the-piedaterre.com

Thu – Sat: 11 am – 6 pm
and by appointment