Martin Schwenk: Alpine Glow

March 16 – April 21, 2013

Cindy Rucker Gallery presents new sculptural works by gallery artist Martin Schwenk. Based in Düsseldorf, this is Martin Schwenk’s third exhibition in New York.

There is a specific air around natural wonders like geysers or trees that have been standing for hundreds of years, that, if disturbed, would somehow detract from the majesty they project. This air is an extension of them: it insures the proper reverence is given to this magic collision of nature and beauty. This is the same kind of atmospheric presence surrounding the works of Martin Schwenk. With a vocabulary of man-made materials, Schwenk manages to create a kind of sculptural calligraphy in Plexiglas and plaster.

While evoking Roxy Paine, Schwenk differentiates himself by seeking industrial materials for their gestures in lieu of a larger commentary on generated nature. Alpenglühn, the title piece in the show, is a large, mountain-like sculpture that sits in the middle of the space. Comprised of plaster, Styrofoam, wood, fiberglass, paint and polyurethane foam, this piece presents the viewer with an aerie view of a mountaintop, turning the space into an ersatz landscape. The form’s unnatural materials give way under the artist’s hand: the building up of the structure and the flow of the plaster married with the coloring of the Alps at sunset, the Alpine Glow, which will evolve as the exhibition progresses. Here, Schwenk directly addresses the landscapes implied in his previous sculptures. This gesture was hinted at in his last exhibition where the spare show mostly showcased a single sculpture hanging in space like a frozen lightning strike.

Also on view is an untitled sculpture that sits in between an aluminum pole, not unlike the ones used for fencing. Hovering between nature and nest, this piece perches on its support in pregnant pause, alluding to the works on paper also in the exhibition. There also the artist’s hand offers a welcome punctuation on an otherwise quiet space, where the mark is not encroaching but weaves itself in naturally, like a vine on a wall or a flower in the crack of the sidewalk.