Roman Signer

Roman Signer ( born May 19, 1938 in Appenzell ) is a Swiss sculptor, draftsman, Aktions-/Konzeptkünstler and filmmakers. He lives and works in St. Gallen.

Life

Signer served an apprenticeship as a draftsman and attended from 1966 in Zurich and from 1969 to 1971 in Lucerne, arts and crafts schools. From 1971 to 1972 followed by a stay at the Art Academy in Warsaw. Here he met his future wife, Aleksandra Rogowiec know. Since 1972 he has worked as a freelance artist in St. Gallen.

From 1974 to 1995 he has been a teacher and lecturer at the School of Design of Lucerne. Since 1973 numerous exhibitions followed in galleries and museums at home and abroad, since 1981 actions in public. Roman Signer heard since his investments in the Documenta 8 in Kassel (1987 - wall paper, you finish the Documentation ), the exhibition Skulptur.Projekte in Münster (1997) and the Venice Biennale (1999) the most important contemporary European artists.

Work

Starting point for Signer's work is the concept of sculpture of the sixties, like him Harald Szeemann in 1968 first made in his legendary exhibition " When Attitudes Become Form " for discussion. With its events, and installations the artist has been working since the 1970s on a new definition of sculpture, relates time, acceleration and change in a with the sculptural process and explores the possibilities of the medium again.

Known to a wider audience through spectacular actions with dynamite, transformation, explosion and detonation is only one side of the artistic work of Roman Signer. Even in his earliest works from 1971 - the unbuilt Warsaw Project ( 1972) or the self-portrait from weight and height of fall (1972 ) - is distinguished from the emergence of idiosyncratic oeuvre, which, however much international recognition until the 1990s.

In place of classical sculptural materials occur in his work sand, water, wind, and simple everyday objects, such as tables, chairs, barrels, bicycles, kayaks or small motorized vehicles, the targeted complex transformation processes or explosive events are exposed. Through the interplay of precise planning and unpredictable random result installations of aesthetics and poetry. Characteristic of the artist's work is a systematic, precision and simplicity of the means.

Some of Signer's work is distinguished by an expansive character look like, so the action with a fuse (1989 ): From September 11th to October 15th 1989, the artist a fuse from his birthplace Appenzell to its present place of residence of St. Gallen burn and they accompanied day and night.

Nevertheless, Signer understood as a sculptor. " I may have a different idea of ​​sculpture, which gradually develops in my actions. I have always seen myself as a sculptor. It's always about problems in space, what happens in the space, time frames. " ( Conversation with Lutz Tittel, 1984)

The result is often ephemeral works, which are documented in photo series, film or video recordings. These media have developed over the years in addition to the preparatory sketches and drawings to independent work strands within the oeuvre and are traded on the art market.

Exhibitions (selection)

  • 2012 Kunsthalle Mainz " Attila Csörgö & Roman Signer "
  • 2009 art house train, Roman Signer - Works 1975-2007
  • 2009 Hamburger Kunsthalle, Roman Signer - projections. Movies and Videos 1975 - 2008
  • 2008 Helmet House Zurich, Roman Signer: Projections. Movies and Videos 1975 - 2008
  • 2008 art space Dornbirn, installation. Accident as sculpture
  • 2008 Rochester Art Center, Roman Signer: Works
  • 2007 Hamburger Bahnhof, Roman Signer - Works from the Friedrich Christian Flick Collection - Museum of Contemporary Art, Berlin
  • 2007 The Fruitmarket Gallery, Roman Signer - Works
  • 2006 Ludwig Forum for International Art, Roman Signer. Art Prize Aachen 2006
  • 2006 Aargau Kunsthaus, Roman Signer - Vacation Pictures
  • 2006 Galician Centre of Contemporary Art, Roman Signer. Esculturas e Instalacions, Santiago de Compostela

Awards

  • 2010: Prix Meret Oppenheim
  • 2008: Hugo Boss Prize
  • 2008 Ernst Franz Vogelmann Award for Sculpture, Heilbronn
  • 2006 Art Prize of Aachen
  • 2004 Culture Prize of the city of St. Gallen
  • 1998 Constance Art Prize
  • 1998 Culture Award St. Gallen
  • 1998 Culture Award Constance
  • 1995 Culture Award Bregenz
  • 1977 Federal Art Scholarship (also 1974 and 1972 )
  • 1972 Price of the Kiefer Hablitzel Foundation
Appenzell (town) Blumentopf Orangerie (Kassel) Integrated Authority File
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