Gregor Schneider
Gregor Schneider is one of the pioneers of the art of constructed rooms which grew out of installation and environmental art and is one of the most singificant artists in the world today. His constructed rooms and projects have attracted considerable attention and discussion, notably the ‘Haus u r’, the project ‘Cube’ and his ‘Sterberaum’.
The principal characteristic of his work, which manifested itself most impressively in the spaces of the house he lived in, ‘Haus u r’ in Mönchengladbach-Rheydt, are three-dimensional constructed rooms consisting of walls, ceilings and floors. The reconstruction of existing rooms, on which he has now been working for 28 years, covers all areas of the house: corridor, bedroom, guest room, closet, kitchen etc. However, the rooms which Gregor Schneider creates are never as harmless as they may appear at first glance. These are double rooms, which are not visible to the visitors as rooms within rooms. They are indistinguishable from the previously existing rooms in form, function and appearance, entirely practical and inhabitable. This is one of the great features of Gregor Schneider. First impressions must always be questioned. Concealed motors are able to make single rooms revolve imperceptibly or move ceilings very slowly, thereby changing proportions, dimensions and perceptions of the time of day. Some rooms are inaccessible, invisibly hidden behind walls, sealed with concrete, lead, insulating materials and soundproofing, thus giving rise to disturbing hollow and intermediate spaces. One open window can lead to another which in turn opens out onto a wall. This, the arrangement of the fittings, the smells, the labyrinthine passages through the house – everything acts on the visitor like a nightmare trip through the subconscious of repressed experiences and fears.
In 2001 Gregor Schneider was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale for his “Totes Haus u r”, which was exhibited in the German Pavilion and established his international reputation.
At the Cologne theatre (Schauspiel Köln) Gregor Schneider, the “most uncanny artist of the present day” (Süddeutsche Zeitung), will now install his complex spatial works for the first time in a theatre. He will not only design a stage but develop his artistic vision of a life’s Gesamtkunstwerk further. We may eagerly anticipate a work which will place the visitor in relation to the space in an entirely new way