Kilian Rüthemann

Kilian Rüthemann, Double Rich, 2009, smoke drawing, 39.3” x 67”. Courtesy of the artist.

Museum für Gegenwartskunst - Basel, Switzerland

By Oliver Kielmayer

The prudish soberness of Kilian Rüthemann’s (*1979) work fits perfectly well into the current reductionist trend of contemporary art; this is not, however, the result of any strategic calculation, but derives from a sincere interest in the workability of simple materials. Also there is the biographical peculiarity that Rüthemann made an apprenticeship as a traditional sculptor, focusing on elemental craft and producing mostly gravestones. The fundamental process of controlling different materials and the necessary skills to give them an intended shape has always been crucial to his works. Participating at the Berlin Biennale in 2008 and winning the prestigious Manor prize in 2009, Rüthemann has definitely become one of the most discussed artists of the young Swiss art scene.

In the Basel show, a series of sarcophaguses make an unintended reference to the artist’s past; they have accurate proportions to take in a human body, but instead of stone they are made of white foam rubber. Rüthemann bought massive blocks of the soft material and carved them out with a cutter, leaving traces that make it look like a chiselled piece of rock. One sarcophagus comes from another exhibition, where it was standing outside. As foam rubber is not UV-resistant it turns yellowish very quickly; also there is a green patina on the bottom, because the material absorbed rainwater and thus provided an ideal basis for some sort of algae. The other sarcophaguses are still white but will also turn yellowish soon, before they will finally crumble in a couple of years. The ephemeral is indeed another constant in Rüthemann’s oeuvre; most works are applied within a specific spatial setting and cannot be taken away and transported to another place but have to be reproduced. One big wall in the show, for example, is covered with a layer of plaster, applied with a professional plaster sprayer by the artist himself. Also the smoke drawing Double Rich is site specific; it is the result of a little fire close to the wall and a v-shaped board above it. The board was removed after the fire was burnt down, leaving a beautiful white triangle. As simple as it is, the work shows the brutal force of an open flame but at the same time a way how you can form and thus control it.

( March 24 - May 24, 2010 )

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