【Taipei·Dunren】Willi Siber：Baroque Pearls 2024.9.7-11.10

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Willi Siber：Baroque Pearls
Taipei·DunRen

Willi Siber (Germany, b. 1949) graduated from the University of Stuttgart, majoring in Art History. He currently lives and works in Upper Swabia, Germany, and is renowned for his abstract installations. Siber states, "My works are always free and independent objects that do not need to be narratively explained." Drawing from the Baroque art and cultural landscape of southern Germany's Upper Swabia, as well as being surrounded by the boundless natural scenery, Siber transforms and distills the Baroque's opulent colors and rhythms, along with his profound connection to nature, into his abstract works. He continuously explores the plasticity of materials, focusing on shape, color, and texture to overturn viewers' visual perceptions. In 2023, he was awarded Germany's most prestigious cultural honor, the "Oberschwäbischer Kunstpreis." In 2019, he held a retrospective exhibition celebrating 40 years of his work at the Villa Rot Museum in Germany, with his works permanently collected by institutions such as the German Bundestag, the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, the Städtisches Kunstmuseum Singen, the German Embassy in Argentina, Deutsche Bank, private museums Kunstwerk, and Museum Ritter, among others.

Museum Villa Rot

Throughout his 45-year creative journey, Willi Siber has consistently explored materials, shapes, colors, and light. His growth as an artist coincided with the flourishing of Abstract Expressionism, where the study of form challenged traditional artistic frameworks. The composition of geometric shapes, lines, and colors became an artist's way of interpreting "beauty" and internal perception. Siber mentions, "I am fascinated by the development of abstract art by Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian." The psychological reactions triggered by lines, shapes, and colors were the artistic spirit Kandinsky pursued in his creations, and Siber continued to explore the interaction between shapes and colors. The contradictions in forms he created challenge viewers' perceptions of what they see, with the confusion of familiar visual and tactile perceptions becoming part of his unique artistic language.

Initially focused on painting, Siber later developed an interest in sculpture and three-dimensional installations after inheriting his family's timber business. By the 1980s, he began experimenting with wood materials, marking the starting point of his experimental material creations. Siber once said, "My creations stem from change." The rigid texture of wood, under his curved sculpting, is transformed into rhythmically flowing arcs, creating unexpected visual forms. Siber often moves between studios working with different materials, from wood and steel to fiberboard, constantly pushing the boundaries of possibilities. His famous steel sculpture series features twisted metal made from hardened steel, a material that does not easily break under extreme load but appears as light as a bent straw in Siber's hands. Behind seemingly simple shapes lies a series of complex precision craftsmanship and controlled coloring, with seamless welding and bright colors interacting with the materiality, subverting viewers' perceptions of the weight of metal.

"Willi Siber: Baroque Pearls" -2024 solo exhibition will feature over a dozen new works, including wall installations and sculptures. The centerpiece is a large 4-meter triptych titled "Tafelobjekt," where the smooth surface of reinforced wood fiberboard is sculpted into organic curves, with the gradual reflection of light creating a dynamic scene as viewers move, akin to the changing four seasons. Two new black and white works with symmetrical concave and convex surfaces evoke a pearl-like tactile sensation, stirring the nerves and symbolizing the harmony of yin and yang. The well-known steel sculpture series "Stehende" and "Wood Wall Object" are covered with the luxurious colors of the Baroque, with the bright lacquered surface moving like the liveliness of nature.

Willi Siber: Baroque Pearls

Press Day：2024.9.5 Thur.  2:30pm – 4:30pm
Opening Day：September 7, 2024, Saturday 
VIP Collector's Preview
2:30pm – 5pm（By Invitation Only）
Open to Public
4:30pm – 7pm
Exhibition Period：2024.9.7 – 11.10

Bluerider ART Taipei·DunRen
1F, No. 10, Lane 101, Section 1, Da'an Road, Da'an District, Taipei City
Tue. – Sun., 10am – 7pm
info@blueriderart.com
T: +886 2 27527778