Curated by Peter Ungeheuer, the exhibition "Die Handtasche muss lebendig sein" (in English: The handbag must be alive) brings together for the first time Philip Grözinger’s paintings of colourful imaginary worlds populated by extraordinary figures and creatures in dialogue with Rinck’s humorous stone sculptures that become mythical creatures, monsters and grimacing animals. The first joint exhibition by Stefan Rinck and Philip Grözinger is a collaboration in the truest sense of the word, as the majority of the works on display are created for this exhibition, including the joint work ’Lonely tunes’ pictured above.
Vernissage
Saturday, 18 November, 6 – 9 pm
Artist Talk
Wednesday, 29 November, 6:30 pm
Artwork photographed by Marcus Schneider
68projects by KORNFELD is pleased to announce the opening of the duo exhibition The Handbag Must Be Alive with new works by Philip Grözinger and Stefan Rinck. Curated by Peter Ungeheuer, the exhibition brings together, for the first time, Philip Grözinger’s paintings of colourful imaginary worlds populated by extraordinary figures and creatures in dialogue with Rinck’s humorous stone sculptures that transform into mythical creatures, monsters, and grimacing animals.
The first joint exhibition by Stefan Rinck and Philip Grözinger is a collaboration in the truest sense of the word, as the majority of the works on display were created specifically for this exhibition. This includes the collaborative work Lonely Tunes, shown together with newly developed individual pieces.
Curator Peter Ungeheuer writes about the exhibition:
“Bruce Darnell, former judge of the TV show Germany’s Next Topmodel, is known for witty sayings that have been adopted by mime culture and have entered the cultural memory of a generation. The quote—which also gives this exhibition its title—is a reminder to take the seemingly unimportant seriously, as it can significantly influence the overall impression. For the first prominent presentation of their work in Berlin for some time, this motto reflects both the artists’ craftsmanship and their humorous, playful, and light-hearted engagement with weighty themes.
Similar to the literary genre of nonsense poetry, the denial of meaning is deliberately used as a stylistic device—though without the social charge of Dadaism. In the case of both artists, this represents an intentional play with rules, traditions, and expectations. The result is not meaningless, but neither is it always meant too seriously: the ‘why?’ and the ‘why not?’ are brought into dialogue in this exhibition.”
A folding poster will be published as a catalogue on the occasion of the opening.
Philip Grözinger, born in 1972 in Braunschweig, Germany, lives and works in Berlin. He graduated from the Braunschweig University of Art as a master student of Prof. Karl Schulz and taught painting for several years at the Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin. In 2014, he was artist-in-residence at CCA Andratx, Mallorca, and in 1998 he received a scholarship from the State of Lower Saxony. His work has been shown internationally, including at Galerie Mikael Andersen, Copenhagen (solo exhibition, 2022), Kunsthaus Bethanien Berlin (Dissonanz. Plattform Germany, 2022), Kunstverein Bamberg (solo exhibition Die Schönheit des sinnlosen Scheiterns, 2022), Berlinische Galerie (Paint it All. Aktuelle Malerei aus Berlin, 2022/23), and Choi & Choi Gallery, Seoul (2023).
Stefan Rinck, born in 1973 in Homburg, Germany, lives and works in Berlin. He studied art history and philosophy at Saarland University in Saarbrücken and sculpture at the Academy of Arts in Karlsruhe. His works have been shown internationally in galleries and museums including Museum de Hallen, Haarlem (NL); Sorry We’re Closed, Brussels (BE); Nino Mier Gallery, Los Angeles (US); Vilma Gold, London (GB); Semiose, Paris (FR); Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich (DE); Skarstedt, East Hampton (US); The Breeder, Athens (GR); Galeria Alegria, Madrid/Barcelona (ES); and Cruise&Callas, Berlin (DE). He has participated in the Busan Biennale (South Korea) and in the exhibitions Vent des Forêt and La Forêt d’Art Contemporain in France, where he realised permanent public sculptures. In 2018, his sculpture The Mangooses of Beauvais was permanently installed in Paris at Beaupassage. In 2019, Rinck was featured in the Thames & Hudson publication 100 Sculptors of Tomorrow. The documentary film Heart of Stone by Sonja Baeger premiered in Berlin in 2021.
