Alexander Polzin
The sculptures, paintings and drawings by Alexander Polzin are linked to an intensive dialogue with music, theater, contemporary and historical literature, as well as art history. Alexander Polzin seeks close artistic exchange with contemporary composers, writers and other greats of intellectual life. Even in the 21st Century, he takes the risk of creating new works based on the human figure, which negotiate politically and socially relevant issues. A central part of his work is an engagement with the question of guilt and atonement, and the tense relationship between perpetrator and victim.
From 28 February to 19 April 2014 we will show the Berlin artist Alexander Polzin (*1973) at our gallery.
In 1991, following his training as a stonemason, Alexander Polzin began his career as a freelance sculptor, painter and graphic artist with the sculpture Socrates, which he created for the University of Tel Aviv. Three years later, his first solo exhibition was held at the Einstein Forum in Potsdam.
The sculptures, paintings and drawings by Alexander Polzin are linked to an intensive dialogue with music, theatre, contemporary and historical literature, as well as art history. Alexander Polzin seeks close artistic exchange with contemporary composers, writers and other leading figures of intellectual life. Even in the 21st century, he takes the risk of creating new works based on the human figure, addressing politically and socially relevant issues. A central part of his work is an engagement with the question of guilt and atonement, and the tense relationship between perpetrator and victim.
Works by Alexander Polzin are located at key sites in public space, such as the sculpture Monument for Giordano Brunoat Potsdamer Platz in Berlin and The Pair in the foyer of the Opéra National de la Bastille in Paris. In addition, his works have been exhibited at international galleries and museums, including the Getty Center in Los Angeles. In 1996 he was artist-in-residence at the International Artists House in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv, Israel.
Furthermore, Alexander Polzin has worked for more than ten years as a stage designer and has collaborated with leading composers such as Helmut Lachenmann and György Kurtág. He recently created the stage set for Wagner’s Parsifal at the Salzburg Festival and designed the stage for another version of Parsifal as part of a guest performance by the Dresden Semperoper in China. He is currently designing stage sets for several productions at the Teatro Real in Madrid.
Alexander Polzin is multi-medial in the literal sense, working both in traditional visual arts media and in the field of performing arts. By choosing timeless techniques such as sculpture, painting and drawing, he deliberately avoids ostensibly modern modes of artistic expression. His representational bronze sculptures preserve the materiality of the original wooden models. The human figures stand in for the viewer, addressing them on an immediate emotional level. Beyond their role as carriers of feeling, and without offering simple answers, Polzin’s works consistently engage with moral, societal and social questions.