Adrian Uncrut | Woher, Wohin
24th February to 24th March 2022
Adrian Uncrut's work is influenced by his education in sculpture and restoration at the National University of Arts in Bucharest. While Uncrut was still strongly influenced by the practice of composing and planning in his early creative years, he has increasingly switched to working intuitively in the last few years.
The topics of his artworks are personal, ordinary and above all human. Uncrut finds inspiration in artists he admires such as Beys, Duchamp or Baselitz. But he also humorously implements everyday encounters with friends, family members and fellow artists in his drawings. In addition, figures from Christian and mythological stories repeatedly find their way into his works. The artist asks questions like: Where do I come from? Where is our society and our current use of resources taking us?
A recurring theme in his art is “moving forward”. The motif of representation that occurs repeatedly in this series of works is the vehicle, which stands as a symbol for movement. "The vehicle," says Uncrut, "represents both the present we cannot break free and a progression through space."
So there are two layer of meaning in it - the subjective layer, in the sense of making progress in one's own development, as well as the desire for further development of people in dealing with each other and the longing to escape from the present. The other layer is physical movement and the question of our movement spaces - where do my feet take me during a lifetime? To what extent do our daily commutes, relocations and travels affect us and our environment?
The centerpiece of the exhibition is the sculpture Noah's Ark. You can see a figure made of epoxy resin, a boat is tied to its back, the boat is filled with cut off power cables. Standing on a blue-lit ground, the figure has raised his arms and appears to be taking a step forward. Uncrut unites three biblical figures in the sculpture: Moses, who parted the sea with raised hands to save the Israelites from the Egyptians, Noah, who built an ark on behalf of God, and Jesus, who went across the sea to his disciples and saved them from a storm. Above all, the sculpture also contains topics and motifs, which are relevant to the present time. The boat can symbolize many things - a saving ark that will bring you to a better world or a capsizing ship that can sink any time. The severed power cables are a reference to the use of our resources and how modern technology determines our lives. In the end, the figure appears to be balancing on water, constantly in danger of going under the next moment - a feeling that many people are familiar with, especially if you think of the last two years.
What is striking in Uncrut's oeuvre is his extraordinary handling of materials in sculpture and drawing. He mixes bronze, brass, iron, stainless steel, wood, caoutchouc, plaster and often also recycled “objets trouvé” and transforms them into independent works. In the medium of drawing, on the other hand, he uses charcoal, watercolor, adhesive tape, various types of paper or even coffee, thus achieving a unique, individual pictorial language. The use of handmade paper creates a special, almost three-dimensional feel and it seems as if these are not two-dimensional works, but rather thin reliefs.
