“trash can”, 2016, adaptation for mezzaterra11 - flat gallery
Courtesy of the artist and Wentrup Gallery, Berlin
We are delighted to present our 9th artist Olaf Metzel (b.1952, Berlin) who is one of most important German sculptors. Metzel usually focuses on sensitive and complex social, political issues such as racism, violence, economy or institutional power, using architectural construction practice and popular culture in his oeuvre distinguished with unique critiques and the formal aspects on provocative and controlled aesthetics. For mezzaterra11 – flat gallery, Metzel introduces an image of “trash can” (2016) in which he folds, bends and reshapes images that are printed onto both sides of an aluminum plate and makes it appearing as a wall sculpture, giving to a resistant material the illusion of the absent-minded crumpled paper which has been thrown away in the trash can. Furthermore it extends a linguistic tautological circle of inter-dimensional experiences in the context of ontological characteristics of the flat gallery.
Olaf Metzel had numerous solo exhibitions in Germany and abroad, as well as participated amongst others in documenta 8, Kassel (1987); Skulptur Projekte Münster (1987 and 1997); Sydney Biennial (1990); Istanbul Biennial (1995); Sao Paulo Biennial (2002); Neues Museum Nürnberg (2015); Neue Pinakothek, Munich (2016). Metzel´s prizes include the Villa Massimo Prize (Rome, 1987), the Arnold Bode Prize (Kassel, 1994), the Wilhelm Loth Prize (Darmstadt, 1997), the Lichtwark Prize (Hamburg, 2010), and the mfi Graduate Award (Essen, 2014). Public sculptures by Metzel can be seen in Germany, Europe, and Asia. He has curated many exhibitions – for example in 2006 as part of the Berlin Biennale – and published numerous contributions in newspapers and magazines. Metzel’s works are part of important private and public collections.
