Rheingold 1 at Artist's studio
ROLAND BIERMANN: RHEINGOLD
Exhibition Period: 14 May - 26 October 2023
Venue: The Church of St. Mary The Virgin, 145 West 46th Street, New York, US
Opening Reception on 14 May, at 5:30pm
Galerie du Monde is delighted to present the solo exhibition of the London-based artist Roland Biermann at St. Mary's Time Square of New York, entitled "Rheingold". Presenting the two new single works of Biermann in the form of a site-specific solo exhibition, the works regularly displayed in the Gallery at St. Mary’s as a testament to this church’s commitment to walking in the Way of Beauty for the life and flourishing of our city.
Fusing contemporary issues with religion and mythology, the Rheingold photographs show a black and gold plastic carrier bag, floating in used engine oil. In the first image, a plastic bag is floating on the surface, in the second one, the plastic bag is half submerged in the oil. Shot outdoors in stormy weather, the surface of the oil reflects grey skies and dark clouds.
Merging photography and non-permanent sculpture, the work can be seen as an allegory for greed and the hunger for power, leading to crime and destruction. Created with the waste of the consumer society, negative side-effects of capitalism - past and present - come to mind as well as the cardinal sins and in a wider context, the darker side of human nature.
Printed in a new combination of digital techniques and analog screen printing on special-grade tinplate panels, courtesy of ThyssenKrupp, the work combines a silvery, reflective surface with a strong physical presence. The golden walls of St. Mary's present a poignant stage for the dystopian beauty of the work.
Learn more --
The Church of Saint Mary The Virgin
