Beutler, Michael (DE)
Carlsberg Tap E
Michael Beutler
Born 1976 in Oldenburg, Germany
Lives in Frankfurt am Main
It has been said that Michael Beutler's works bridge the gap between an often
demanding artistic tradition and the experiences of do-it-yourselfers. For he uses
exclusively standardized, readily available materials such as MDF boards, chipboard, galvanized sheets, laminated plastic, leftover wood and pipes in standard sizes.
Beutler is interested in standardization, especially in architecture. One of the
artist's first works defined the fundamental premise for much of his later oeuvre. It was focused around one of the earliest modular glass and steel structures - an enormous greenhouse built in 1860s Glasgow, Scotland, and which can still be seen today. According to Beutler, this building is a prime example of how modern building methods began to constitute a means of controlling the masses. The greenhouse was a means of controlling not only nature - the indoor plants - but also the many who were keen to enjoy a Sunday outing with the chance to view exotic plants. So the standardization of architecture is closely bound up with industrialization, providing early examples of modern society's control of the masses.
When Beutler uses standardized materials, it is in order to create architecture, which is to say, spaces which manifestly have no distinct function. They cannot be used to keep anyone in or out, or to demarcate an area and label it private. Instead, the spaces that the artist constructs are shelters of sorts, temporary hangouts that constitute focal points in the landscape. Unsuitable for habitation, they are spaces to be shared in common - offering us a breathing space, an oasis for reflection, perhaps. Also, Beutler makes unorthodox use of his materials. Occasionally he invents his own tools to staple, bend and fold material in novel ways, uncovering aesthetic qualities in materials that others deem cheap and ugly. With installations that create breathing spaces, oases for reflection, Michael Beutler's pieces achieve what many artists dream of achieving - and does so with materials from the local DIY store.
-NH
Lives in Frankfurt am Main
It has been said that Michael Beutler's works bridge the gap between an often
demanding artistic tradition and the experiences of do-it-yourselfers. For he uses
exclusively standardized, readily available materials such as MDF boards, chipboard, galvanized sheets, laminated plastic, leftover wood and pipes in standard sizes.
Beutler is interested in standardization, especially in architecture. One of the
artist's first works defined the fundamental premise for much of his later oeuvre. It was focused around one of the earliest modular glass and steel structures - an enormous greenhouse built in 1860s Glasgow, Scotland, and which can still be seen today. According to Beutler, this building is a prime example of how modern building methods began to constitute a means of controlling the masses. The greenhouse was a means of controlling not only nature - the indoor plants - but also the many who were keen to enjoy a Sunday outing with the chance to view exotic plants. So the standardization of architecture is closely bound up with industrialization, providing early examples of modern society's control of the masses.
When Beutler uses standardized materials, it is in order to create architecture, which is to say, spaces which manifestly have no distinct function. They cannot be used to keep anyone in or out, or to demarcate an area and label it private. Instead, the spaces that the artist constructs are shelters of sorts, temporary hangouts that constitute focal points in the landscape. Unsuitable for habitation, they are spaces to be shared in common - offering us a breathing space, an oasis for reflection, perhaps. Also, Beutler makes unorthodox use of his materials. Occasionally he invents his own tools to staple, bend and fold material in novel ways, uncovering aesthetic qualities in materials that others deem cheap and ugly. With installations that create breathing spaces, oases for reflection, Michael Beutler's pieces achieve what many artists dream of achieving - and does so with materials from the local DIY store.
-NH