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What do you want to know: In Friedberg, Germany, Publishing and Hoffmann Gallery rode a artist duo exhibition showcasing a range of recent and historic career works by German artists Helmut Dirnaichner and Klaus Staudt. Commenting on the exhibition, the gallery’s founding owner, Adelheid Hoffmann, said: “In the gallery’s large showroom, Klaus Staudt and Helmut Dirnaichner will come together, as people, as works and process, approaches. Both will surprise us with large wall installations. The gallery has a long history of collaborating with each artist – working with Dirnaichner for almost 40 years and with Staudt for over 50 – making presenting both artists at Edition and Galerie Hoffmann a fitting undertaking. On view until August 27, 2022, the exhibition will be completed by a conversation between the two artists, “Can matter be immaterial? hosted by the gallery at Ausstellungshalle Ossenheim.
About the artists: Klaus Staudt (b. 1932) is best known for his engagements with geometric abstractions and, more specifically, a series of geometric reliefs. In the 1960s he was an active member of Neue Tendenzen, an international group of avant-garde artists. Light and how it is affected by material intervention is central to his practice, reflected in his often grid-oriented compositions, executed on both small and large scales. Helmut Dirnaichner (b. 1942) has been working with stone and semi-precious stones such as lapis lazuli and azurite since the early 1980s. Using these natural materials as a primary color palette, his work visually pushes the boundary between object and the picture. Throughout his work, this border is shaped and reshaped according to his material of choice and its construction.
Why we love it: Staudt and Dirnaichner’s work shares many commonalities, such as a focus on light, color and form, but when juxtaposed in the context of this exhibition, the distinct nuances of their respective practices become apparent. Comprised of sculptures, installations, multimedia pieces and works on paper, the materially diverse exhibition also provides insight into contemporary explorations of the fundamentals of contemporary art. As Hoffmann observes, “I see Klaus Staud as a conductor with a long conducting baton, guiding to an ascending crescendo his large, clearly defined wall of harsh, alternating white and gray elements”, speaking of his work . Unexpectedly (1996). The work is perceptibly mutable, changing as the viewer and the ambient light change. Compared to that of Dirnaichner Oltremare (1999), the focus is more on color and inherent form. Each artist struggles with similar artistic goals, but, as evidenced by their work, their distinct approaches highlight the range of their individual formal and creative insight.
See the interior of the exhibition and the works presented below.
Installation view of “Helmut Dirnaichner and Klaus Staudt” (2023). Photo: Ivan Mourzin. With the kind authorization of the edition and the Hoffmann Gallery, Friedberg.
Helmut Dirnaichner, Sieben Stein (2023). With the kind authorization of the edition and the Hoffmann Gallery, Friedberg.
Helmut Dirnaichner, Oltremare (1999). With the kind authorization of the edition and the Hoffmann Gallery, Friedberg.
Klaus Stautt, Lightning (2000). With the kind authorization of the edition and the Hoffmann Gallery, Friedberg.
Klaus Stautt, Unexpectedly (2023). With the kind authorization of the edition and the Hoffmann Gallery, Friedberg.
“Helmut Dirnaichner and Klaus Staudtcan be viewed at Editions and Galerie Hoffmann until August 27, 2023.
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