The Stüberl and its importance for art production is a phenomenon that has received far too little attention so far. His role should not be underestimated at all. So it is high time that this phenomenon was examined in detail. Four Munich artists have now dedicated themselves to this task in the Künstlerhaus Marktoberdorf – or to be more precise: in the Stiftervilla next door, because in the actual, much larger exhibition house, completely different questions are dealt with.
Florian Süssmayr, Martin Fengel and Martin Wöhrl are already big names in the art scene. At the beginning of the Corona pandemic, the three brought another artist friend of theirs, the ceramic sculptor Zsolt Zrinyi, to the public – at least that was the intention. Because the light was such that all four exhibited together in the former showroom of lighting designer Ingo Maurer on Munich’s Kaiserstrasse. Stupidly just in the Corona lockdown. “Then only four or five people were allowed in,” says Florian Süssmayr, “if it was 30 to 40 a day, that was a lot”. One visitor, however, was Maya Heckelmann, the curator of the Marktoberdorf Artists’ House, and she immediately thought: “These four would fit perfectly into the Artists’ House.”
That was undoubtedly the right idea, as can now be seen in their exhibition “Image and Sound” in Marktoberdorf. The four of the three large rooms and the old building next to it have taken on each other with great enthusiasm and joy in playing and passing the balls. This is particularly noticeable in the old building. The villa, which belonged to the childless donor couple Geiger and which passed to the municipality of Marktoberdorf “for use for cultural purposes”, has just been extensively renovated for more than a year. However, the four artists immediately saw in it the potential for an inn, or to be more precise: for a Boazn and a parlour. And for this lowest and least respected gastronomic authority, they have now designed a two-story homage. It was fitting that at least two of them played a role in their work from time to time.
The show has all sorts of art-historical references
The painter Florian Süssmayr, for example, repeatedly referred to toilet wall doodles, beer coaster decorations, tavern displays, rancid curtains, restaurant chairs and other relevant accessories in his work. Some very beautiful works from this group of works (“Brückenstüberl Ganghoferstraße, 2019”) can now be seen in the old building. The front wall on the ground floor is certainly the most impressive: Süssmayr has painted the wood paneling of a Boazn on 9.30 by 2.40 meters, supplemented by a drinks menu (“Schnäpse und Liköre”) and a view of a heap of broken glass entitled “Golden Pudel Club St. Pauli, 2018”. Martin Wöhrl, sculptor and “very connected to Minimal Art”, has also contributed relevant works. The man-high beer glass (“half”) made from a formica door or the bright blue steel canister with the curved inscription “Barolo” are very attractive. Wöhrl says: “There really is Barolo in it. I got it from Garibaldi, who almost declared me crazy.”
The works of the photo artist Martin Fengel in the old building are also related to the theme of the restaurant, albeit from an aesthetic point of view. And Zsolt Zrinyi’s colorfully glazed ceramic sculptures, mostly figurative meatballs between comics and monsters with very descriptive names like “Sinatra”, “Wolfi” or “Rüulps” go well with it. They are presented here on tavern chairs placed one on top of the other. In the main building of the Künstlerhaus, there are, among other things, bar stools and an additional sculpture that is reminiscent of Marcel Duchamp’s famous ready-made “Bottle Dryer”.
The show works with all sorts of art historical references
In general, the show in the main building works with all sorts of art-historical references. Martin Wöhrl’s “Gloriole” made from trimmings from a carpenter’s workshop is actually reminiscent of such components of a baroque church, Süssmayr’s abstractions of Dürer’s “Apocalyptic Horsemen” or the book illustration of de Sade’s “Justine” show his very own approach to woodcuts and prints and their almost stupendously perfect Implementation in painting. Fengel, on the other hand, shows his strength in the choice of cruel-comic motifs. And Zrinyi’s bizarre clay figures, iconic images of human weaknesses and errors, fit splendidly into the overall picture.
It has become a wonderful show full of cheerful melancholy that celebrates the banality but also the beauty of everyday life. If you like, you could say: It shows that even a stranded existence can still radiate great dignity, you just have to take a good look. If that is not the task of art, then what is?