3DECONOMY

The endless stream of products that multinational businesses

design, produce and sell is one of the central points in the

work of René Schmidt. Fascination and gaping of this enormous

production􀁊consumer system is converted to artistic

practice, caused by an enthusiasm of the aesthetics of everyday

life - from carpet to coffee machine to computer. The

majority of consumers may as well admit that they at some

point (often) have purchased something quite ugly, but since

the price was good and the need was covered, they were

more than happy with the deal.

René Schmidt's most recent exhibition "UniGamble", that constitutes

the majority of images in this catalogue, was an

embracement of common taste; a celebration of mediocrity -

in a positive way, because it has been democratically chosen

by the consumers of the world.

"People often say that my work is either ugly, too wild or too much. But

so is society. If you go to the huge shopping malls or just into the

street, a giant truck comes along or a taxi cab with commercials all

over it. And it simply rides through this old part of the city. Now, that's

what I call a smack. I am not saying that all taxi cabs should be silver

grey. I think it's really cool, when stuff collides. But as a starting point

I guess one can say that it is not a pretty picture."1

The "UniGamble"-show manifested itself as an excess. A cornucopia

of details cutting through the cornea, stories that

blabbered, and objects growing in and out of one another,

melted together and separated. This excess made "the sculptures

collapse because of the short circuits of taste and meaning"

2. You "faced something that potentially is something completely

else, a place where the laws of gravity, the unfolding in

space - not to mention good taste and classical beauty - have

been completely suspended"3.

"UniGamble was high speed PopBaroque. 'Pop' for the

objects of everyday life - 'Baroque' for the excess. The aesthetics

of daily life pumped so hard, that the cornucopia overflowed

into the sound of a killa flourish: Too much is not

enough.

Gustaf Gimm, May 2004

 

DK

Multinationale virksomheders endeløse strøm af produkter,

som de designer, producerer og sælger er et af tyngdepunkterne

hos René Schmidt. Fascination og måben over dette

enorme produktions􀁊forbrugersystem omsættes til kunstnerisk

praksis, affødt af en begejstring over hverdagens æstetik -

fra tapet til tv over kop til kaffemaskine. Flertallet af vi forbrugere

må indrømme på et tidspunkt (læs: ofte) at have

erhvervet en i virkeligheden grim genstand, men fordi den

havde en god pris og opfyldte behovet, så var vi mere end tilfredse

med købet.

Schmidts seneste udstilling "UniGamble", som udgør

størsedelen af katalogets billedmateriale, var en favnelse af

den jævne smag; en hyldest til middelmådigheden - ment

poitivt, for den er demokratisk valgt af alverdens forbrugere.

"Folk siger ofte om mine værker, at de er grimme, for vilde eller for

meget af det gode. Men det synes jeg også samfundet er. Hvis man

går ud til Viborg Storcenter eller ud til Fields eller bare ud på vejen, så

kommer der en kæmpestor lastbil eller en taxa. En taxa med en

Haribo-slikpose væltende over hele overfladen. Og den kører bare

igennem denne her gamle bydel. Det er da nogle klask, der vil noget.

Jeg siger ikke, alle taxaer skal være sølvgrå. Jeg synes, det er rigtig

fedt, når tingene ramler sammen.”1

"UniGamble"-udstillingen manifesterede sig som en exces. Et

overflødighedshorn af detaljer, der skar i hornhinden,

fortællinger der rablede, og objekter der voksede ind og ud af

hinanden, smeltede sammen og adskiltes. Denne exces fik

"skulpturerne til at kollapse i smags- og betydningsmæssige

kortslutninger"2. Man stod "over for noget, som potentielt er

noget helt andet, et sted hvor regler for tyngdekraft, udfoldelse

i rum - for slet ikke at tale om god smag og klassisk skønhed

- er sat helt ud af spillet"3.

"UniGamble" var popbarok i højeste gear. 'Pop' for hverdagsobjekterne

- 'barok' for excessen. Dagliglivets æstetik pumpet

så hårdt, at overflødighedshornet flød over i en benhård

fanfare: Too much is not enough.

Gustaf Gimm, May 2004