Philipp Pflug Contemporary
Berliner Straße 32
60311 Frankfurt am Main
Frank Brechter’s artworks act as an oxymoron: They are bittersweet. Stepping into the gallery rooms of PHILIPP PFLUG CONTEMPORARY, the pieces instantly fascinate. Brechter’s technique is so precise, so finely executed, you’d almost think these are real life objects – a real slice of toast, a real broken bottle, a real octopus tentacle. Brechter is a master of the surface: his oversize objects trigger a haptic urge in us to touch them. He plays with the moment of authenticity, with the perfect illusion, and seduces us for an instance – just for a minute we to take the bait and throw our viewing habits and the familiarity of the everyday objects overboard. Is it the slice of toast at breakfast that is the actual replica? You would be forgiven for thinking so, seeing as white bread is effectively a decoy, fake food, a mortal sin in terms of nutritional values. Much like the slice of processed cheese in the piece “HAWAII I / II” (2022). We can only vaguely make out the pineapple slice underneath the cheese: garbage wrapped in plastic foil, some might say.
The aesthetic effect of the pieces is all-encompassing and simultaneously contains a universal social imperative. Brechter’s works embody our current consumer and throwaway society. The title of the exhibition “DARB BARBARA?” reveals a meta-level: the German verb “darben” translates as “suffering want”, “living in want” or “starving”. The title thus raises questions in relation to the objects on view: Who can afford to let bread go moldy? Is it ok to throw away burnt toast? How are we to deal with the carton of expired milk showcased in the gallery? And quite generally: is this still edible, or should we throw it out, Barbara?
The works evoke an appreciation, and the beautiful semblance gains a bitter aftertaste that realigns our perception. Our illusion of beauty shatters on the piece “SCHIMMELBROT” (2021), as what we see no longer matches what is shown. Beautiful versus noxious. Brechter incites a revolution with his works: He changes our view of the everyday, of what is taken for granted. While Pop Art certainly comes to mind in relation to Brechter’s works, it is important to observe that the artist works by himself, without a big team of assistants. His pieces are originals, from the idea to the execution by his own hand, and it is this which elevates them above art historical objects we all know.
Looking around the gallery space at PPC, it is almost as though we can hear Marie-Antoinette whispering in our ear: “If you don’t have bread, why don’t you eat cake?”. The chain of association triggered by these works is endless. They are open to everything. Are we?
-Theresa Weise
Philipp Pflug Contemporary
Berliner Straße 32
60311 Frankfurt am Main
Stepping into gallery PPC in Frankfurt today, you enter the imaginative world of Frank Brechter.
On the ground floor an oversize fly swatter projects into the room, while the to-scale fly sits on the opposite wall. Two greasy looking, shiny yellow slices of cheese peep out from under the staircase – as sculpture-painting hybrids they are installed on the wall. On the upper floor the viewer enters a different sphere: Four colorful tentacles with a moist-looking sheen propped up by stands are placed on a stage-like platform, they appear like impossible trophies from a world in which vision and reality have merged. Movable and constructed from silicone and steel, they allow for many different perspectives and make practical applications possible, too. A further tentacle, made of solid silicone, lies rolled-up in an open display case and may be experienced through touch.
A range of readings are possible when it comes to Frank Brechter’s work: We might view the objects as autonomous individual art works or as an installation. The artist tells stories with a great deal of scope for interpretation: his open-minded attitude is reflected in the simple titles “Stubenfliege” (house fly),“ Klatsche” (swatter), or “Wandkäs`” (wall cheese). Brechter’s works irritate the viewer, challenging them to liberate their perception of conventional boundaries. The artist wants to verge upon the nature of things, their essence, and in his approach finds a degree of detail located between idea and realism. In doing so, he masterfully employs a great spectrum of materials and unites techniques he has developed himself with others borrowed from theatre design.
The artist originally studied design, but never wanted to be a designer. Instead, he gained experience as a gallery assistant in order to start his own business as a stage technician. Frank Brechter never intended to take on the traditional role of an artist, always allowing his work to take center stage instead. This mindset led him to initiate artist collectives, implement large projects in industries such as industrial technology or fashion, while also realizing the visions of a number of internationally renowned artists as a technician. His work is the expression of a creative spirit unafraid to interact and work with others, with a penchant for humorous provocation and a refusal to be pigeonholed. His objects and enactments require no complex intellectual justification or referential backup: it is frequently their formal language and quality craftsmanship that succeeds in enchanting audiences.
I am delighted that Frank’s talent and creative enthusiasm are finally being given a platform and that we are able to celebrate his premiere at Philipp Pflug Contemporary.
-René Schohe