Exhibition Tour, Vebikus Kunsthalle Schaffhausen

The summer exhibition is dedicated to the “Editon 5 Erstfeld” collection, which has been producing three-dimensional multiples in editions of five for many years. This presentation of the collection is complemented by parallel exhibitions by Maya Bringolf and Vincent Kohler.

Over the course of 30 years, Editon 5 Erstfeld has produced a total of 244 works by national and international artists. Ruth and Jürg Nyffeler made sure that both different nationalities and different generations were represented. They did not adhere to any strict stylistic direction; rather, it was personal preferences and interests that led to collaborations. A representative selection is on view at the Vebikus Kunsthalle in Schaffhausen. Some of the works are being shown for the first time in a major exhibition. Also represented in Edition 5 Erstfeld are Maya Bringolf and Vincent Kohler.

Maya Bringolf often breathes new life into everyday household items that were on the verge of being discarded. The way these reassembled objects are transformed into peculiar, aesthetic structures comes across as uncompromising and forceful. These transformations are carried out with great enthusiasm. All the discarded rugs, plastic chairs, metal pipes, and pieces of furniture are given a new lease on life by Maya Bringolf’s hand, taking on a new, precarious, and unexpected appearance. The artist was born in Schaffhausen and lives in Zurich.

Vincent Kohler’s work focuses primarily on sculpture and painting, though his affinity for pop music repeatedly comes to the fore. The artist writes of himself: “I experiment with various forms of expression such as illusion, distraction, transformation, or magnification of everyday objects—whether from daily life, folk beliefs, or the imagination.” These are mostly everyday objects (sleds, refrigerators, musical instruments) that are “recreated” using artificial means. This results in unsettling constructs that are reminiscent of “real” things, yet appear in a strange way as “fake objects.” It seems as though Vincent Kohler is reimagining existing objects and translating them into his own carefully crafted artificial world. Vincent Kohler, born in Nyon, lives and works in Lausanne.