"'Spring' has a threefold meaning: the season of rebirth, the power of action (both internally and externally) and the dormancy of momentum." The splendor of life returns to nature and also comes from strength. The theme expressed by sculptor Tony Klagg's work "Spring" is deeply in line with the theme of "Light of Life" at the 9th China Beijing International Art Biennale in 2022, and is also a vivid footnote to the vitality of the Winter Olympic Games and the unity of human will to fight the epidemic.
Tony Craig is one of the most innovative artists of our time, and whether it's his sculptures or paintings, there seems to be a magic that unconsciously draws you to scrutinize, to discover, to feel, to think.
His work is derived from nature as a "second nature". He is deeply inspired by nature, always maintains a closeness to nature, and his creation is never limited by materials, and every stroke is also a natural expression. Following the laws of nature, he extends the boundaries of natural thought to works in industrial and futuristic styles, making the works both exciting and intimately familiar, and what makes the viewer feel familiar is finally accompanied by balanced elegance, with respect for a certain substance, as an ode to the power of creation.
China Literature and Art Network continues to launch the 2022 9th China Beijing International Art Biennale series of special editions, today for everyone to launch tony Kragg contemporary art special exhibition, come on, feel the beauty of the power from the flowing lines ~ ~
"Spring" [Germany] Tony Klagg
2015 / Sculpture: Bronze (dark red) / 100 cm × 89 cm × 25 cm
"Spring" has a threefold meaning: the season of rebirth, the power of action (both internally and externally), and the dormancy of being prepared. This is the main theme of the work "Spring". The work shows a torrent that is about to gush, and its hidden energy.
Viewpoint [Germany] Tony Klagg
2015 / Sculpture: Wood / 450 cm × 95 cm × 95 cm
This is one of the most famous sculptures of Klagg. It consists of three pillars, each in dynamic and dramatic motion. Spectators walking around them can see their heads and sides. "These sculptures are sometimes organic, even figurative, while others are reminiscent of geological formations," Craig said.
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【Video】"Light of Life - 2022 9th China Beijing International Art Biennale" (special exhibition works) 3D online exhibition hall
"Light of Life - 2022 9th China Beijing International Art Biennale" (special exhibition works) 3D online exhibition hall
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"Light of Life - 2022 9th China Beijing International Art Biennale" 360° panoramic exhibition hall
Works on display
Untitled [Germany] Tony Klagg
2017 / Sculpture: Glass / 57 cm × 38 cm × 37 cm
For many years, Klagg has used glass as a sculptural material. In the past, he used ready-made glass bottles and glassware to create, but his latest sculptures aim to explore the fluidity of glass materials – which allows him to create a variety of novel and unexpected masterpieces.
"The Woman's Head" [Germany] Tony Craig
2015 / Sculpture: Stone / 100 cm × 50 cm × 50 cm
This polished stone sculpture is very sensual, even surprising. Klagg pays particular attention to the transformation of works between different forms, as exemplified by "The Woman's Head". This sculptural work is not simply a bust depicting reality, but an imagination of the creator. He confessed: "My work should have an emotional meaning, not just a reproduction of an entity that already exists." ”
Hollow [Germany] Tony Craig
2011 / Sculpture: Bronze / 79 cm × 36 cm × 62 cm
"There are often undercurrents in my sculptures that are surging and spewing out. It is also a state of mind, or mental picture. "'Hollow' shows a head trapped between thought and imagination." "Hollow" is expressed both in the overall structure of the work and in the "hollow" mold used in the bronze casting method.
The Bush [Germany] Tony Klagg
2016 / Sculpture: Steel / 123 cm x 113 cm x 135 cm / 107 cm x 116 cm x 199 cm
For a long time, Krag's love for the natural world has not diminished. The images of living things under the microscope captivated him and fascinated him with the growth of living things. He was also intrigued by the grand landscape: forests, trees, hedges and shrubs, as well as the flora and fauna that nurtured them.
Moments [Germany] Tony Klagg
2015 / Sculpture: Bronze / 99 cm × 102 cm × 90 cm
Speaking of his work, Klagg said: "My sculptures are always subjectively expressed with rational structures. "'Instant' has this in mind. It is an interlocking, interpenetrating rational structure, and a mysterious metal sculpture that mixes the characteristics of robots, insects and aliens.
"Operation" [Germany] Tony Klagg
2017 / Sculpture: Bronze / 120 cm × 145 cm × 115 cm
Craig has always been interested in mixing creative materials. Thus, as a sculptor, he could use different types of forms and objects. "Operation" depicts layers of human hands, each finger connected to the newborn hand and knuckles, like a tree with towering branches.
2019 / Sculpture: Bronze / 82 cm × 53 cm × 48 cm
Speaking about the work, Klagg said: "This work reflects the decision-making process I made. In the process of creation, he captures every twist of his thinking and carefully processes these turning points and retains them in the final finished sculpture. It is a sculpture that shows creativity and also hints at human brain movement.
"Me and Me" [Germany] Tony Krag
2012 / Sculpture: Bronze / 120 cm × 104 cm × 93 cm
Craig often mentions that he has a keen interest in asymmetrical structures and "imbalances in an effort to maintain balance." "Me and Me" is not a traditional painter's self-portrait, but an attempt by the creator to awaken his own energy.
"Stacked" [Germany] Tony Craig
2018 / Sculpture: Bronze / 100 cm × 68 cm × 54 cm
Krag has long been concerned with stacked forms and structures: down to the strata beneath the landscape and up to the skin tissue of the human body. "Stacking" combines the characteristics of geography and organs, and contains great vitality and explosive power. Even if the wind and waves are calm on the outside, the inside is full of energy.
Willow III [Germany] Tony Craig
2015 / Sculpture: stone (white marble) / 100 cm × 104 cm × 105 cm
"I have a willow in the shape of a rotating willow in front of my house in Sweden, which is the prototype of the painting 'Willow Tree'." Krag said. In this work, he opens up the world of flora and fauna, blending dance and tears while expressing joy and sadness.
Early Forms (Ring) [Germany] Tony Klagg
2014 / Sculpture: Bronze / 72 cm × 64 cm × 62 cm
The bronze sculpture Early Forms, which presents a morphological change of a vessel, is a recent creation by Klagg and has been praised by all parties. He hopes that the work he creates itself will show the process by which it was created.
"Meaning average" [Germany] Tony Craig
2014 / Sculpture: Bronze / 120 cm × 51 cm × 54 cm
"I am interested in the contrast between the emotional life of form and its geometric and rational structure," Craig said. "Meaning Averages" is all about this combination, while reflecting concerns about bringing different individual entities together in a larger group form.
"The Cube" [Germany] Tony Klagg
2011 / Sculpture: Bronze / 102 cm × 105 cm × 120 cm
In Klagg's view, the extension and expansion of form can lead to a grander composition. As a result, his sculptures always seem to be in motion, and the parts are always switching to each other. Cube powerfully demonstrates this structural conception: the parts of the work interact in a circular manner, creating a larger, more comprehensive work.
Frequency [Germany] Tony Klagg
2019 / Sculpture: Bronze / 76 cm × 41 cm × 76 cm
Klagg has always been concerned with the combination and metaphor of the work— the head and body of the characters in the work are intertwined, as if they are transforming into another form. At the same time, the work also shows the landscape of human thinking. "I love exploring the human mind like I'm exploring the terrain," Craig said. ”
"Masks" [Germany] Tony Klagg
2020 / Sculpture: Wood / 135 cm × 51 cm × 118 cm
Klagg's "Masks" was created during the COVID-19 pandemic. The form of the work is very subtle, mean and elegant. Although this "mask" cannot be worn directly, it shows the experience of people wearing a mask and conveys the facial sensation when wearing a mask.
2016 / Sculpture: wood (natural color) / 202 cm × 194 cm × 52 cm
The work was first made of wood and then poured in bronze. Thus the various levels of material in the work are obvious. Sometimes, the wood part is sometimes painted and sometimes covered with spray paint. "Spring" is a vibrant and vibrant work, and the special materials make the work have a stronger sense of line and direction.
"Transformation" [Germany] Tony Klagg
2017 / Sculpture: Aluminum / 200 cm × 192 cm × 105 cm
Krag loves the combination of industry and nature. In this work, Klagg juxtaposes and "transforms" the petals of a propeller blade and a rose, creating new forms that bring unexpected emotional experiences.
Custer and Paleck [Germany] Tony Klagg
2015 / Sculpture: Wood (blue) / 130 cm × 68 cm × 87 cm
The title of the work is derived from "Diosculi", a pair of twin brothers in ancient Greek mythology. Klagg shows us two bodies clasped together, which was often seen in early sculpture. This sculpture can be seen both as two human figures and as two legs and a torso, reminiscent of the futuristic sculpture of Ombert Poccioni.
"On Earth" [Germany] Tony Klagg
2015 / sculpture: fibreglass / 320cm × 145cm × 523cm
The human body is the heart of Krag's sculpture. He does not give us the body in an anatomically figurative way, but through the exploration of its form, their movements, and the emotions that naturally flow. Limbs stretch and twist, and the body is reinterpreted in a convincing way.
2012 / Pencil drawing / 51 cm × 56.5 cm
At first glance, one sees indivisible elongated lines that cover the picture in a circle, some thick and some light, as if it were an echo, distributed around the center point. Savoring the details, the image of a standing woman comes into view, emitting light and making the picture full of movement.
2010 / Pencil drawing / 49.7 cm × 52 cm
The figure in the painting resembles a giant scaly snake (an animal in Western legend), and its enchanting figure jumps out of the paper. The lines are meandering, imaginary and real, presenting a feminine and colorful snake-like figure, as if to come out of the painting, but it is blocked by the rough texture of small circles. Tony Craig transforms these into small holes, presented in his sculptural works, forming surfaces that can penetrate like a membrane.
2010 / Pencil drawing / 69.7 cm × 50 cm
The theme of Tony Craig's series is simple containers, mainly vases. Unlike many sculptural graphite paintings, this painting is still two-dimensional. The lines of the vase jump from the middle and lower part of the picture, enclosing a large number of smaller vases that are protected by a shell. Parallel lines rising from below the frame suggest that this is where the center of power lies.
2010 / Pencil Drawing / 49.8 cm × 55.4 cm
Tony Krag is sometimes obsessed with the human figure, and in his paintings and sculptures, the human body is a paradoxical presence. It is like a man and like a machine, and there is a tension between the two, and this tension is more emphasised on technology or machine control. In this work, the two statues meet and seem to guide each other forward, although the lines are complex, the picture is clear and has a sense of peace.
The Forest Room (1/15) [Germany] Tony Klagg
2011 / prints / 40.5 cm × 50.6 cm
This is one of Tony Klagg's 31 lithographs in a series. The series was completed in 2011. In this work, he uses dense parallel lines to outline the characteristics of birch forests, and in color selection, he does not use black and white but chooses a more vivid violet color, making the work more abstract.
The Forest Room [Germany] Tony Klagg
Unlike the previous "Forest Room", this work is a double-structured lithograph. Gray-blue coils fill the picture like tree trunks that cover each other, and the author may have painted a birch tree. The gray-blue trunk is superimposed with another color, which appears to be a code, reminiscent of a binary computer language with 0 and I as codes.
Compared to the violet version of the "Forest Room", the pattern density of this painting is higher. The pigment is applied in a dense circular rhythm. Unlike previous works, this painting has more layers and more dense birch forests. The use of red makes the painting more distinctive and at the same time more vibrant.
Tony Krag combines different lines and colors to create different forms of work. Compared with the gray-blue and yellow binary computer language structure presented in Forest Room 5708, in this painting, green is the main color, filling the entire space, and it is this transparent green that makes everything return to nature.
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