Childlike daydreams and French Structuralist theory fold into one throughout Simon Schubert’s latest exhibition, “Wherever Is Now.” With a collection of paper works and sculptural objects, he invites viewers to explore his ambivalent, utopian interiors at Galerie Thomas Modern in Munich.

Simon Schubert's "Wherever Is Now" at Galerie Thomas Modern - Tür (Door), 2016. Graphite on paper. Photo courtesy of Galerie Thomas Modern.
Simon Schubert's "Wherever Is Now" at Galerie Thomas Modern - UNTITLED (LIGHT AND DOORS), 2014. Paper. Photo courtesy of Galerie Thomas Modern.
Simon Schubert's "Wherever Is Now" at Galerie Thomas Modern - UNTITLED (LIGHT IN STAIRCASE), 2016. Graphite on paper. Photo courtesy of Galerie Thomas Modern.
Simon Schubert's "Wherever Is Now" at Galerie Thomas Modern - UNTITLED (MIRROR), 2016. Paper. Photo courtesy of Galerie Thomas Modern.
Simon Schubert's "Wherever Is Now" at Galerie Thomas Modern - PHOTOME - SELFPORTRAIT, 2015. Mixed media. Photo courtesy of Galerie Thomas Modern.
Simon Schubert's "Wherever Is Now" at Galerie Thomas Modern - UNTITLED (LIGHT CURTAIN), 2016. Graphite on paper. Photo courtesy of Galerie Thomas Modern.
Simon Schubert's "Wherever Is Now" at Galerie Thomas Modern - UNTITLED (STAIRS LOOKING DOWN), 2016. Paper. Photo courtesy of Galerie Thomas Modern.
Simon Schubert's "Wherever Is Now" at Galerie Thomas Modern - MAHLSTROM, 2016. Feathers, wood, hard foam, brass, and laque. Photo courtesy of Galerie Thomas Modern.

Primarily inspired by the Baroque rooms and forms detailed in Gilles Deleuze’s philosophical text, The Fold, it seems only natural that the majority of Schubert’s pieces are rendered through that very action. His delicate paper scenes are nothing more than their material, offering transient views into empty rooms, through doors and windows, and down staircases that are defined only by the light that befalls them.

Schubert’s folded paper vignettes appear and fade in response to variations in light and vantage point, impelling viewers to form a keen awareness of how fragile their senses of spatial perception actually are. This concept is reiterated in the artist’s graphite drawings, whose scenes remain hauntingly devoid of figures and reliant on the incidence of light.

Furthermore, Schubert’s sculptures shed light on his own introspection, accentuating the labyrinthine aura of the exhibition with their peculiar forms. They allow viewers to approach something within a literal space, rather than peering into the eerily vacant ones of the his paper works.

Additionally, Schubert’s sculptures reckon with the notion of presence, silently questioning what is louder: a tangible object or its imprinted space.

Simon Schubert’s “Wherever Is Now” is on view at Galerie Thomas Modern until January 21, 2017.

 


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