Munich; ‘Konstantin Grcic:the Good, the Bad, the Ugly’ at Die Neue Sammlung (the Design Museum)
by Venetia Kapernekas
12.11.2015-18.09.2016 (Paternoster Halle) & 12.11.2015-28.02.2016 (Temporär 2) Die Neue Sammlung-The Design Museum/Pinakothek der Moderne
Curator: Dr. Angelika Nollert
Co-Curator: Dr. Xenia Riemann
Acclaimed international designer Konstantin Grcic (born 1965 in Munich, where he now lives) commenced with his exhibition “the Good, the Bad, the Ugly”at Die Neue Sammlung, part of the new series “Mobile Structures”: Die Neue Sammlung has devised a new exhibition format specifically in order to emphasise the special architectural quality of the two-story Paternoster Hall, visible from one of the museum galleries.
The revolving movement of the paternoster elevators reflects the motto of an active Neue Sammlung.
photo@VK by permission
Blick in die Ausstellung “Konstantin Grcic: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”, Foto: Gerhardt Kellermann © Konstantin Grcic
Grcic is an industrial designer and in this field above all a furniture designer. Since the beginning of his career has has also been involved in devising presentations and representations…. His concept for the Paternoster Hall comprises a small number of interventions, which thanks to their precision are in fact highly effective.
The display cases, specially made for the models, are evidence of the importance of the design process of chair _ONE for Grcic, who makes it the central focal point of the exhibition.
“…here materials and design enter into a perfect symbiosis. Chair _ONE is a new milestone in design in its form and in its technical process. “(Dr. Angelika Nollert, director of die Neue Sammlung, in ‘Mobile Structures, museum publication ‘the Good, the Bad, the Ugly).
Blick in die Ausstellung “Konstantin Grcic: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”, Foto: Gerhardt Kellermann © Konstantin Grcic
The exhibition is complex, but quite challenging and beautiful. A lovely afternoon I met Dr Angelika Nollert, director of Die Neue Sammlung over lunch and passionately she talked about the exhibition and some important points of references marvellously gave me a different awareness of the exhibition.
…Despite its uniqueness chair_ONE possesses numerous qualities that are characteristics of works by Grcic. Just as chair_ONE is reminiscent of architectural load-bearing structures by Buckminster Fuller, other products by Grcic reflect pieces by other designers. For instance, the cantilever chair Myto is an homage to the S-Chair by Verner Panton, and 360 Container cites Joe Colombo’s tower of drawers. Le Corbusier, Franco Albini, Jasper Morrison, De Stijl and the Shakers and kindred spirits with Grcic and his idea of reduction, essentiality and substance, as expressed in the seating designs Traffic, Parrish, Medici Lounge and Dahlem’ (Dr Angelika Nollert)
Konstantin Grcic, model #1 for chair_ONE, 1999/2000-2004
Photo: Gerhardt Kellermann © Konstantin Grcic
Konstantin Grcic, model #2 for chair_ONE, 1999/2000-2004
Photo: Gerhardt Kellermann © Konstantin Grcic
Konstantin Grcic, chair_ONE, Magis, 2004
Photo: Gerhardt Kellermann © Konstantin Grcic
The third section in the exhibition. quite impressive and complex concept, is called “TT-Pavilion. Dr Angela Nollert explains to me, ‘…when designing his TT-Pavilion Grcic sought to transfer advanced automotive technology into an architectural context…’
In this exhibition Grcic presents the TT-Pavilion, conceived in 2014 as the trade fair stand for Audi, in a scenographic installation…The octagonal mobile architecture brings to mind the mobile wooden houses of Jean Prouvé or Charlotte Perriand as well the plastic pavilion utopias by Jean Benjamin Manual or Matti Suuronen.
Blick in die Ausstellung “Konstantin Grcic: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”, Foto: Gerhardt Kellermann © Konstantin Grcic
The transformation of the space is achieved thanks to a panorama picture carried out by poster artist René Birkner and painter Alina Birkner. Dr Angelika Nollert says, ” …Just as the UFO is a hybrid, the landscape is a pasticcio of the motifs of Monument Valley, the backdrop of skyscrapers in a megacity and non-cultivated vegetation…”
photos@Venetia Kapernekas, by permission
The exhibition title, “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly’, borrowed from a classic Western, highlights this relation between aesthetics and character and in so doing ironically references the great emotional potential of design and reception.
