Layr

In the exhibition, Plamen Dejanoff (*1970 in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria, lives in Vienna) presents various new works, primarily related to a broader project he has been working on since 2006 – a walk-through bronze sculpture entitled “The Bronze House”.

The production of the individual components have been developed with the cooperation of art institutions, collectors and funding bodies. Most recently, a selection of bronze elements and objects, along with material studies and models, were exhibited at the Kunstverein Hamburg, parallel to the temporary installation of a walk-through structure at HafenCity, currently on site since June 2011. Parallel to his solo show at Galerie Emanuel Layr, Dejanoff is presenting further components and a large facade piece at MamBo Bologna. The first house sculpture is due to be completed and presented in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria in 2013.

Through the presentation of the works developed within the context of this project, Dejanoff routinely channels the broader project back into the art gallery. The exhibition at Galerie Emanuel Layr can be seen as a laboratory of sorts. The pieces of hardened quartz sand are the casting moulds from the bronze works, and this is the first time they are being exhibited as autonomous sculptures. After the casting the so-called ‘lost moulds’ are usually cut off the hardened bronze and destroyed in the process. They mark the beginning of an expansive process that includes the design of a label, the “Dejanoff” trademark, which is also on show in the exhibition in the form of bronze coat of arms.

The works oscillate between a non-site specificity suggesting potential anywhereness, participating in the immanent art discourse, and engaging with everyday life – in urban developments and infrastructures, as in Veliko Tarnorvo. The structures planned for Veliko Tarnorvo offer diverse potential uses such as cinemas, residencies, theatres etc.

Distinct from classic and contemporary architecture, bronze offers guaranteed durability. Furthermore, its familiarity in the art context and public space is a crucial factor. Dejanoff succeeds in finding a language into economic and administrative systems, enabling him to create a platform for himself. In relation to this, a piece from the sculpture series ‘Paint’ is also on display in the exhibition. Through the exaggeration of form and color Dejanoff appropriates the accessibility of advertising aesthetics. The glass sculpture was used by SONY to promote their BRAVIA LED Full HD flat-screen monitor.

The exhibition at Galerie Emanuel Layr attempts to illustrate these economic aspects of Dejanoff’s production process. He is able to balance immanent art questions with art that influences and converges with everyday life. His formal qualities adapt to the terms and conditions of post-modern life and through this open the virulent interface between artist and manufacturer, market and institution and everyone who is implicated.