tobias rehberger tiles pixelated pornographic landscape at art basel miami beach

tobias rehberger tiles pixelated pornographic landscape at art basel miami beach 
image © designboom

within the mammoth convention center that hosts art basel miami beach, german artist tobias rehberger has installed a monumental installation and mural that subtly illustrates a vividly pornographic scene. presented for the fondation beyeler, ‘1661-1910 from nagasaki, meiji, setti’ takes over the gallery booth with a sea of wallpapered mosaic tiles, each diversely colored and carefully positioned within the space. at close range, visitors experience an unrecognizable blur of saturated squares that canvas the three surrounding walls.

from this viewpoint, various objects placed around the room such as vases filled with flora, benches and a freestanding ashtray, seem to be integral components of the mural, correspondingly wrapped in the vibrant tile print. it is only when the viewer steps back, and perceives the installation from great distance or through a smartphone screen, that the blurred pixels reveal themselves as a large-scale pornographic landscape.

from a distance, the pornographic scene depicted in the tiled configuration begins to take shape 
image © designboom

originally created for the lower floor exhibition space at the fondation beyeler in switzerland, the installation depicts a series of sexually explicit scenes based off japanese erotic shunga drawings that become acutely clear when seen from afar. various sexual positions and postures are illustrated though the meticulous and calculated placement of monochrome colored faux-tiles, each separated by a thin ‘grout’ line that lends a realistic mosaic texture to the scene.

the three walls that make up the gallery booth each narrate a different erotic moment described by a sequence of figures engaging in various sexual acts. the added objects placed within the center of the room become elemental parts of the overall interior scheme, projecting shapes and colors in three dimensions away from the walls and amplifying the dynamism of the spectacle. 

various sexual positions and postures are illustrated though the placement of monochrome colored faux-tiles
image © designboom

the erotic scene is made up of individual colored squares installed around the gallery walls 
image © designboom

benches, vases and ashtrays placed around the space project the scene into three dimensions  
image © designboom

the three walls each depict a different sexually explicit scene within the space 
image © designboom

on the right, a figure can be interpreted as bending over while another figure is closely positioned behind
image © designboom

the wall of tiles is seemingly a blur of colorful squares when viewed at close range 
image © designboom

an unrecognizable blur of color is paneled along the wall at the gallery booth 
image © designboom

detail of the flower vase that adds a third dimension of color and shape to the flat installation 
image © designboom

ashtray detail of ‘1661-1910 from nagasaki, meiji, setti’
image courtesy of the fondation beyeler

a pornographic scene is illustrated in the colorful composition of squares 
image courtesy of the fondation beyeler

the entire scene is revealed as visitors step back and look at the installation from a distance 
image courtesy of the fondation beyeler