stefan brüggemann: on sociology (the civilization of speculation)

stefan brüggemann: ‘ON SOCIOLOGY (the civilization of speculation)’ at gallery mendes wood, 2013

born 1975 in mexico city, artist stefan brüggemann lives and works between mexico city and london.currently in sao paulo at mendes wood, the artist has created an installation of clustered typography applied on the gallery walls clad in mirrors. spray-painted in blue, red, and silver the questions and exclamations take their cues from newspaper headlines and popular films. the artist asks ‘is email evil?‘ or proclaims ‘new profit always bring back hope’ or ‘you will feel better’ and ‘see you in the next world‘, amplified in intense accumulation and color. ‘ON SOCIOLOGY (the civilization of speculation)’ is on show until april 27, 2013

exhibition view

this is stefan brüggemann’s first exhibition in brazil. organized in partnership with pivô — an artist-run project space in oscar niemeyer’s landmark copan building in downtown sao paulo.

‘on sociology (the civilization of speculation)’ expands on the artist’s longstanding interest in the formative aspect of language, and it’s often overlooked significance in the determination of culture. brüggemann has filled out the idiosyncratic dimensions of the gallery with a site-specific installation of mirrors running wall to wall, floor to ceiling. the faces of the mirrors are calligraphically obscured by sentences – drawn from newspaper headlines and the last lines of popular movies – scrawled in blue, red and silver spray paint.

close-up

with a sense of spectacle reminiscent of a funhouse hall of mirrors, the spectator is introduced to a sense of ludic distortion, hilarity and visual upheaval. mirrors, like language, are fluid and transitional; words pass like thoughts and reflections pass like shadows in the chasm of their depths. by sourcing popular language, Brüggemann points out the importance of language in the shaping of our perception. movies and news media are essential reflections of our culture, at once influencing and manipulating the public’s comprehension of society. for the artist, text siphoned from headlines and cinematic dialogue functions as a sort of maxim or idée reçue, offering tantalizing insight into the construction of social values. in the installation these maxims hover enigmatically over the viewer’s mirror image.

close-up

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(NO CONTENT) billboard artwork by stefan brüggemann, 2010at ART MOVES, the 3rd international festival of art on billboards, in torun, poland