thorsten brinkmann turns rice gallery into a decaying palace of eccentric treasures

thorsten brinkmann turns rice gallery into a decaying palace of eccentric treasures
all images © nash baker

using an eclectic assortment of eccentric objects sourced from thrift stores and junkyards around houston, texas, german artist thorsten brinkmann has turned rice gallery into an imagined palace in disrepair and decay. ‘the great cape rinderhorn’ immerses visitors in a labyrinth of idiosyncratic items and miscellaneous bric-a-brac, organized within an intimate, room-sized installation. at the center of the gallery, a plywood crate with a an oversized animal horn perched atop sits amidst a room lined with mixed patterned wallpaper and photographic portraits. around it, weathered chairs and couches, heaps of laundry and a plastic tree instantly recall the impression of an inhabitable space. 

the bedroom is filled with miscellaneous bric-a-brac collected from thrift stores and junkyards

on the side of the crate-turned-dwelling, a small opening allows visitors to enter a hidden cinema, where a film by brinkmann depicts a hapless king struggling to find the right pose. once inside the theater, curious gallery-goers can crawl through a secret tunnel that leads to the palace inhabitant’s private room. viewers can peek their heads through a cut-out hole in the ceiling, where further eccentric objects can be seen.

knick knacks and assorted paraphernalia are organized around the tiny space, while brinkmann’s self-portraits line the patterned walls. these photographs see the artist himself posing in regal postures and wearing creative wardrobes made from found fabric-scrap vests, pleated skirts for capes, and trashcan helmets. the images combine the traditional and absurd, sourced from centuries of western painting conventions yet reinvented by common objects like lampshades and ski gloves.

viewers can peek their heads through a small hole in the ceiling, where further eccentric objects can be seen 

‘one way to experience art is to stand in front of it,’ brinkmann says. ‘you can walk around a sculpture, but you are mostly using your eyes. in an installation, you really use your whole body and all your senses. in this installation, you can even bend down and crawl. there are old objects and materials, so there’s a certain smell. you can touch things. you are completely surrounded in an atmosphere and you become part of it.’

knick knacks and assorted paraphernalia are organized around the tiny space

the items placed inside the fictional bedroom form a narrative around its inhabitant 

gallery-goers crawl through a secret tunnel to arrive at the bedroom 

a hidden tunnel leads from the bedroom to the cinema 

the tiny movie theater includes a few found chairs and various objects 

a film by brinkmann depicts a hapless king struggling to find the right pose

in rice gallery’s main exhibition space is a plywood crate with a an oversized animal horn perched atop 

the crate sits within a room lined with mixed patterned wallpaper and photographic portraits

weathered chairs and tables instantly recall the impression of an inhabitable space

the installation is seen through glass windows that frame the gallery