GERT & UWE TOBIAS
Untitled, 2016
Colored woodcut on canvas
150 x 130 cm | 59 x 51 in
Untitled, 2018
Colored woodcut on canvas
200 x 168 cm | 78.75 x 66 in
Untitled, 2016
Glazed ceramic
125 x 55 x 27 cm | 49.25 x 21.5 x in
Untitled, 2018
Colored woodcut on canvas
200 x 168 cm | 78.75 x 66 in
Gert & Uwe Tobias
Untitled (Spardose) - Installation
Palazzo Coardi di Carpeneto, Turin Italy
Projects 86: Gert & Uwe Tobias Nov 28 2006 - Feb 25 2008
Museum of Modern Art MoMA New York
Untitled (Spardose), 2019
Glazed Ceramic
77 x 36cm | 30.25x 14 in.
Gert and Uwe Tobias (b.1973 in Kronstadt, Brasov, Romania) are Romanian twin brother artists living and working in Koln, Germany. They graduated from Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste, Braunschweig under Walter Dahn in 2002.
Their works gather inspiration from Eastern European folklore, ranging in mediums such as, woodcut, ceramic, collage and paintings. Their fascination with myths draws influence from their birthplace and especially the myth of Dracula. After seeing
the legend spread from their home country to across Europe, due to Bram Stoker's adaptation of the story, they also became aware of the effects pop culture has on distorting reality. The twins share living space together, the arrangement mirroring that of the 17th century fairy tale writers, the brothers Grimm.
The Tobias joint love for woodcarving inspires them to develop a new approach to the medium. Rather than carving into a wooden block, the Tobias cut out individual shapes. They then use a roller to apply ink, layering paint onto the canvas with their hands and feet. The imagery produced communicates a narrative rich with ghoulish characters that take asymmetrical forms and are rendered in bold colors and patterns.
The visual language of their figures is strongly expressed in their hand made ceramic sculptures as well. Often presented with abstract or geometric bodies, the figures develop into heads of malformed humans or fantastic creatures with extremely detailed outlines of eyes, noses or ears dripping of brilliant pigments of colors.
Like for their iconic woodcuts, in the Tobias brothers’ paintings, figures of mythological creatures populate surreal and magical environments as if malefic, yet sometimes ironic narratives and actions are happening. Unlike the woodcuts, which exist in mid-large scale, the paintings have the incredible power to transport the viewer in a vast and endless surreal world with a small-scale format.
Adventuring in the current society where pop culture and overwhelming imagery invade our life, Gert & Uwe collages and typewriter drawings juxtapose images from fashion magazines and newspaper creating the union of old and new, still rooting into the heritage of their own country of birth.
The artists’ work individually to the different phases of the process, even though compositions, patterns and figures are originally conceived together. Ideas flow between their individual creative minds creating a dialogue, which challenges the
collaborative process and is essential for the final result.
Gert & Uwe Tobias' work has been exhibited in international prominent institutions and museums including Kunsthalle Recklinghausen, Germany (2018); Sprengel Museum, Hannover, Germany; Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany (2016); Whitechapel, London, UK (2013); Collezione Maramotti, Reggio Emilia, Italy (2009) Kunstmuseum Bonn, Bonn, Germany (2008); Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY USA (2007). Public Collections include Collezione Maramotti, Max Mara, Reggio Emilia, Italy; MoMa, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY USA; UCLA, Hammer Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA USA; Kunstmuseum Bonn, Bonn, Germany; FRAC Auvergne, Clermont Ferrand, France; Sammlung Goetz, München, Germany.
