Matthias Neumann

Matthias Neumann was educated as an architect in Germany and moved to New York City following graduation in 2000. His work has since fluctuated between architecture and a wide range of artistic practice surrounding the discipline of architecture. Built and published work include his finalist proposal for the World Trade Center Memorial in New York (2003), various built projects in New York City, the temporary exhibition structure for the Spier Biennial for Contemporary Art South African Art (2007), and Hendershot Gallery, NY (2010), among others.

Over the past years his focus has expanded from architecture to include museum and gallery base work, as well as a compounding interest in social and landscape aspects of the built environment and participatory interaction. This shift has induced a variety of artistic collaborations and individual work; the later includes projects such as the ongoing project Public Office for Architecture, which was realized at the Center for Arts and Social Practice, Mooste, Estonia (2011), at Galleria HIT, Bratislava, Slovakia (2011), and at Kunstmeile Krems, Austria (2012), as well as work commissioned and exhibited, such as The People’s Library at Public Museum at Site:Lab Grand Rapids, Michigan (2013), and Poesia Domestica, initially realized for Manifesta 8 in Murcia, Spain (2010), and commissioned and acquired for the permanent collection by the National Museum for Contemporary Art, Bucharest, Romania (2014).

Website

http://normaldesign.com/

au•gust art festival project

Matthias Neumann is expanding on a recent body of work, entitled basics, which explores an abstracted notion of form, space and utility. Basics is based on a constructive logic of additive 2” x 4” wooden slats that can be configured formally as well as spatially. The work wants to be experienced both as an abstract sculptural gesture as well as a usable and interactive spatial environment. The work Chaise (basics) will be constructed on site as a sculptural cube that has an elevated platform which serves as lounge chair. Chaise (basics)is similar to a previous work titled Bench (basics) realized for a temporary installation at the Bridgehampton Historical Society last summer which later relocated to a private estate in East Hampton.

Images