Käpten Nobbi in the AVT Foyer
The name of the exhibition still running until August 22, 2019, in the AVT foyer is "My Point Of View." It offers us an opportunity to experience the unique perspective of Käpten, an Aachen artist – his angle revealing the aesthetics of a ubiquitous material: garbage.
The foyer of the new building of Aachener Verfahrenstechnik, or AVT for short, offers plenty of space for this largest exhibition staged by Paul Sous aka Käpten Nobbi to date. The big question, however, was this: How will the pieces mesh with the building? Even with more than 50 exhibitions under his belt, it was a balancing act for the artist to arrange his works of art, whose humble origins cannot be denied. How would they best fit in this brand-new space with polished floors and floor-to-ceiling windows?
The main components of many of his works of art, after all, are trash. They have been used, discarded, and forgotten. For instance, there's a milk carton launching into space, boasting an illuminated rocket tail –white lacquered under glass with an inscription "please do not touch the works of art." A popular piece from previous exhibitions is the cluster of burnt matchsticks a meter tall in size. This time it is supplemented by a matchbox so large that one would have to change to the other side of the street if it was on the sidewalk.
The monkey is always around
With this exhibition, which is part of a series presented in the AVT Foyer, Käpten Nobbi re-stages everyday life and zeroes in on the great moments of small things. He creates works of art from storage boxes and chewing gum. In all that he does, he always invites the viewer to follow his gaze. In one installation, for example, we see a house front in a miniature format that characterizes the supposed inhabitants. Whether flowery, spartan, or uninhabited - the apartments always show that the viewer only experiences his or her point of view.
What it feels like to look out of such an apartment is not addressed. The view of the facade is all that is offered. This view, however, is sufficient to take in the little details, which are often beautiful, or, at second glance, rather grotesque. A seemingly careless line of graffiti "If you fall, I'll be there – floor," or a forgotten garbage bag is enough for the audience to feel the poetry inherent in this particular point of view – the ability to find something touching in everything.
A view of the world is presented in which there is more to discover than to interpret. Further aided by the recurring motif of a monkey –alter ego Käpten Nobbi – the Stolberg-born artist uses the foyer as if it were a play area, reminding visitors of our primal instincts and origins.
The make-believe world of advertising
In stark contrast to the natural world, another installation shows an oversized milk carton pushing a shopping cart that is loaded to the brim with glossy containers and similarly attractive consumer goods packaging. The sparkling world of "Nobis Printen" & Co. allows the artist to make the emptiness of such packaging and their promises tangible. "Everyone needs advertising," says Paul Sous, a trained advertising technician. He is also confident that "you can only keep up the appearances created by advertising until reality sets in." His works of art play with exactly this line between advertising and reality. The artist, who also trained as a designer and craftsman at Gut Rosenberg, shows tiny waste containers, so attractively made, they could easily be an ornament on someone's desk. Building materials such as wallpaper made from posters that had been plastered in multiple layers on advertising space at the central station for example, or slogans such as "Home Street Home" illustrate his roots in the street art scene. On the other hand, Sous now also travels to customers to personally install a piece of art over their living room sofa. He does like to share his point of view.
„Art meets science“
The next exhibition in the "Art meets science – AVT Foyer" series, will be staged by Karl von Monschau, a contemporary painter and artist, beginning on September 6, 2019. Recently, he created a unique project, opening a new channel of communication between artist and audience by installing a "rental art locker." All exhibitions at Forckenbeckstraße 51 can be enjoyed during regular AVT opening hours, between 8am and 6pm. For any questions, please contact Wanda Frohn at AVT.
Source: Press and Communications