Stefan Strumbel

Hamburg

Engagement with the heritage of interwoven folklore themes is one of the central preoccupations of the work of Stefan Strumbel. That said, his works often centre on the concept of Heimat, or “homeland”, a concept that serves on the one hand as a metaphor for the familiar and the shaping of identity, yet at the same time, in an increasingly globalised world, seems rather antiquated.
In his graphic art, collages, installations and objects, Strumbel investigates the Heimat concept and sends up folklore-based clichés using motifs and devices inspired by pop art and grafitti. „What the fuck is Heimat?“ This provocative question is asked repeatedly and is indicative of the modern approach to confronting the traditional paradigm. Strumbel first came to attention through his cuckoo clocks, whose traditional attributes he subjected to aggressive alienation. In combination with their spectacularly garish colour schemes they seem to have entirely lost their aura as the revered icon of Strumbel’s Black Forest homeland.

Stefan Strumbel

Wertical-Interview

September 27th – October 24th, 2012
Klosterwall 23
20095 Hamburg
Germany

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