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Klaus Weber – Exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary

Posted: 11 Dec 2011 02:15 PM PST

Currently exhibiting at Nottingham Contemporary is Klaus Weber's "If you leave me i'm not coming" and "Already there!" exhibitions, which will be running through until 8th January 2012.

Klaus Weber's work explores personal fascinations with nature and beliefs. Image taken from Nottingham Contemporary Website.

Weber's exhibition is the latest in a list of successful, high calibre exhibitions to be displayed at the Contemporary, including prominent artists' such as David Hockney, Anne Collier and Jack Goldstein along with exciting themed exhibitions such as Star City, which explored how "The future under Communism" may have looked.

The frequency and quality of the exhibitions has kept the art centre – which is still very much in its infancy – fresh, energetic and inviting and this most recent exhibition does not disappoint.

Klaus Weber's exhibition could be seen as an installation of two halves, his current body of work alongside his personal interests.

Two of the four rooms are occupied with the "If you leave me im not coming" exhibition, which explore his fascination with the natural world, using bees as a focus for many of his works. One piece in particular involves bees having decorated canvases through their own excretions. This reveals both the beauty and spontaneity of nature.

What is most enjoyable about Weber's work is his constant defiance of a both media and canvas. Despite having free reign of a 3,000sq metre Gallery, Weber has installed work on the roof of the Contemporary, which is both easy to miss and startling when discovered; along with a piece of work in the front window of the Gallery, which results in a massively varied interpretation dependant on where you are viewing it from.

The second half of the gallery explores Weber's personal interests, titled "Already There!". Rather than his own work, this is a collection of 200 items and ideas that have spanned a million years. The beauty of this is it questions preconceived idea's of what is and isn't art, it also explores how idea's can grow and interpretations can change over time. What may have been considered taboo or a strong held belief may have lost complete meaning in today's society. Equally, it places what can be priceless art amongst valueless junk, here the boundaries are blurred again, through putting an item upon a pedestal, it gains value.

I found the split nature of the exhibition a refreshing change and allowed me to appreciate the nature of both areas of work more as a result. The exhibition is running for another month – until 7th of January – when it will be replaced by Thomas Demand, a German artist who will be displaying a new series of photographs. So there is still plenty of time to visit the exhibition during this festive period, at the very least it is a brilliant way to take shelter from the horrible weather!

Creative Midlands

Creative Midlands Articles

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