The gallery alexander levy is pleased to present new works from Johannes Vogl from November 9th to December 20^th.

Johannes Vogl cannot be described as a classic sculptor, but rather much more as a poetic inventor. It is often everyday situations that inspire Vogl in his sculptures, installations or videos. This was also the case with O.T. (Rest 1) and O.T. (Rest 2). From a steel plate in standard industrial format, familiar from construction sites as roadway plates, Vogl burns out a semicircle. The two objects stand opposite one another in the exhibit space. They lean heavily against the wall and still have a subliminal connection to one another – both works are the residual product of the other.

In the field of tension of the two steel sculptures stands a school on a round, black table. Globe however revolves fast around the axis reverse to the rotation of the earth – an attempt by Vogl to turn back the hands of time? Due to the high speed rotation of the globe, information get useless, continents and oceans blur into an abstract image.

Globe enters into a dialogue with the steel sculptures. Our planet is encircled by the moon and the sun, only the half of which is visible in the room. Vogl has almost created an abstract, small solar system, through which we travel. However, this is no reconstruction of nature. More important is the conveying of the feelings, longings and fears that such a scenario can elicit.

At the rear of the exhibit space the video work Laterne can be found. The video shows a gas lamp in Berlin. But it seems that something is out of control, because the head of the lit lamp goes up in flames. Through this intervention the lamp shifts into a mysterious monument, familiar from eternal flames and the Olympic flame. A reference point in Vogl’s surrealistic world.

Johannes Vogl, born 1981 in Kaufbeuren, is now back in Berlin after a one-year  Buenos Aires with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Past exhibits include: Goldrausch, Villa Merkel, Esslingen, Beautiful Minds, Kleine Humboldt Galerie Berlin/D, 10 Years Lentos Museum-Die Sammlungsausstellung, Lentos Museum Linz/AT, Passage, Galerie Martin Janda, Wien/AT, Under Destruction, Swiss Institute, New York/USA and Manifesta 7.