Thomas Putze – Hals über Kopf

Hals über Kopf stürzen sich Thomas Putzes Figurenerfindungen ins Leben – obwohl sie sich nur aufrecht halten können, weil sie sich ein Seil zwischen die Beine klemmen, wie Ecce Homo, oder nur gebeugt laufen können wie die Geknickte oder viel zu dünne Beine für ihren massigen Körper haben wie der Mops. Selbstbewusst stellen sie sich ihrem Schicksal entgegen, behaupten sich und lassen offen, ob die vermeintlichen Ersatzteile ein Handikap oder ein Hilfsmittel darstellen. Ähnlich ambivalent sind auch die Affen in Käfigen. Die Gorillas und Gibbons spielen mit den Gittern, basteln sich neue Wege oder schieben sie einfach weg. Sind die Gitter Spielzeug, Stütze oder Gefängnis? Beobachten wir die Tiere oder sie uns?
In seiner ersten Einzelausstellung in der Stern-Wywiol Galerie konfrontiert uns der Stuttgarter Künstler Thomas Putze, geb. 1968, mit seinen Mischwesen aus Holz und Zivilisationsabfällen. Was auf den ersten Blick burlesk erscheint, verweist auf den zweiten Blick auf eine Auseinandersetzung mit philosophischen und kunsttheoretischen Fragen und stellt eine intelligente und humorvolle Gesellschaftsanalyse dar.
Thomas Putzes Blick ist dabei auf das Tier und den Menschen gleichermaßen gerichtet, deren Verletzlichkeit er genauso sichtbar macht, wie den Willen und den Kampfgeist, mit denen jede Kreatur den Ansprüchen und Erwartungen des Lebens gerecht zu werden versucht.

Speech at the vernissage of the exhibition "Hals über Kopf" Thomas Putze by Dr Kathrin Reeckmann, 26.09.2013

If you take a look around the gallery, ladies and gentlemen, you will discover objects of the most diverse origins: Fire hoses, ski boots, construction steel, chunks of concrete, dumbbell weights, rubber sleeves, fan heaters, kitchen utensils, brooms, cable ties - there is nothing that TP could not use for his figurative inventions. Strictly speaking, they are hybrids that he creates - half sculpture and half plastic. They are created in classical sculptural work, in which the artist carves a form out of the wood (lat. sculpere to cut) as well as in plastic work (Greek plakstike the moulded art), in which materials are additively joined together. In our exhibition you can find all varieties of Putze's sculpture, from pure sculpture (orangutan, owl, Hercules) to the aforementioned hybrid creatures and the ready-made (a snowy owl that was once a fan heater).

With an unbiased eye, Thomas Putze captures the creative possibilities of found everyday materials. He creates new contexts and functions without concealing the original ones. He works in the same way with wood, a material whose origins and brittle materiality are evident even in the finished work - for example, when he uses timber. It is an adaptation to the given, a sensing of the possibilities, a withdrawal as a designer. In this respect, Putze's art is related to arte povera and contemporary junk art. Picasso, who created assemblages such as the bull's head or the man with a goat from everyday objects during the barren times of war, also belongs in this line of ancestors. "I believe that a work of art is more real when it is made from parts of the real world." That's how Robert Rauschenberg put it, and it could also be said for Thomas.

Depictions of animals are omnipresent in Thomas Putze's work. This is unusual in contemporary art and it would be interesting to discuss why this is the case. In any case, Thomas Putze has a very special approach to our fellow creatures:

In his depictions of animals, Thomas Putze depicts individuals that initially refer to nothing but themselves.
The depiction of the animals is based on precise studies of nature (Thomas Putze has a season ticket for Stuttgart Zoo) and the sketches he makes on site.

Putze has a keen eye for the anatomy, movement and behaviour of his subject and tries to capture the other self with as little prejudice as possible. Humanisation is not called for.

For TP, the animal is the other part of the whole, the other part of creation that humans need in order to determine their own position and recognise themselves. This is ultimately what Loriot meant when he said that life without a pug is possible, but pointless.

Thomas Putze is primarily interested in non-domesticated animals that do not belong to our immediate sphere of influence. In doing so, he creates the distance to ourselves that is a prerequisite for any reflection. The ape as our closest relative in the animal kingdom is both distant and similar at the same time and in this capacity is a central figure in Putze's work.

His animal figures always appear to us as autonomous counterparts; they need neither help nor attention. This is particularly clear in the case of animals such as monkeys and penguins, which we only encounter in zoos in this country: they are only there for themselves and do not react to us. Their self-confidence almost makes us feel like voyeurs; they seem so free and so at one with themselves that we can't help but wonder who is actually in the cage, them or us.

As beings who obey cultural constraints, Putze's people naturally suffer more from the constraints of their species. They are often depicted in pair or group arrangements. They have to allow themselves to be forced into pipes, they have to take part in the group's activities. They are not given or need any emotional safety distance from their neighbours. They are rarely as confident and nonchalant as the attacker or the beach volleyball player. Are women the better men? Or animals the better people?

Thomas Putze's creatures are enviable creatures in their unerring ability to compensate for their own shortcomings or satisfy their own needs: humans and animals are virtuosos at using what has been left lying around, what has been thrown away, rubbish. They replace missing body parts (cattle, pug) or find a companion that disguises itself as a utility object (snowy owl). They are masters of improvisation (divers, ecce homo), decorate themselves with a ski boot buckle like the buckle and use a second one to keep their damaged body in shape. The animals easily adapt things from another world (civilisation) and integrate them into their own (wilderness); flexibility and the ability to learn are the qualities that enable them to survive in a changing world - more important than ever in the age of globalisation.

In this respect, Putze's animals are similar to the wild boars, foxes, martens, falcons and buzzards that are currently reclaiming our cities. The wilderness is alive! Old ideas of paradise are awakened - reinterpreted in a contemporary way with the wild animal as the inferior (lamb) and man as the dangerous predator (lion).

Putze's universe does not feel like paradise, life there is too arduous for that. But its inhabitants live side by side on an equal footing, are creatures with equal rights who bravely face up to life and its impositions. People and animals alike deal creatively with their handicaps and limitations. They accept the challenge of being a free being - as Voltaire put it: "Paradise on earth is where I am".

All that remains for me to do at this point is to invite you to take a look around our makeshift paradise and get to know its creator. I would also like to whet your appetite for our Midisage, in which Thomas Putze, who is not only a sculptor but also a wonderful performance artist, takes our gallery as an art space on the water as his theme. It will be exciting, I promise you. Last but not least, I would like to draw your attention to the draughtsman Thomas Putze. We have three ink drawings on display, but there are many more here in the gallery. So if you would like to come back, we will be happy to show you the portfolio and other works. You are also welcome to take the catalogue and price list home with you.

Thank you for your attention and I wish you a pleasant evening. Thank you very much.

Dr Kathrin Reeckmann, 26.09.2013