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 look around here in the gallery, ladies and gentlemen, you will discover objects of the most diverse origins: Fire hose, ski boot, construction steel, concrete chunks, dumbbell weights, rubber muffs, fan heaters, kitchen utensils, brooms, cable ties - there is nothing TP could not use for his figure 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 works a form out of the wood (lat. sculpere cutting) as well as in plastic work (greek. plakstike the formed art), in which materials are put together additively. In our exhibition you can find all varieties of Putzes sculpture from pure sculpture (orang utan, owl, Hercules) to the aforementioned mixed creatures to the ready-made (a snowy owl that was once a fan heater).

With an unbiased eye, Thomas Putze grasps the creative possibilities of the everyday materials he finds. He creates new contexts and functions without concealing the original ones. He works in the same way with the material wood, which even in the finished work shows its origin and its brittle materiality - for example when he uses construction timber. It is a matter of adapting to the given, of sensing the possibilities, of taking oneself back as a designer. In this respect, Putz's art is related to arte povera and contemporary junk art. Picasso, who made assemblages such as the Bull's Head or the Man with a Goat out of everyday objects in austere wartime, also belongs to this line of ancestors. "I am of the opinion that a work of art is more real when it is made from parts of the real world." This is how Robert Rauschenberg put it, and it could also be said for Thomas.

In Thomas Putze's work, representations of animals are omnipresent. This is unusual in contemporary art and it would be exciting to discuss why this is so. 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 precise eye for the anatomy, movement and behaviour of his subject and tries to capture the other self as unprejudiced as possible. Humanisation is not called for.

For TP, the animal is the other part of the whole, the other part of creation that man needs to determine his own position, to recognise himself. This is ultimately what Loriot meant with his statement 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 this way, he creates the distance to ourselves that is a prerequisite for any reflection. The monkey as our closest relative in the animal kingdom is 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 this country in the zoo: 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 are so completely themselves that we involuntarily have to ask ourselves who is actually sitting 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 be forced into pipes, have to participate in what the group does. They don't get or need an emotional safe distance from their neighbour. Rarely are they as confident of victory and nonchalant as the female attacker or the beach volleyball player. Are women the better men? Or animals the better men?

In their somnambulistic ability to compensate for their own inadequacies or to satisfy needs, Thomas Putze's creatures are enviable creatures: humans and animals make virtuoso use of what has been left lying around, what has been thrown away, the rubbish. They replace missing body parts (cattle, pug) or find a companion that disguises itself as an object of use (snowy owl). They are masters of improvisation (diver, Ecce homo), decorate themselves like the buckle with a ski boot buckle and use a second one to keep their damaged body in shape. Animals easily appropriate things from another world (civilisation) and integrate them into their own (wilderness); flexibility and the ability to learn are the qualities needed to survive in a changing world - more important in the age of globalisation than they have been for a long time.

In this respect, Putz's animals resemble the wild boars, foxes, martens, hawks 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).

Putz'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 life and its impositions. People like animals 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, will take 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 many more here in the gallery. So if you would like to come back, we will be happy to show you the portfolio and show you more works. You are also welcome to take the catalogue and price list home with you.

Thank you for your attention and have a good evening. Thank you.

Dr. Kathrin Reeckmann, 26.09.2013