zurich issue 77
Jun 2007
Schaulager
Zurich - showcase_title_categories
The Schaulager in Basel is currently showing an exhibition of work by Robert Gober 1976 -2007.
Gober's oeuvre comprises individual bodies of work stretching back over three decades. Their juxtaposition of the familiar and the unusual exert a powerful fascination. By diverging subtly yet purposefully from the reality on which they are modelled, the works - whether replicas of objects from our everyday domestic lives, such as washbasins, playpens and bundles of newspapers, or representations of parts of the human body, such as legs or fragmentary torsos - constantly penetrate the borderline between the everyday and the unknown.
Looking at works individually, they seem to explore a particular social, religious or political subject matter, but coming together in Gober's installations and all the more impressive in this retrospective they create a striking panorama.
The show - on until 14 October - includes numerous sculptures, works on paper and five large installations. Many of these works are rarely exhibited, several have never been on show before.