Benedict Tolar brings his upcycled conceptual art to London.
Known as an object artist and sculptor focusing on the upcycling of everyday items, Benedict Tolar has established himself in his homeland and other European countries as an outstanding contemporary artist. His work, characterised by non-violent play making reference to sculpture, transforms outdated waste and ordinary objects into art works oozing with humour and absurdity, often highlighting environmental issues and other important subjects. His first solo exhibition in the UK GRINDCORE opens at Notting Hill‘s Window Gallery on 20 January.
Benedict Tolar’s creativity is based on constant observation of reality and relies on the principle of more or less controlled chance to create the Duchampian ready-made objects that he is known for. The basis of Tolar’s work is recycling/upcycling, offering an environmental perspective on the excess of material objects with his typically peculiar sense of humour.
Fascinated by the rawness of objects, the artist often tries to preserve their original form as much as possible, whilst using complex and technically mastered procedures in his work process. For instance, Tolar experiments with the use of coffee, galvanic plating, and paint, to find the appropriate colour and surface structure for his works. He then uses the principle of gravity in the form of flowing, spilling, and dripping to create the end result.
The name of his London exhibition, GRINDCORE, refers to the main content of the show consisting largely of hoods and roofs of old cars which Tolar has transformed into metal paintings by grinding their coloured layers. All this to the sound of an angle grinder reminiscent of the uncompromising Grindcore music style.
Also included in the exhibition is the Dance of Death sculpture created from an old, deformed bathtub. The piece connects the solo exhibition with Tolar’s most famous artwork, a giant living sculpture made of 32 retired bathtubs and featuring original light and sound design, Aj Vana Be, which will be on show at this year’s Canary Wharf Winter Lights festival between 21 January and 1 February.
Listings
21 January – 31 January 2025
Venue: Vitrinka Gallery, Czech Centre, 30 Kensington Palace Gardens, W8 4QY
Open Tuesday to Friday, 10am – 5pm
Further Information: České centrum Londýn / Home