Ständig
Haus am Waldsee, Berlin
Haus am Waldsee presents the first comprehensive institutional solo exhibition of artist Peter Wächtler in Berlin. Wächtler (b.1979 in Hanover, lives and works in Schleswig-Holstein) develops his works beyond fixed notions of art or classification. He writes, films, draws, paints, builds sculptures and film sets to transform familiar genres and narrative styles into a fragile interplay of nostalgia, tragedy and absurd humour. Over the course of two decades, Wächtler has developed his own formal language that uses the supposed comfort of the past to weave together contemporary contradictions of self-determination and self-abandonment.
Wächtler’s works make use of traditional visual shorthand – such as figurines, animal sculptures, paperweights or industrial design – which refer to historical events and eras, yet lose their sharpness through repetition, reminiscent of caricatures. Taken out of their contexts, they haunt Wächtler’s worlds like mythical creatures, channelling diffuse fears and emotions. Wächtler consistently creates images that draw on traditions, uncovering their porousness and challenging their relevance to the present day.
For the exhibition Ständig, the artist is showcasing existing and new works, notably a new film of the same name. Divided into four chapters, arranged around the German conjunctions ‘und’, ‘oder’, ‘aber’ and ‘denn’, the film combines traditional animation conventions, green-screen technology and a complex set design. Wächtler works with extreme angles and distorted perspectives, drawing on techniques from early cinema. Based on a poem by the artist, it stages formulaic choreographies resembling everyday actions.
The connection between the new film and the works of recent years maintains a delicate balance that seeks to explore the point where tradition and the present collide. Wächtler’s practice reaches a particular intensity within the historically charged architecture of the building. In a present that vigorously calls for a ‘return to old values’, Wächtler’s work invites us to critically reconsider said values.
Curated by Anna Gritz
Funded by Hauptstadtkulturfonds (Capital Cultural Fund); Haus am Waldsee – Freunde und Förderer e.V. ((Haus am Waldsee – Friends Association)