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Harald Stoffers

B 1961 (GERMANY)

THE INTIMATE TESTIMONIES OF HARALD STOFFERS REVEAL THE GRAPHIC INNER LIFE OF A NON-STOP CONCEPTUAL ART-MAKER. ADDRESSED TO THE MOTHER WITH WHOM HE STILL SHARES HIS PRIMARY RELATIONSHIP, THESE EDGY ABSTRACTED TEXTS ADAPT THE CONVENTIONS OF LETTER-WRITING INTO A LIFELONG PRACTICE OF TINY PAPER SHAVINGS AND VAST CONFESSIONAL SCROLLS.

THERE EXISTS IN STOFFERS' WORK, AN INTELLECTUAL AND EMOTIONAL INTERCHANGE. IT COMBINES STRICT FORMAL PARAMETERS WITH FLUID AESTHETIC DECISIONS. THROUGH REPETITION AND PERMUTATION, THE ARTWORKS LONG TO PERFECT A SYSTEM WHICH ADDRESSES THE ARTIST’S NEEDS TO SPECIFIC CORRESPONDENTS. HOWEVER THE LETTERS THEMSELVES ARE NEVER SENT.

STOFFERS PROVOKES VIEWERS INTO THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE IN A DIFFERENT WAY. TO SEE HIS WORKS, WITHOUT READING OR UNDERSTANDING THEIR MEANING, IS A POETIC AND HYPNOTIC ACT. YET THEIR FORM REFLECTS, AND IS IN FACT DERIVED SPECIFICALLY FROM, THEIR CONTENT. IN OBSERVING HOW THE ARTIST OFTEN CUTS AND PASTES KEY PASSAGES, OR AFFORDS SPACE TO PARTICULAR SENTENCES, OR CRAMS PHRASES TOGETHER UNTIL THEY FORM CLOUDS OF DENSE INKY MASS, THE DISRUPTION OF WHAT WE EXPECT TO UNDERSTAND IS CONSTANT AND DISASSOCIATING. ONLY THE QUESTION IS CLEAR: WITH WHOM IS STOFFERS IS SEEKING TO COMMUNICATE?

STOFFERS HAS MAJOR WORKS INCLUDED IN A NUMBER OF COLLECTIONS, INCLUDING THE SACKNER ARCHIVE OF CONCRETE AND VISUAL POETRY (US), ABCD COLLECTION (FR) AND THE MUSEUM OF EVERYTHING (UK).

EXHIBITION #7, THE MUSEUM OF EVERYTHING (TASMANIA) 2017/8
ART AND ALPHABET, HAMBURGER KUNSTHALLE (HAMBURG) 2017
EXHIBITION #6, THE MUSEUM OF EVERYTHING (ROTTERDAM) 2016
MIXED COMPANY, FREITAGSSALON (HAMBURG) 2015
ART BRUT LIVE, DOX CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART (PRAGUE) 2015
LE MUR, LA MAISON ROUGE (PARIS) 2014
BACK IN TOWN, KUNSTHAUS JESTEBURG (HAMBURG) 2014
DEEP IN THE COUNTRYSIDE, KUNSTHAUS JESTEBURG (HAMBURG) 2013
EXHIBITION #4, THE MUSEUM OF EVERYTHING (LONDON) 2011
EXHIBITION #1, THE MUSEUM OF EVERYTHING (LONDON/TURIN) 2009/10

BACK IN TOWN, PETER HEIDENWAG & CORINNA KOCH (TEXTEM VERLAG) 2014
LE MUR, ANTOINE DE GALBERT (FAGE) 2014
EVERYTHING #4, THE MUSEUM OF EVERYTHING, 2011
MEHR ALS ZU VIEL, PETER HEIDENWAG & CORINNA KOCH (TEXTEM VERLAG) 2011
HARALD STOFFERS: LETTERS, PETER HEIDENWAG (TEXTEM VERLAG) 2011
REFLEXION VON SPRACHE BEI HARALD STOFFERS, PETER HEIDENWAG (TEXTEM VERLAG) 2011
EVERYTHING #1, THE MUSEUM OF EVERYTHING (ELECTA/MONDADORI) 2010