Florian Roithmayr presents a new body of sculptural works at London’s Camden Arts Centre which observe and reflect upon the material transformations that take place in any process of making. Roithmayr is interested in the unexpected gestures that occur in the interstice between mold and cast.

As the artist himself writes: “The imprint is the result and the consequence of one surface, material or body yielding another. By ‘gesture’, I mean an activity, a mode of communication or exchange between two or more figures, shapes or materials. Maybe this occurs in silence, possibly unheard-of, often outside of language, or symbolised without the use of language.”

The configuration of the exhibition will change daily at the inclination of the front-of-house team as Roithmayr, who was born in 1976 and lives and works in London, sets up the initial parameters before relinquishing control of the works.

This body of work results from Roithmayr’s interest in the idea of labour that renders itself invisible upon completion. To prepare, he undertook intensive internships, shadowing engineering specialists such as a car surface decorator and a concrete beautician, whose jobs involve manipulating materials to perform beyond their physical expectations. The sculptures that result act not as discrete objects but as representations of an accumulation of research, process and production.

“To see Roithmayr’s work  is to be reminded that sculpture, although solid and weighty, is never fixed nor finished, but always part of ongoing changes and movements, some serendipitous and others deliberate,” comments  sculpture curator Pavel  Pyś, in a note to the exhibition.

Roithmayr’s recent solo exhibitions include: SERVICE, MOT International, London (2015); Matter of Engagement, Site Gallery, Sheffield (2014); Treignac Projet, Treignac, France. Selected group shows have included Things That Tumble Twice, Tenderpixel, London  (2015); The Influence of Furniture on Love, Wysing Art Center, Cambridgeshire (2014); New Contemporaries and Liverpool Biennial.

Florian Roithmayr: with, and, or, without; Camden Arts Centre, Arkwright Road, London NW3 6DG; until 6 March; www.camdenartscentre.org

Credits
1. Florian Roithmayr, Endstart, 2015. Courtesy of the artist and MOT International.