An intricate and at times confusing array of stripes- going every which way- and objects transported from somewhere else ,make quite an impression on initial glance as one first enters Bar Oppenheimer. It is itself a new sculpture by Tobias Rehberger and a fully functional bar, recreated as a ‘second edition’ of one of the artist’s favourite in Frankfurt. It will be accessible and ‘on display’ from 11 May to 14 July 2013 at the Hôtel Americano, opening during Frieze New York. It was made possible in part by Maestro Dobel Tequila- alcohol: continuous patron of the arts. Below is a statement provided by the artist.
Courtesy of Tobias Rehberger
Rehberger creates objects, sculptures and environments as diverse as they are prolific. Drawing on a repertoire of quotidian objects appropriated from everyday mass-culture, Rehberger translates, alters and expands ordinary situations and objects with which we are familiar. It is in this spirit that Rehberger has created a ’second edition’ of Bar Oppenheimer, the Frankfurt late-night hangout he frequents and which is at the heart of the city’s artistic community.
Courtesy of Tobias Rehberger
The work is a sculpture and, at the same time, a fully functioning bar. Rehberger remains faithful to the essence of the original bar: dimensions of space and objects are replicated and re- imagined to produce a familiar yet unfamiliar environment. Vodka Steins, Rehberger’s own favourite drink, are seconded to New York, transporting the artist’s own Frankfurt Oppenheimer Bar experience to Hotel Americano for three months only.
Courtesy of Tobias Rehberger
A place where creatives and thinkers meet to form, discuss, argue, and pursue ideas and follies late into the night, Bar Oppenheimer acts as a catalyst for change. Repatriated in New York as Tobias Rehberger Bar Oppenheimer, the artist is curious as to the effect that its influence has on a new audience.
Courtesy of Tobias Rehberger
