new york gallery thatcher projects shows ‘coming together’, an exhibition of sculptures by the munich and new york-based duo venske & spänle. defying the confines of their marble medium, the artists’ amorphous works evoke the forms of primordial creatures.

helotroph weisser riese, 2009

venske & spanle 'coming together' at thatcher projects‘helotroph im gelben eimer’,2009 and installation view

venske & spanle 'coming together' at thatcher projects‘helotroph in der gelben tuete’, 2009

like a newly discovered species, venske & spänle’s carved marble organisms give rise to a distinct nomenclature and genealogy. smörfs, gumpfoten, helotrophen, sauger, orophyten and a variety of other characters populate the marble family of venske & spänle’s sculptural world. bulbous and swelling, or stretching and slinking, the forms seem poised at the point of motion, almost capable of expanding beyond their marble skin. disarmingly organic, the sculptures exude individual identities and personalities. with human-like characteristics, venske & spänle’s marble life forms radiate an undeniable appeal that probes the concept of the human as a companion to these marble sculptures and consciously explores the interaction between human beings and the sculptural environment created by the artists. the installation will incorporate a 3-D animation, linking the actual sculptures to their cyber-space counterparts, blurring the real and the digital worlds they inhabit.

venske & spänle: ‘coming together’ thatcher projects until april 25, 2009