The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 00
The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 01
Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”

19 March 2021 -
24 April 2021

Josef Strau

 

“The Mephisto Hours”

 

19 March
- 24 April 2021

 

As in his previous exhibition at Galerie Buchholz Berlin, Josef Strau has installed two exhibitions connecting in the same space, 13 sculptures in the same rooms with 13 paintings. The 13 “Angels” and “New Angels” paintings were produced with the preconceived intent of following a rather impossible, maybe even questionable attempt to depict the celestial beings as if they were a real object entirely defined by space. They were burnt and cut with a hot soldering stick out of natural tin and cover the fragmentarily painted and colored canvases. But as Giorgio Agamben described and more recently revived, angels are rather defined within modes of time and appear to repair what’s left from the past.

 

The sculptural objects in the exhibition were consequently produced by withdrawing any intention as long as possible, except trying to repair the many leftover metal pieces found and collected during long searches on the few still existing huge old metal scrapyards of the Rhineland as they had to be monotonously cleaned, derusted, descaled and then finally repainted, mostly with layers of lacquer and enamel. During restoration some of the pieces redeveloped their ability to produce cymbal like sounds, and if connected became each a set of bells for measuring personal duration, to help improving attention to time, both during production and after.

 

During one of his earlier stays in Mexico, the artist already produced jewelry in collaboration with House of Gaga and named after the last Aztec emperor Moctezuma. But the new works here instead are developed as hybrid objects both avoiding and mocking definitions of sculpture or jewelry. They actually do appear as if not to be fitting the human body’s dimensions alone, sometimes too huge or too heavy. Dedicated to Henri Bergson’s idea that the traditional modes of thinking and discerning in forms of categories and judgments is somehow now an obsolete function in the human evolution resulting from the necessity of survival in space, and could be replaced by a more real and more adaptive consciousness of time. Although sometimes involving some difficulty, they are all wearable. They are oversized, but wearable instruments of experiences of duration, within the exhibition holding onto the pedestals like a presence of organic monuments and sonic measures of recovered or even redeemed time.

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 02
The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 03
The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 04

Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”
19 March 2021 -
24 April 2021

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 05

Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”
installation view
Galerie Buchholz, Berlin 2021

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 06

Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”
installation view
Galerie Buchholz, Berlin 2021

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 07

Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”
installation view
Galerie Buchholz, Berlin 2021

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 08

Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”
installation view
Galerie Buchholz, Berlin 2021

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 09

Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”
installation view
Galerie Buchholz, Berlin 2021

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 10

Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”
installation view
Galerie Buchholz, Berlin 2021

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 11

Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”
installation view
Galerie Buchholz, Berlin 2021

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 12

Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”
installation view
Galerie Buchholz, Berlin 2021

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 13

Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”
installation view
Galerie Buchholz, Berlin 2021

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 14

Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”
installation view
Galerie Buchholz, Berlin 2021

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 15

Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”
installation view
Galerie Buchholz, Berlin 2021

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 16

Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”
installation view
Galerie Buchholz, Berlin 2021

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 17

Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”
installation view
Galerie Buchholz, Berlin 2021

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 18

Josef Strau

“Drawing for ‘The 13 Hour Cymbal Spiderclock’”, 2020
pencil, ink and felt pen on paper
21 x 29,7 cm
framed: 38,6 x 47,2 x 2,8 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 19

Josef Strau

“The 13 Hour Cymbal Spiderclock That Exhales the Dreams”, 2020
metal, lacquer, with ropes, on plinth
126 x 98 x 65 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 20

Josef Strau

“The 13 Hour Cymbal Spiderclock That Exhales the Dreams”, 2020
metal, lacquer, with ropes, on plinth
126 x 98 x 65 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 21

Josef Strau

“The 13 Hour Cymbal Spiderclock That Exhales the Dreams”, 2020
metal, lacquer, with ropes, on plinth
126 x 98 x 65 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 22

Josef Strau

“The 13 Hour Cymbal Spiderclock That Exhales the Dreams”, 2020
metal, lacquer, with ropes, on plinth
126 x 98 x 65 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 23

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Unexplaining”, 2021
metal, lacquer, with ropes, on plinth
107 x 70 x 70 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 24

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Unexplaining”, 2021
metal, lacquer, with ropes, on plinth
107 x 70 x 70 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 25

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Unexplaining”, 2021
metal, lacquer, with ropes, on plinth
107 x 70 x 70 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 26

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Lost Time”, 2021
metal, lacquer, pencil and felt pen, with ropes, on plinth
105 x 73 x 75 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 27

“Mephisto’s Lost Time”, 2021
metal, lacquer, pencil and felt pen, with ropes, on plinth
105 x 73 x 75 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 28

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Lost Time”, 2021
metal, lacquer, pencil and felt pen, with ropes, on plinth
105 x 73 x 75 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 29

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Lost Time”, 2021
metal, lacquer, pencil and felt pen, with ropes, on plinth
105 x 73 x 75 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 30

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Lost Time”, 2021
metal, lacquer, pencil and felt pen, with ropes, on plinth
105 x 73 x 75 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 31

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Hybrid Hours”, 2021
metal, lacquer, pencil and felt pen, with ropes, on plinth
125 x 60 x 48 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 32

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Hybrid Hours”, 2021
metal, lacquer, pencil and felt pen, with ropes, on plinth
125 x 60 x 48 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 33

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Hybrid Hours”, 2021
metal, lacquer, pencil and felt pen, with ropes, on plinth
125 x 60 x 48 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 34

Josef Strau

“Mephisto Not Performing”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
100 x 66 x 49,5 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 35

Josef Strau

“Mephisto Not Performing”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
100 x 66 x 49,5 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 36

Josef Strau

“Mephisto Not Performing”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
100 x 66 x 49,5 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 37

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s finally Opening Up”, 2021
metal, lacquer, pencil and felt pen, with ropes, on plinth
130 x 50 x 60 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 38

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s finally Opening Up”, 2021
metal, lacquer, pencil and felt pen, with ropes, on plinth
130 x 50 x 60 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 39

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s finally Opening Up”, 2021
metal, lacquer, pencil and felt pen, with ropes, on plinth
130 x 50 x 60 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 40

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Inbetween”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes and leather, on plinth
114 x 136 x 77 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 41

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Inbetween”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes and leather, on plinth
114 x 136 x 77 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 42

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Inbetween”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes and leather, on plinth
114 x 136 x 77 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 43

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Inbetween”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes and leather, on plinth
114 x 136 x 77 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 44

Josef Strau

“Scotus’ Unexplainable Omission”, 2021
metal, lacquer, pencil and felt pen, with ropes, leather and cable, on plinth
133 x 60 x 50 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 45

Josef Strau

“Scotus’ Unexplainable Omission”, 2021
metal, lacquer, pencil and felt pen, with ropes, leather and cable, on plinth
133 x 60 x 50 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 46

Josef Strau

“Scotus’ Unexplainable Omission”, 2021
metal, lacquer, pencil and felt pen, with ropes, leather and cable, on plinth
133 x 60 x 50 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 47

Josef Strau

“Weil/Bergsonian Hybrid Count”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
115 x 154 x 77 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 48

Josef Strau

“Weil/Bergsonian Hybrid Count”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
115 x 154 x 77 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 49

Josef Strau

“Weil/Bergsonian Hybrid Count”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
115 x 154 x 77 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 50

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Wearable”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, belt, plastic, on plinth
105 x 63,5 x 68 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 51

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Wearable”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, belt, plastic, on plinth
105 x 63,5 x 68 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 52

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Wearable”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, belt, plastic, on plinth
105 x 63,5 x 68 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 53

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Wearable”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, belt, plastic, on plinth
105 x 63,5 x 68 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 54

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Broken Down”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
112 x 154 x 73,5 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 55

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Broken Down”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
112 x 154 x 73,5 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 56

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Broken Down”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
112 x 154 x 73,5 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 57

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Bird”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
111 x 165 x 78 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 58

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Bird”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
111 x 165 x 78 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 59

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Bird”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
111 x 165 x 78 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 60

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Bird”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
111 x 165 x 78 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 61

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Reconfiguration”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
89 x 99 x 66 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 62

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Reconfiguration”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
89 x 99 x 66 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 63

Josef Strau

“Mephisto’s Reconfiguration”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
89 x 99 x 66 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 64

Josef Strau

“Mephisto Delayed”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
118 x 52 x 64 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 65

Josef Strau

“Mephisto Delayed”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
118 x 52 x 64 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 66

Josef Strau

“Mephisto Delayed”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
118 x 52 x 64 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 67

Josef Strau

“Mephisto Delayed”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
118 x 52 x 64 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 68

Josef Strau

“Mephisto Delayed”, 2021
metal, lacquer and pencil, with ropes, on plinth
118 x 52 x 64 cm
detail

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 69

Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”
installation view
Galerie Buchholz, Berlin 2021

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 71

Josef Strau

“The Mephisto Hours”
installation view
Galerie Buchholz, Berlin 2021

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 73

Josef Strau

“New Angel 1”, 2021
tin, solder, enamel and marker on canvas
60 x 50 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 74

Josef Strau

“Angel 3”, 2019
tin, solder, enamel and marker on canvas
90 x 74 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 75

Josef Strau

“New Angel 2”, 2021
tin, solder, enamel and marker on canvas
60 x 50 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 76

Josef Strau

“Angel 10”, 2019
tin, solder, enamel and marker on canvas
84 x 74 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 77

Josef Strau

“New Angel 3”, 2021
tin, solder, enamel and marker on canvas
60 x 40 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 78

Josef Strau

“New Angel 4”, 2021
tin, solder, enamel and marker on canvas
30 x 40 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 79

Josef Strau

“New Angel 5”, 2021
tin, solder, enamel and marker on canvas
40 x 30 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 80

Josef Strau

“New Angel 6”, 2021
tin, solder, enamel and marker on canvas
40 x 50 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 81

Josef Strau

“New Angel 7”, 2021
tin, solder, enamel and marker on canvas
50 x 40 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 82

Josef Strau

“New Angel 8”, 2021
tin, solder, enamel and marker on canvas
50 x 40 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 83

Josef Strau

“Angel 5”, 2019
tin, solder, enamel and marker on canvas
69 x 58,5 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 84

Josef Strau

“New Angel 9”, 2021
tin, solder, enamel and marker on canvas
30 x 40 cm

The Mephisto Hours — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 85

Josef Strau

“New Angel 10”, 2021
tin, solder, enamel and marker on canvas
60 x 40 cm