Dear Friends,
Danger, danger: the M.A.D.Gallery in Geneva has been taken over by luminous robotic sculptures by Parisian artist +Brauer in an exhibition titled “Viva la Robolución!”
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Dear Friends, Danger, danger: the M.A.D.Gallery in Geneva has been taken over by luminous robotic sculptures by Parisian artist +Brauer in an exhibition titled “Viva la Robolución!” |
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No, the Robolución has nothing to do with the famous "Danger, Will Robinson" robot from “Lost in Space”. These are much more interesting. Born out of a poetic resistance to overconsumption, +Brauer chooses distressed industrial components for his sculptures, components that have a past. Marked by time and use, these pre-loved elements lend the robots a very specific character. +Brauer’s specific art form is called upcycling, and we are simply in love with it. This remarkable concept allows materials to be saved, reused, and reclaimed. Upcycling lends machines a second life after their primary uses have expired. 
+Brauer takes old mechanical parts that he finds in abandoned workshops and garages and works them into new forms in his Paris studio. He has gathered components for years and has amassed quite a collection comprising objects he has retrieved, sorted, ordered, and stored. The sheer variety of potential material offers +Brauer a lot of creative freedom. The sight of just one item often inspires the idea for a new sculpture, and right from that moment +Brauer knows exactly what kind of robot he wants to create, as well as what personality to give it. His robots begin as sketches. Then he lays the metal objects together on the floor to test out their shapes and how the pieces fit together. If it’s not harmonious, he keeps working at it until everything fits with the idea he has in mind. 
The graphic artist, painter, and sculptor, whose style has been influenced by his love of science fiction novels, comics, and American TV series, simultaneously works on the lighting design while “sculpting.” Outfitting the robots with light is not the easiest of tasks, however +Brauer has developed methods for solving each new challenge as it pops up. And make no mistake, it is challenging to assemble such disparate metals as each part reveals its own constraints while +Brauer assembles it. Some sculptures remain in progress for months until he has all the parts he needs for completion. It goes without saying that each robot is a unique piece. |
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The robot sculptures on show at the “Viva la Robolución!” exhibition at the M.A.D.Gallery have their own very specific character and are prime examples of how +Brauer creates today’s art out of yesterday’s discards. Romeo, for example, comes across as an outsider-art paramour with his large, red beating heart and glowing red “eyes”. You can certainly see, if not feel, his love. 
If you are in or passing through Geneva, do drop in and see them for yourself. If Geneva is not part of your travel plans anytime soon, you can keep in touch via our Facebook and Instagram pages (@mbfmadgallery).
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