An Artist Famous for His Viral Sand Art Is Behind a Striking New Installation in Berlin Made of Flowers and Tombstones
YouTube sensation Tim Bengel, the young German
artist who makes hyper-detailed gold
leaf-embellished sand paintings, has stepped forward to
identify himself as the creator of a mysterious and foreboding
public artwork that appeared during the recently concluded Berlin
Art Week.
The work appeared without fanfare one morning on the property of
Factory Berlin, a trendy co-working space for tech start-ups named
after Andy Warhol′s famous studio. Made from a field of red
and white heather shrubs planted around a grid of gold-engraved
white marble gravestones and stone pathways, the work forms the
shape of a skull and crossbones when viewed from the upper floors
of the surrounding buildings or the slight hill that rises just
beyond the work.
The piece does not have an official name. “I want the people to
give it a title,” Bengel, who also has two gallery shows on view in
Germany, told artnet News. So far, he’s heard people calling
it Flower Skull and Graves of Our
Generation.
“I hear people are not sure what it means. They think it is a QR
code and you need to scan it with a drone to learn its secret,”
Bengel added. “Another rumor is that it has something to do with
the wall,” he added, noting that the Berlin Wall stood just across
the street from where he created the artwork. (The city marks the
30th anniversary of its fall in November.)
But a closer look at the headstones reveals messages that speak
specifically to life in the 21st century. Both humorous and
critical, the epitaphs reflect the realities of a world shaped by
our obsession with social media, the emptiness of consumerism, and,
more seriously, political concerns like climate change.
Some burial plaques reveal regrets (“next time I will dance
more”) or admissions of guilt (“I spread hate on the internet”),
while others suggest a sense of satisfaction (“I spent my life with
people I loved”). Many are concerned about social media, even in
death (“Get reach! I died trying.”).
“It’s super stupid to worry about Instagram likes,” Bengel said.
“There are so many things you worry about in your everyday life
that are not worth worrying about.”
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation (detail). Photo courtesy of
the artist.
The epitaph that Bengel personally finds most troubling reads,
“I was afraid to create,” a fear that lingered in the back of his
mind while he was planning the installation.
The massive undertaking, which is unlike any project he has done
before, involved creating a brand new, contemporary font for the
gravestones, which were produced by a company that makes
headstones. It also required getting an inside line to
Berlin’s flower cabal. (Florists don’t sell bulk orders of 10,000
flowers to just anyone, Bengel learned.)
Tim Bengel installing his public art
piece FlowerSkullCemetery or Graves Of Our
Generation. Photo courtesy of the artist.
He was inspired to create the work when the owner of the nearby
co-working space gave him carte blanche to create a piece on the
property. “I wanted to get out of my comfort zone,” Bengel
recalled. “People might say, ‘oh, you’re the sand and gold artist,
you’re the Instagram artist.’ People put you in a box, and you want
to break out of the box.”
Bengel and a team of about 15 assistants installed the work
under cover of night, without attracting any suspicion—other than
that of “some drunk guy sleeping in the park,” the artist recalled.
“He sat up and was wondering what was going on.”
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation. Photo courtesy of the
artist.
The work will be on view indefinitely, weather permitting.
Luckily, it’s been quite rainy in Berlin, so watering the flowers
hasn’t been an issue—but there are other concerns about its
longevity.
“Once the story comes out, I think people will steal the
gravestones,” Bengel said. “They’re just lying there, and they’re
not that heavy.”
See more photos of the work and its installation below.
Tim Bengel installing his public art
piece FlowerSkullCemetery or Graves Of Our
Generation. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation being installed. Photo
courtesy of the artist.
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation being installed. Photo
courtesy of the artist.
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation. Photo courtesy of the
artist.
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation. Photo courtesy of the
artist.
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation (detail). Photo courtesy of
the artist.
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation (detail). Photo courtesy of
the artist.
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation (detail). Photo courtesy of
the artist.
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation (detail). Photo courtesy of
the artist.
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation (detail). Photo courtesy of
the artist.
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation (detail). Photo courtesy of
the artist.
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation (detail). Photo courtesy of
the artist.
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation (detail). Photo courtesy of
the artist.
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation (detail). Photo courtesy of
the artist.
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation (detail). Photo courtesy of
the artist.
Tim Bengel, FlowerSkullCemetery
or Graves Of Our Generation (detail). Photo courtesy of
the artist.
Tim Bengel’s public work is on view at Factory Berlin Mitte,
Rheinsberger Str. 76/77, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
“Tim Bengel: Der
Goldjunge” is on view at Galerie der Kreissparkasse, Haus der
Kunden, Bahnhofstraße 8, 73728 Esslingen am Neckar, Germany, August
15–September 30, 2019.
Tim
Bengel’s “Black Is Beautiful” is on view at Galerie Rother Winter Wiesbaden, September
14–November 2, 2019.
The post An Artist Famous for His Viral Sand Art Is Behind a
Striking New Installation in Berlin Made of Flowers and
Tombstones appeared first on artnet News.
Read more https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/tim-bengel-berlin-flower-graveyard-1654870
Further reading
Leave a comment