Press

To encounter the work of Mannheim-born sculptor Michael Stumpf is to delve into the darker side of Teutonic Romanticism. Stumpf’s mixed-media assemblages combine durable materials such as denim, steel pipe and tin foil with fragile elements such as neon tubes, twine, cardboard and delicate jewellery chains to endow these hybrid sculptures with a light, ephemeral appearance. The amalgamation of found objects with simple bonding elements – rough tape, hot glue, runny trails of aluminium – conjures thoughts of magic and alchemy. His unique visual language remains cryptic, encouraging the viewer to treat his works as wondrous and mysterious objects stumbled across in a dark Brothers Grimm forest.