Press
„If there would be an award for pieces of art that unite aesthetic lightness and meaningfulness, Robert Kessler, 42, would have deserved it. His objects often seem to float in the air, simply tenderly and beautifully, but with a closer look a mobile consistent of a funnel, a balloon and a backpack is revealed to the eye of the beholder. A mobile with the motto: Birth and death.“…Der Spiegel
„Robert Kessler is a sculptor, a performance artist, a designer, an inventor, a hunter for visions, a craftsman. He is one who brings the visions of his mind into life. But above all he is a human being, facing life cheerfully and openly and, at the same time, looking death courageously in the eye. These polarities in life are exactly what interest him. There is no light without shadow, death as a part of life, a part one must deal with. He deals with these topics in many of his pieces of art. With the help of rite and symbolism, he tries to make these topics visible with the mechanic objects that he creates. He wants to touch the observer emotionally, he wants to trigger a change in society, he wants to reveal the hidden connections. The main emphasis of his work is the so called “psychological portrait”. Through the help of these “psychological portraits” he tries to make invisible series of events visible by transforming them into a mechanical process. „The relationship pendulum” is an example for it: Two small pendulums are attached to a large pendulum. „It swings totally independently, it is unpredictable”, Kessler explains. He loves to create pieces of art that fully reveal themselves through the interaction with the observer, when being moved or touched. „The homecoming of the soul ships” is a tent in which one can look into, but the observer will not see anything unless another person operates a crank. He has also designed objects for daily life, music instruments and playgrounds for children. Kessler is interested in everything. “… Münchner Merkur
„How can one master a situation that is impossible to express through
the process of mourning and creativity?” “To Kessler, art is not
the completed piece of art itself. It is not the aesthetic completion of a
piece of art. To him, art is a constant process that uncovers and reveals
hidden phenomena. This constant process offers the observer the possibility
to interact with others. It is a deeply political process that takes place
in this very moment and it offers continuously changing forms and possibilities.”
Sonntagsmagazin der Mittelbayerischen Zeitung
“The decisive event for his occupation with memorials in connection
with catastrophes was the aircraft crash of Ramstein. At that time, he noticed
the complaints of the family members of the victims of the catastrophe. They
requested a place to mourn at the site where the plane crashed. Unfortunately,
their request remained unheard. Several drafts of this kind are to be seen
in the exhibition. Art as a form of therapy. Art as a remedy for traumatised
victims. That is the purpose of many other objects and installation art, which
the graduate of the Munich Academy of Fine Arts has set in all corners and
angles of the 2000 square meters factory. At times, his work is concerned
with solutions for identity problems or the healing of sexual traumata…
The therapeutic concept reminds one of Joseph Beuys. Apart from these disturbing
scenarios, which seem to be taken out of some kind of a deep psychological
“ghost train”, the varied exhibition also offers very contemplative
objects: Kinetic relationship pendulums, fragile, sometimes nearly lyrical
objects and surreal pictures, on which, however, the observer has to put his
hands on, so that their deeper meaning reveals itself. Thus, caution is required
during this journey, this roller-coaster ride, this trip into the deep black
shadow lands of Eros and Thantatos, this journey into the hidden depths of
the human soul that present themselves, almost in a theatrical manner. Nevertheless,
it is advised to visit the exhibition after the break of darkness, since Kessler
works with light effects that are best to be seen during the night.“
Süddeutsche Zeitung
„Robert Kessler is an obsessed artist, a brooder and a craftsman. Thoughts about love and death, sex and dying, truth and lies are the driving force behind his work. He has the constant urge to express through his art what he feels, thinks and suspects. He manifests symbolism, he makes symbolism visible in his installation art.“ … Die Abendzeitung
The art of Joseph Beuys demonstrates that art has the potential to integrate
itself in the issues and problems of every day life. Robert Kessler (born
1956) is driven by a similar motto: On the basis of personal experiences,
he tries to motivate and inspire the observer to concern himself with basic
human issues. Issues such as identity, sexuality, death and – here another
parallel to Beuys – healing. To Kessler, the therapeutic aspect in his
art is top priority. The observer is nearly always involved. He must set Kessler’s
kinetic, at first sight - simple looking - sculptures in motion in order to
unravel their meaning. The artist chose a factory only fit for demolition
in whose corners the sight of the theatrical illuminated objects is an amazing
experience.“ Applaus-Kulturzeitung
„Große Freude gestern an der Pestalozzistraße 58/60. Baureferent
Horst Haffner und Stadtschulrätin Elisabeth Weiß-Söllner eröffneten
einen neuen Kindergarten und einen Straßenreinigungsstützpunkt
in unmittelbarer Nachbarschaft. Geplant war das Fünf-Millionen-Projekt
seit 1990. Nun können sich die Kinder neben den hellen und freundlichen
Gruppenräumen auch an einer ausgedehnten Grünanlage und einem vom
Künstler Robert Kessler gestalteten „Spielschiff“ erfreuen.
Begeistert wurde der Dampfer sofort von einer ausgelassenen Schar besetzt.“…
Münchner Merkur
„Der Münchner Künstler Robert Kessler, Gestalter der Krankenhauskapelle,
darf auch den Rosengarten des Seniorenzentrums schmücken. Der Stadtrat
billigt den Entwurf einer Sonnenuhr. Besonders gelungen fand SPD-Sprecher
Andreas Uhl den Entwurf.“ Donaukurier
„Das Entwurfsmodell zur Krankenhauskapelle wurde am 1. April 94 von
dem Künstler Robert Kessler aus München dem Stadtrat sowie den Pfarrern
vorgestellt. Die Wünsche des Architekten Professor Hans Nickl nach einer
zeitgenössischen Gestaltung, welche einen Bezug vom Inneren der Kapelle
zu deren Umgebung herstellen und dabei harmonisch zu dem Konzept des neu gestalteten
Hauses passen sollte, wurden dem Entwurf von Robert Kessler zu Grunde gelegt…Noch
am selben Tag wurde im Stadtrat einstimmig beschlossen, den Entwurf zu realisieren.“
Donaukurier
„Beilngries. Zur Bestimmung der Ortszeit im Rosengarten des Kurparks dienen bald ein Tisch mit aufgeschlagenem Buch, Tuscheglas mit Federkiel, Becher und Flasche. Wie das geht? Es handelt sich um ein Kunstwerk, eine Sonnenuhr, das im Rahmen der Baumaßnahmen am Kurpark nach einem Entwurf von Robert Kessler, München installiert wird. .. Die Mehrheit der Räte fand an dem Entwurf es Münchners Robert Kessler so großen Gefallen, dass keine weiteren Vorschläge mehr angefordert werden.“ Donaukurier