Toni Schmale: HOT HOT HOT – Exploring Sculptural Art, Gender Dynamics, and Social Power

This exhibition features new sculptural works by Toni Schmale, conceived as 'transition objects' that explore social power dynamics and gender stereotypes. The sculptures, made from materials like metal, concrete, and rubber, evoke machinery, fitness equipment, and psychological concepts.

Toni Schmale's exhibition 'HOT HOT HOT' delves into her artistic practice, which critically examines social power structures and stereotypical gender attributions within hegemonic society, offering gender-political utopias in response. Her sculptures, crafted from metal, concrete, and rubber, possess a visceral quality, drawing associations with dysfunctional machinery, fitness apparatus, and torture devices, thereby opening a broad field of desire related to physical optimization and sexual gratification. The exhibition presents a group of new sculptural works that Schmale conceptualizes as 'transition objects,' a notion influenced by psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott, exploring the liminal space between the self and the other, and between inner and outer reality. An architectural intervention, a diffusely lit, empty corridor leading into the gallery space, emphasizes this concept of transition. The works' visual resemblance to treadmills or weight machines, along with their titles such as 'di pstation,' 'ach ach ach,' and 'hot hot hot,' loosely narrate a workout. Characteristic is the palpable connection between the objects, suggesting communication through shared material and form, with subtle variations and a deliberate use of surface treatments that create a sense of unity. The title itself references the heat involved in metalworking and the process of 'tempering,' where heat alters the metal's color and structure, a surface change that, while often avoided in industrial production, holds artistic interest for Schmale. The sculptures are constructed from multiple smaller parts held together by internal, non-visible connections, enabling the artist, a former top athlete, to manipulate the heavy pieces independently, reflecting a design that adapts to the maker's capabilities.

Information and tickets for exhibitions can be found via the provided links. The exhibition runs from September 14 to November 5, 2017.