About
A monumental, 50-meter-long and 2.5-meter-high artwork sweeps along the Städel Garden in Frankfurt. The colossal outdoor sculpture was developed by Düsseldorf-based artist
Manuel Franke for the freely accessible garden of the
Städel Museum. The Städel Garden will receive a new, physically tangible border through this expansive gesture. Half sculpture and half painting,
Colormaster F opposes a curved membrane in bright monochrome colors, delicately inclining over the grassy area that is encircled on three sides by buildings. As an insurmountable obstacle, Franke’s object obscures the usual view, but makes the lawn hill tangible in a completely new way.
Colormaster F not only changes the garden in its spatial constellation, but also creates another, additional space within the garden, which is both open and closed. In addition, the artwork invites visitors to play, explore and drift, allowing them to take part in a completely new and interactive experience at the revived Städel Garden. Manuel Franke’s questions always deal with the limits of art and society. In his artistic practice, he frequently performs interventions in space that oscillate between sculpture, installation and image. In doing so, he always works in a site-specific way, incorporating the architectural and urban structures of the environment into his work as well as the political, historical and social context. Consequently, the architecture of the Städel Garden and the Städel Museum become an integral part of
Colormaster F, with the sculpture playfully correlating to its architectonic counterpart.
