born in Grevenbroich in 1959
lives and works in Düsseldorf

German sculptor Wilhem Mundt studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy from 1979 to 1986 under Tony Cragg, Irmin Kamp and Klaus Rinke. Mundt became known primarily for his series of so-called ‘Trashstones,’ to which he has devoted himself almost exclusively since 1988/89. These Trashstones appear in various sizes and materials. What all the works have in common is that they conceal an object, remnant or found item at their core, whose identity they no longer reveal. Only the artist knows what the amorphous shell of aluminium or fibreglass contains. Even the titles of the works reveal nothing; they are simply consecutive numbers, starting with 001. Since 2009, Mundt has held a professorship in sculpture at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts.

"Higher, faster, further’ – the parameters for success in sports – are of little relevance in the visual arts. Here, the criteria for success are ‘different, new, future-oriented’. Breaking with the familiar and introducing new, previously unknown aspects to the kaleidoscope of our perception of the world are crucial. Overcoming the art of the ‘ready-mades’ of artists such as Haim Steinbach or Jeff Koons from the 1980s, but also the magical-mystical spaces of Joseph Beuys, and countering them with a new view, is therefore an approach that the sculptor Wilhelm Mundt pursues with his works."

Text: Gerhard Finckh