ARTIST:

Thomas Zipp

E-Licht
Thomas Zipp
E-Licht
Thomas Zipp
A.B.:G.:B.16.,
Thomas Zipp
A.B.:G.:B.16.,
Thomas Zipp
Der Schlaf IV (y-drops
Thomas Zipp
Der Schlaf IV (y-drops
Thomas Zipp
Der Schlaf IV (y-drops
Thomas Zipp
Der Schlaf IV (y-drops
Thomas Zipp
World Kantzler Office
Thomas Zipp
Black Dada
Thomas Zipp
Black Dada
Thomas Zipp
Black Dada
Thomas Zipp
Black Dada
Thomas Zipp
Black Dada
Thomas Zipp
Black Dada
Thomas Zipp
Black Dada
Thomas Zipp
Black Dada
Thomas Zipp
Black Dada
Thomas Zipp
Black Dada
Thomas Zipp
Black Dada
Thomas Zipp
Black Dada
Thomas Zipp
Black Dada
Thomas Zipp
Black Dada
Thomas Zipp
Der Schlaf IV (y-drops)
Thomas Zipp
Der Schlaf IV (y-drops)
Thomas Zipp
Der Schlaf IV (y-drops)
Thomas Zipp
Der Schlaf IV (y-drops)
Thomas Zipp
Der Schlaf IV (y-drops) (2006) is an ominous installation in greyscale, consisting of a painting, a framed sheet with a crossed line and needle pricks, and chandeliers made out of fluorescent tubes. Sleep (the English translation of Der Schlaf) and the dark realm of the unconscious are referenced in the title and the mountain topped with sexually charged shapes painted in black. The framed sheet, with its unreadable message, points to indecipherable depths of dream logic and the impossibility of understanding even with the help of the bright lights overhead.
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Schwarze Ballons (1. down, 2. up, 3. S.K., 4a. tumb…tumb…, 4b.ABCE, 5. little U-light, 6. L.E.M., 7. O.E., 8. Elektrizitait)
Thomas Zipp
Thomas Zipp’s installations appropriate the language of museum and scientific display to convey a madman-made, foreboding view of western civilisation’s achievements. Schwarze Ballons (2005), a nine-part installation, includes among its components framed drawings that look like archival documentation, and roughly painted portraits of menacing individuals with brightly lit eyes, like undead gangsters. Two large black balloon-shaped sculptures, one suspended and one resting on the floor, fill the space with a sinister air. The work as a whole feels like a futuristic memorial, the result of an unfamiliar modern witchcraft.
E-Licht
Thomas Zipp
E-Licht
Thomas Zipp

In Zipp’s works, the free-association of the unconscious is an entry point into investigating collective guilt. E-Licht (2006), another museum-like display, juxtaposes two paintings – one of a flying zeppelin and the other a large, nervous abstraction – with a schematic drawing, like a minimalist condensation of idealist values from a previous era. A.B.:H.G.:B.16. (2005) and World Kantzler Office (2004) appropriate the codes of war-cabinet imagery to playfully question the way history is constructed.

World Kantzler Office – detail
Thomas Zipp
World Kantzler Office – detail
Thomas Zipp
A.B.:H.G.:B.16.
Thomas Zipp
A.B.:H.G.:B.16.
Thomas Zipp
Asked about his practice, Zipp responds with a brief history of lysergic acid diethylamine, aka LSD, and its early transition from medical hope to potential CIA tool for mind-control and chemical warfare. Each of Zipp’s charismatic works aims to shed light on the quasi-fictional truths of post-Enlightenment so-called progress, conveying a sense of the real darkness lurking behind irrational, violent acts that are historically constructed as victories.
0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop

    Thank you for your enquiry!

    Your message was sent and one of our Admin team will respond as soon as possible.

    If you have an urgent question, please call our front desk on 020 7811 3070.

    For more information on how we store and use your data please view our privacy policy here. You can unsubscribe from our newsletters at any time by clicking on the links below the emails we send you.

    Essential Information Before Your Visit:
    Click Plan Your Visit for full information on upcoming closures.

    Register for email updates
    Be the first to hear about the latest Saatchi Gallery exhibitions, events, offers and news