Arnold Reinisch’s works are situated between photography and installation. He makes everyday objects and plastic materials into elaborately handcrafted depictions of a posthuman life form. A wall-papered surface and industrial shelves create a space that allows the peculiar portrait gallery of the Cabinet Morphosis to coalesce with the protuberant sculptural objects of Shelf Condition. On the one hand, objects made of plaster, synthetic resin or silicone are blended with hose parts or instruments from the chemistry lab. Layer upon layer of paint, sanding and varnishing create surfaces whose haptics are reminiscent of open-pored skin, yet at the same time breathe pure artificiality. On the other hand, he trans-forms digitised, historical photographic portraits in a similar way, with images of his plastic objects worn by models merged by computer. Reinisch stages optimised life as an eerie glimpse into a possible future, an echo from Dr Frankenstein’s laboratory.
Shelf Condition, 2021
Arnold Reinisch
Cabinet Morphosis, 2021
Arnold Reinisch
