Scherer’s journey through the realms of everyday objects, challenging conventions and illuminating the profound symbolism of the ordinary poses an intrinsic approach towards relating to the world. Firstly venturing in small Leporello formats and postcard-sized drawings, as the years passed, he extended his boundaries, expanding to larger formats. All the while, he restricted himself to the humble pencil, creating intimate characters on a personal scale. More recently, however, Scherer incorporated painting, though his approach remains as clear and focused as ever. He avoids the allure of free strokes and thick layers of paint, using paint instead to create a more graphic finish that offers additional room for exploration within his distinctive style. And unifies the various objects he encounters and subconsciously finds intriguing.
All the while venturing beyond the intimate, challenging himself to create more significant formatted works that defy the traditional perception of pencil drawings. In his own words, Scherer’s creative process involves solving a complex puzzle. Each drawing is an intricate composition, a meticulously orchestrated cascade of domino effects. In his work, he weaves his archive and ideas, a testament to the evolution of his artistic vocabulary, where old drawings and recycled ideas intertwine. Human-made objects take centre stage, absent from their human counterparts – living freely without restrictions we have set on them.
The title of the exhibition, A Glance at the Nose, carries a double meaning that ties into Scherer’s exploration of subconscious connections. Viewing the works brings us forward to questioning the innate possibility if it is at all possible to view objects outside of their sociocultural contexts. His work delves into the deep symbolism of the mundane, seeking to sever objects from their social attributions and explore their intrinsic importance. These objects, laden with stories and ensnared in societal structures, are often juxtaposed with precious things and medieval architecture, all to bring everyday items into a novel evene elevated contexts.
The choice of objects is impulsive, often driven by subconscious decisions. Scherer refers to them as “artefacts of desire,” where the personal and societal merge, leaving us to ponder why we are drawn to particular objects and their profound meanings. Layering and merging being central creative acts in Scherer’s work, where precious things and mundane objects coalesce into an anachronistic playground. Here, elements collide and harmonise, sometimes following strict rules and other times surprising the artist with their unexpected connections. Which without closing off into structured narratives offer the viewer the experience of roaming freely over the surfaces, allowing them to question and re-evaluate the relationships we are forced into and the ones we choose to create and nurture.
Text by Tia Čiček for the exhibition “A Glance at the Nose” at Galerie Sophia Vonier
VITA
| 2011 – 2017 | Academy of Fine Arts Vienna Graphic Arts and Printmaking Techniques Gunter Damisch and Veronika Dirnhofer diploma with honours |
| 2010 – 2011 | University of Vienna Art History |
| 2008 – 2010 | HTL Kramsach Aufbaulehrgang für Kunsthandwerk & Objektdesign |
| 2003 – 2007 | HTL Bau & Design, Innsbruck Fachschule für angewandte Malerei |
| 1988 | born in Kufstein |