Back

Robert Estermann and Oz Oderbolz at Last Tango

Duo Show, March 17 until May 13, 2023

Artists

Oz Oderbolz, Robert Estermann

Institution

Last Tango

Location

Zurich

Download

Press release (PDF)

Website

lasttango.info

Exhibition View Duo Show «Robert Estermann and Oz Oderbolz» at Last Tango, Zurich, 2023 / Photo: Kilian Bannwart / Courtesy: the artists and Last Tango

Exhibition Description

The art of Robert Estermann and Oz Oderbolz is preoccupied with trespassing and entering boundary-breaking spaces that permit freedom, untamed cravings, and observe the wilder sides of human nature. This exhibition explores topics such as the history of the human rider, the anti-hero, fetish, masculinity, and ambivalence. Through their use of subcultural expressions, staging, caricature, and styling, they reshape normative failure into queer success. The artworks in this exhibition offer a glimpse of vulnerable grace, equestrian stunts, perversely elegant lines, and a variety of morphed props.

Robert Estermann's Works

The exhibition takes an "archeological" approach by revisiting Robert Estermann's older series of drawings titled "Four Boys / Four Horses." These drawings, originating from the mid-1990s, present a unique encounter between boys and horses, challenging the viewer's perception and comprehension. Estermann's expressive use of angles and movement in his drawings creates a sense of radicality and freedom. The exhibition showcases preparatory drawings, templates, and mugs related to this series, inviting viewers to explore the artist's process and vision.

Oz Oderbolz's Works

Oz Oderbolz's series of sculptures, suspended in space, blur the lines between fiction and reality. Through formal abstraction and material alterations, Oderbolz transforms the objects embedded onto saddle seats, exploring the potential of signifying functions becoming dysfunctional. Works like "Dick Hammer" and "Hell Rider" subvert conventional masculine archetypes, symbolically alluding to unseen aspects of masculinity and desire. Oderbolz's sculptures challenge traditional constructions of masculinity and aestheticize the communication link between horse and rider. In a defiant act, Oz Oderbolz incorporates personal narratives and cultural references into their works, transforming everyday objects like undershirts and boots into fetishistic symbols. The sculptures evoke themes of masculinity, desire, and liberation, inviting viewers to reconsider the boundaries of traditional gender norms and societal expectations.

sponsors

Exhibition View Duo Show «Robert Estermann and Oz Oderbolz» at Last Tango, Zurich, 2023 / Photo: Kilian Bannwart / Courtesy: the artists and Last Tango

Exhibition View Duo Show «Robert Estermann and Oz Oderbolz; view on Oz Oderbolz, Daddy’s Shirt, 2023, metal, tanktop (stolen from dad), tin, ca. 30 x 41 x 37.5 cm» at Last Tango, Zurich, 2023 / Photo: Kilian Bannwart / Courtesy: the artist and Last Tango

Exhibition View Duo Show «Robert Estermann and Oz Oderbolz; view on Oz Oderbolz, Juicy, 2023, metal, leather saddle, rhinestones, leather, 116 x 115 x 50 cm» at Last Tango, Zurich, 2023 / Photo: Kilian Bannwart / Courtesy: the artist and Last Tango

Exhibition View Duo Show «Robert Estermann and Oz Oderbolz; view on Oz Oderbolz, Dick Hammer, 2023, metal, leather saddle, epoxy, acrylic ink, 116 x 115 x 50 cm» at Last Tango, Zurich, 2023 / Photo: Kilian Bannwart / Courtesy: the artist and Last Tango

Exhibition View Duo Show «Robert Estermann and Oz Oderbolz; view on Oz Oderbolz, Hell Rider, 2023, metal, leather saddle, tin, truss-head screws, 116 x 115 x 50 cm» at Last Tango, Zurich, 2023 / Photo: Kilian Bannwart / Courtesy: the artist and Last Tango

Exhibition View Duo Show «Robert Estermann and Oz Oderbolz; view on Robert Estermann, Four Boys / Four Horses #2 #3 #4 (Above), 2023, photo print on wooden panel, print: 90 x 209 x 40.5 cm» at Last Tango, Zurich, 2023 / Photo: Kilian Bannwart / Courtesy: the artist and Last Tango

Exhibition View Duo Show «Robert Estermann and Oz Oderbolz; view on Robert Estermann, Four Boys / Four Horses Mugs, 2000, limited edition of 31 sets of four porcelain mugs with burned in print, each 11 x 8.5 x 8.5 cm» at Last Tango, Zurich, 2023 / Photo: Kilian Bannwart / Courtesy: the artist and Last Tango

Exhibition View Duo Show «Robert Estermann and Oz Oderbolz» at Last Tango, Zurich, 2023 / Photo: Kilian Bannwart / Courtesy: the artists and Last Tango

Exhibition View Duo Show «Robert Estermann and Oz Oderbolz; view on Robert Estermann, Riding.Vision Info Desk (detail), 2016–ongoing, trolley, computer display with online concept store» at Last Tango, Zurich, 2023 / Photo: Kilian Bannwart / Courtesy: the artist and Last Tango

Exhibition View Duo Show «Robert Estermann and Oz Oderbolz; view on Robert Estermann, Riding.Vision Warehouse (detail), 2023, dimensions variable» at Last Tango, Zurich, 2023 / Photo: Kilian Bannwart / Courtesy: the artist and Last Tango