Willi Siber
Willi Siber creates unique landscapes of colour, shadow and light. Being a painter, sculptor and object artist his focus lies on wood and metal, often covered with brilliant finishes. His works are meticulously constructed yet playful and endlessly fascinating in its use of colour. With a palette ranging from muted earth tones to electric hues of pink and green, he seems to match form to color as if by instinct. The bent-and-folded steel pipe sculptures, covered in pristine coats of enamel, possess a luxurious shimmer, beckoning like jewels, while other works, coated in darker, powdery hues, are quiet and subdued. Pattern and form are also central to Siber’s works. The clean lines of his steel and lacquer wall sculptures fold and unfold in colorful ribbons and knots, while his wood panels covered with metal and epoxy resemble rare, elaborate coral. Each piece seems part of an endlessly expansive system, imbued with a sense of wonder and possibility.
Biography
With its arresting textures and unexpected media, German artist Willi Siber’s work surprises at every turn. In his hands, heavy steel may appear as weightless as a balloon, while common materials—wood, nails, cardboard—combine into otherworldly, fantastical objects. Often, at least from afar, the components of Siber’s works are mysterious; only on inspection do we see that he achieves his miraculous results with simple ingredients, performing a kind of alchemy, transforming everyday matter through ingenious acts of repurposing and recombining.
The paintings, whose innovative techniques push them toward sculpture, can read from a distance as landscapes—aerial views of forests, perhaps, or ice-covered parts of the Arctic—or as microscopic lifeforms. Yet we sense that for Siber, such resemblances to reality are incidental. As art historian Sabine Heilig has written of his work, “He is not interested in the aesthetics of the material itself, but rather in its ability to be transformed.” Along with its formal inventiveness, Siber’s work is remarkable for its use of color. With a palette ranging from muted earth tones to electric hues of pink and green, he seems to match form to color as if by instinct. The bent-and-folded steel pipe sculptures, covered in pristine coats of enamel, possess a luxurious shimmer, beckoning like jewels, while other works, coated in darker, powdery hues, are quiet and subdued—a spectrum recalling the powerful work of minimalist artists as varied as Robert Ryman, John McCracken, and Craig Kauffman.
Born in 1949 and educated at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart, Siber has exhibited widely, with numerous shows throughout Europe, Sydney, Hong Kong, and the U.S. His work is housed in public collections including the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Embassy in Buenos Aires, among many others. He lives and works in Dietenwengen, Germany.
Born
1949 Eberhardzell, Germany.
Education
1974 BA, Stuttgart University, Stuttgart, Germany.
1976 MA in Sculpture, State Academy of Fine Arts,
Stuttgart, Germany.
Selected Museum Exhibitions
2010 From the Base, Wood Sculpture Today, Kunstverein Wilhelmshöhe, Singing Museum, Ettlingen, Germany.
2009 From the Trunk, Transmontana, Mantua, Kunstverein Ettlingen, Singing and Museum City Gallery, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany.
Public Collections
Federal Republic of Germany, German Bundestag, Berlin • Ministry of Culture and Sport, State of Baden-Wuerttemberg • German Embassy in Buenos Aires • Alb-Donau-Kreis • Bodenseekreis • Pinakothek der Moderne, München • Staatsgalerie Stuttgart • Museum Ulm • Museum im Prediger, Schwäbisch Gmünd • OEW Art Collection • Museum Bibera • Municipal Collections of Bad Saulgau, Neckarsulm, Stuttgart, Tübingen, Biberach, Ravensburg, Reutlingen, Sigmaringen, Singen
Personal & Corporate Collections
Rienfred Pohl • Alison & Peter W. Klein • Annetta & Gustav Grisard • FER Collection • Samlung Hurrle Durbach • Marli Hoppe-Ritter • Adolf Merckle • Siegfried & Jutta Weishaupt • Kreissparkasse Biberach • Axa • L-Bank • BW-Bank • Deutsche Bank • Volksbank • Zurich Insurance • Tokyo Mullenium • Raiffeisenbank • Kreissparkasse Boblingen
Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions
2018 35th Anniversary Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco
2018 Art Market Hamptons, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, NY, NY
2018 LA Art Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Art Market San Francisco, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, SF, CA.
2018 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
2016 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Context NY, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, New York, NY.
Context Miami, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.
Art Market SF, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
2015 Galerie Grashey, Constance, Germany.
Art Market SF, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Art Silicon Valley, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Mateo, CA.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Galerie Hrobsky, Vienna, Austria.
2014 Galerie P13, Heidelberg, Germany.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Art South Hampton, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Water Mill, NY.
Context Miami, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.
Radial Art Contemporain, Strasbourg, France.
Galerie Carla Renggli, Zug, Germany.
Museum Villa, Rot, Burgrieden, Germany.
2013 Sacred Space, Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
LA Art Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.
Tomorrow Today, Karin Weber Gallery, Hong Kong, China.
Galerie Werner Wohlhueter, Leibertingen, Germany.
2012 LA Art Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Kochs & Siber, Galerie BMB, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2011 Weber Gallery, Hong Kong, China.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Sakamoto Contemporary, Berlin, Germany.
Braunbehrens Gallery, Munich, Germany.
Uli Hrobsky Gallery, Vienna, Austria.
Municipal Gallery, Bad Saulgau, Germany.
Press
PRESS
Selected Artworks
Born
1949 Eberhardzell, Germany.
Education
1974 BA, Stuttgart University, Stuttgart, Germany.
1976 MA in Sculpture, State Academy of Fine Arts,
Stuttgart, Germany.
Selected Museum Exhibitions
2010 From the Base, Wood Sculpture Today, Kunstverein Wilhelmshöhe, Singing Museum, Ettlingen, Germany.
2009 From the Trunk, Transmontana, Mantua, Kunstverein Ettlingen, Singing and Museum City Gallery, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany.
Public Collections
Federal Republic of Germany, German Bundestag, Berlin • Ministry of Culture and Sport, State of Baden-Wuerttemberg • German Embassy in Buenos Aires • Alb-Donau-Kreis • Bodenseekreis • Pinakothek der Moderne, München • Staatsgalerie Stuttgart • Museum Ulm • Museum im Prediger, Schwäbisch Gmünd • OEW Art Collection • Museum Bibera • Municipal Collections of Bad Saulgau, Neckarsulm, Stuttgart, Tübingen, Biberach, Ravensburg, Reutlingen, Sigmaringen, Singen
Personal & Corporate Collections
Rienfred Pohl • Alison & Peter W. Klein • Annetta & Gustav Grisard • FER Collection • Samlung Hurrle Durbach • Marli Hoppe-Ritter • Adolf Merckle • Siegfried & Jutta Weishaupt • Kreissparkasse Biberach • Axa • L-Bank • BW-Bank • Deutsche Bank • Volksbank • Zurich Insurance • Tokyo Mullenium • Raiffeisenbank • Kreissparkasse Boblingen
Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions
2018 35th Anniversary Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco
2018 Art Market Hamptons, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, NY, NY
2018 LA Art Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Art Market San Francisco, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, SF, CA.
2018 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
2016 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Context NY, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, New York, NY.
Context Miami, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.
Art Market SF, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
2015 Galerie Grashey, Constance, Germany.
Art Market SF, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Art Silicon Valley, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Mateo, CA.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Galerie Hrobsky, Vienna, Austria.
2014 Galerie P13, Heidelberg, Germany.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Art South Hampton, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Water Mill, NY.
Context Miami, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.
Radial Art Contemporain, Strasbourg, France.
Galerie Carla Renggli, Zug, Germany.
Museum Villa, Rot, Burgrieden, Germany.
2013 Sacred Space, Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
LA Art Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.
Tomorrow Today, Karin Weber Gallery, Hong Kong, China.
Galerie Werner Wohlhueter, Leibertingen, Germany.
2012 LA Art Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Kochs & Siber, Galerie BMB, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2011 Weber Gallery, Hong Kong, China.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Sakamoto Contemporary, Berlin, Germany.
Braunbehrens Gallery, Munich, Germany.
Uli Hrobsky Gallery, Vienna, Austria.
Municipal Gallery, Bad Saulgau, Germany.
With its arresting textures and unexpected media, German artist Willi Siber’s work surprises at every turn. In his hands, heavy steel may appear as weightless as a balloon, while common materials—wood, nails, cardboard—combine into otherworldly, fantastical objects. Often, at least from afar, the components of Siber’s works are mysterious; only on inspection do we see that he achieves his miraculous results with simple ingredients, performing a kind of alchemy, transforming everyday matter through ingenious acts of repurposing and recombining.
The paintings, whose innovative techniques push them toward sculpture, can read from a distance as landscapes—aerial views of forests, perhaps, or ice-covered parts of the Arctic—or as microscopic lifeforms. Yet we sense that for Siber, such resemblances to reality are incidental. As art historian Sabine Heilig has written of his work, “He is not interested in the aesthetics of the material itself, but rather in its ability to be transformed.” Along with its formal inventiveness, Siber’s work is remarkable for its use of color. With a palette ranging from muted earth tones to electric hues of pink and green, he seems to match form to color as if by instinct. The bent-and-folded steel pipe sculptures, covered in pristine coats of enamel, possess a luxurious shimmer, beckoning like jewels, while other works, coated in darker, powdery hues, are quiet and subdued—a spectrum recalling the powerful work of minimalist artists as varied as Robert Ryman, John McCracken, and Craig Kauffman.
Born in 1949 and educated at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart, Siber has exhibited widely, with numerous shows throughout Europe, Sydney, Hong Kong, and the U.S. His work is housed in public collections including the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Embassy in Buenos Aires, among many others. He lives and works in Dietenwengen, Germany.
Biography
Press
Willi Siber creates unique landscapes of colour, shadow and light. Being a painter, sculptor and object artist his focus lies on wood and metal, often covered with brilliant finishes. His works are meticulously constructed yet playful and endlessly fascinating in its use of colour. With a palette ranging from muted earth tones to electric hues of pink and green, he seems to match form to color as if by instinct. The bent-and-folded steel pipe sculptures, covered in pristine coats of enamel, possess a luxurious shimmer, beckoning like jewels, while other works, coated in darker, powdery hues, are quiet and subdued. Pattern and form are also central to Siber’s works. The clean lines of his steel and lacquer wall sculptures fold and unfold in colorful ribbons and knots, while his wood panels covered with metal and epoxy resemble rare, elaborate coral. Each piece seems part of an endlessly expansive system, imbued with a sense of wonder and possibility.
Willi Siber
The playful, meticulously constructed works of German painter, sculptor and object artist Willi Siber create unique landscapes of color, shadow, and light. Originally educated in stone sculpture, Siber later shifted his focus to wood and metal, often covering his sculptures with brilliant, monochromatic hues and reflective finishes. Pattern and form are central to Siber’s work. The clean lines of his steel-and-lacquer wall sculptures seem to fold and unfold in ribbons and knots, while his wood panels covered with metal and epoxy resemble rare, intricate coral. Each piece seems part of an endlessly expansive system, imbued with a sense of wonder and possibility.
Willi Siber creates unique landscapes of colour, shadow and light. Being a painter, sculptor and object artist his focus lies on wood and metal, often covered with brilliant finishes. His works are meticulously constructed yet playful and endlessly fascinating in its use of colour. With a palette ranging from muted earth tones to electric hues of pink and green, he seems to match form to color as if by instinct. The bent-and-folded steel pipe sculptures, covered in pristine coats of enamel, possess a luxurious shimmer, beckoning like jewels, while other works, coated in darker, powdery hues, are quiet and subdued. Pattern and form are also central to Siber’s works. The clean lines of his steel and lacquer wall sculptures fold and unfold in colorful ribbons and knots, while his wood panels covered with metal and epoxy resemble rare, elaborate coral. Each piece seems part of an endlessly expansive system, imbued with a sense of wonder and possibility.