REIN VOLLENGA INTERVIEW

Berlin-based Dutch sculptor Rein Vollenga creates strikingly sleek, gorgeous, challenging, and confrontational pieces that have been described as “abstract kink, fetish meets H. R. Giger.” He has created works for musicians such as Lady Gaga, Hercules & Love Affair, and fashion designers MUGLER and KTZ.

His work has been exhibited at Kunsthall, Oslo, the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Mudac, Lausanne, and Haus der Kunst, Munich, and a version of one of his sculptures has also recently been featured on the cover of electronic music producer Steffi’s latest album The Red Hunter.

Interview by Interlocutor Magazine

Much of your work has a very sleek modernist look but you are heavily influenced by ancient stories, mythology, fairy tales, and ancient Egyptian art. In what ways do you think you take these influences into new territories that both express the ancient and also comment on the present?

Ancient stories, mythology and fairytales are timeless to me. They usually take a twist on human behavior and values. Stories about love, hate, violence, beauty, wealth and greed. I’ve always been interested in that from a young age. I mostly use decorative imagery from art history and mix them with found object or abstract shapes this without any hierarchy of importance or artistic value. Like seen in pagan religion, Primal art or African sculpture. My work is not a comment on the present or future. Hopefully it opens a door for your imagination.

Headpiece , mixed media, 2012, pic by Jonas Lindström

Headpiece Papillon de Nuit, mixed media, pic by George Bebieridze

Your creations may at first appear to have resulted from industrial production, yet you primarily work by hand with found recycled refuse. What are your favored materials to work with and how much is the act of searching for and assembling found materials an influence on the final creations themselves?

My sculptures are 3 dimensional collages created with all sorts of materials from ceramics, plastic, driftwood, metal, and taxidermy. I like searching for objects that are ambiguous and are visually interesting to me. I change their function by showing them in a different context and environment. My studio is a huge cabinet of rarities that I have been collecting for years. Looking for new objects and materials are part of my daily practice and comes natural to me.

Sculpture, 60 x 136 x 180 cm Mixed media, 2016

So much of your work has been integrated into various other art forms such as music and fashion - how does this interplay often work for you? Are you often commissioned to do work that fits a certain desired effect for another artist or is it mostly the other way around - do these other creators seek out work you've already made to integrate into their own creations?

My work is visually very outspoken, futuristic, dark, gothic, etc. I’m very fortunate that they spark interest in many artistic fields like couture houses, dance companies and the film industry. I work both on commissions and free work at the same time. My work and creative drive is not depending on money and deadlines, it’s on going. Of course I get many requests from my archive of work but foremost I like working or collaborating on new creations for every individual project.

Sculpture 170 x 60 x 40 cm , mixed media, 2019

One example related to the previous question is the cover for Steffi's new album The Red Hunter, which was designed by Michiel de Vreede and features one of your sculptures that were modified from the original.

In what ways was it modified, and did you work directly with Michiel on this project, or were the changes made primarily on his end? Also, how do you think this cover design ultimately complements and comments on the album's musical content?

Steffi, Michiel, and I worked closely together to create an artwork to fit the music and album cover. The cover images is a close up photograph from a large scale sculpture created by myself. Michiel beautified and translated the image to graphic design. I think the cover art very well compliments the abstract, fluid and dark electronic sound created by Steffi.