Meerkat Sculpture by Ottmar Hörl - Meerkat
Artist: Ottmar Hörl
Brand: Ottmar Hörl
Colors: orange, yellow, pink, red, white, black, gold, silver
Material: soft PVC
Dimensions: 49 x 15 x 30 cm
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Available in different colors.
Available in a signed version limited to 250 copies per color.
In 2009, 1,000 meerkats made an excursion to the Hohenkarpfen region in the Swabian Alb. Far from their natural habitat in southern Africa, they symbolized globalization and the increasing accessibility of every corner of the earth.
The Hohenkarpfen estate will be the destination of a very special “Works Outing”. On Sunday September 13, at 11 a.m., Ottmar Hörl, internationally renowned sculptor and performer, will open an open-air exhibition there. By that time he will have installed 1,000 roughly life-size meerkats in the meadows surrounding the hotel and art foundation. Why meerkats, then? The adorable little friends inspire positive feelings in anyone who observes them. Perhaps this is because, in some ways, their behavior resembles that of human beings. They whistle tirelessly, disappear into their underground caves, suddenly reappear in a different place, dig, play, sunbathe, employ babysitters or teach their young to hunt. A member of the clan is always on the lookout, standing sentinel and keeping an eye on the surroundings. It is precisely this characteristic posture of standing sentinel that Ottmar Hörl chose for his meerkats, thus adding a new quality to the numerous artistic events he has organized in public so far. Cheerful and somewhat bizarre at the same time, meerkats, normally living in the arid savannahs and deserts of southern Africa, give a sunny yellow color to the early autumn landscape around the Hohenkarpfen mountain. Hörl's plastic sculptures could also allude to the fact that the world has become a global village. After all, the neighboring town of Trossingen is twinned with Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. Art makes such associations possible. This time, a majestic delegation of meerkats is taking a “work trip” rather than official representatives.
Learn more about this artist
Ottmar Hörl, a multidisciplinary German artist, is internationally recognized for his avant-garde style and his daring to undertake colossal projects. Sculptures, serial sculpture installations, photographs and conceptual objects: its aim is to offer a type of art accessible to all, in particular to democratize sculpture by exhibiting gigantic and radical projects in public spaces. Today, it is his garden gnome Ben, presented in Cologne for the first time in 2005, which contributes to his great reputation: his installations are regularly exhibited in European capitals. Passionate about the democratization of art, he uses simple materials like PVC. Very invested in the world of Fine Arts, he is one of the founding members of the Nuremberg Academy in 1999, of which he became president in 2005. He has been rewarded with numerous prizes awarded for his great creativity and his radical and offensive vision of promoting the democratization of sculpture. He is also a founding member of the Fomalhaut group in 1985: a design, art and architecture studio where he contributed to the design in collaboration with architects of impressive design pieces such as Living Room : a contemporary residence in the medieval center from Gelnhause in Germany.
