Seit seiner frühen Jugend arbeitet Thomas Rees mit unterschiedlichen Materialien, bis er schließlich mit Holz ein ideales Medium findet: Lebendiges Material, insbesondere Bäume, die ihre Geschichte haben, sind ihm gleichermaßen Faszination und Inspiration. Seit Beginn der neunziger Jahre entstehen Installationen unter freiem Himmel – die Natur ist gleichermaßen Atelier und Ausstellungsraum. Das Zusammenspiel von Ort, Geschichte und Material ist bestimmend für die Gestalt seiner Werke, die zum Fühlen, Schauen, Begehen, Erleben einladen und auf diese Weise den ganzen Menschen in Anspruch nehmen.
Intuition und Spontaneität sind ausschlaggebend für die Arbeiten von Thomas Rees. So sind weniger Entwürfe und Skizzen Ausgangspunkt seines Schaffens: Durch die unmittelbare Arbeit am Material entwickeln sich die Objekte – abhängig von Eigenheiten/Widrigkeiten/Besonderheiten des Materials und eingebunden in die Thematik, die sich dabei verändert und entwickelt. Kleinigkeiten und scheinbare Zufälle ergeben somit unplanbare Werke. Wo das Schaffen des Künstlers endet, verändert die Natur selbst seine Werke im Wandel der Jahreszeiten. Dieser natürliche Veränderungs- und Wandlungsprozess ist gewollt und insofern programmatisch für Thomas Rees: Die Kunst stellt sich den Fragen der Gegenwart und der Dynamik natürlicher Prozesse.
In diesem offenen, kritischen, spontanen und immer authentischen Zugang zu Themen und Material ist auch der Grund zu suchen für die Vielfalt der Fragestellungen und die Ursprünglichkeit ihrer Bearbeitung: Der Mensch im Verhältnis zur Umwelt – sein schöpferisches und zerstörerisches Potential; die Vergänglichkeit allen Lebens – seine Möglichkeiten und Grenzen; Religion und ihre Frage nach dem Woher und Wohin allen Seins; die Beziehungen der Menschen zueinander in ihrem Gelingen und Scheitern …
Für diese Vielfalt und Ursprünglichkeit stehen unter anderem die Skulpturen und Installationen:
4 Gedanken zu „Thomas Rees“
Hallo Herr Rees,
einfach toll Ihre Holzträume! So lebendig, so vielfältig, so nah.
Ich wünsche Ihnen und uns noch ganz viele Traumgedanken.
Viele Grüße
Andrea Bastian
Lieber Herr Rees,
als gebürtige Freiburgerin begleiten mich Ihre Skulpturen schon lange. Ich bin immer wieder begeistert
von Ihren Ideen und was sie alles so zaubern! Es ist so schön, immer wieder Zeichen von Ihnen zu entdecken- es bereichert unsere Region ! Über die Zerstörung der Gerichtseiche war ich sehr traurig- es hat mich entsetzt!
Da sieht man mal, was man aus Holz machen kann…
Liebe Grüße
Caroline Scheffler
BIODIVERSITY HEIMAT KAPPEL (Satis Shroff)
The above wooden sculpture by Thomas Rees is made out of oak-wood and stands 4m tall, weighs 3500kg and is located right before the bridge across the river Brugga.
This sculpture depicts the Biosphere Devil, a continuation of our series on Humans-Time- Earth in the Freiburg-Kappel environment. There are other sculptures along the Kappler-Valley educational theme-path.
Earth warming and the Biosphere Devil: The word devil has its origin in the old Greek word ‘diabolos’ which literally means: to throw things about chaotically in the sense of being insane, fact-manipulator, lying and denouncing. The Latin word for it is Diabolus.
In the figure of the Devil the uncanny, the strange reality of evil takes the form of a person, who has been held responsible for all evil, malicious intent and badness of the world. It is the thought that the Devil seduces humans to perform the most evil and base deeds in which, wherever possible, chaos and division is projected.
Today, in times of fake-news and alternative facts and conspiratory theories and anti-science movements and attitudes have reached their zenith, it has become difficult to understand and judge things rightly or to give it a face or Gestalt. The tragic of it is that the modern Devil has no hoofs and horns anymore.
Nevertheless, the old Devil would have enjoyed what is happening at the moment globally.
The sculpture by Rees with the title ‘Earth Warming’ shows the delight of the Devil, who bends below a pierced Earth. A fire burns below, which is made bigger with the Devil’s left foot on the blower. With the right hand he moves the handle to roast the Earth. And with the index finger of his left hand he shows a point on the Earth , where the Kappler Valley lies.
The job of keeping the earth warm seems to be successful.
However, in reality the warming of the Earth is not the work of the Devil—but a satanic work of humans.
We take our responsibilities as individuals of Homo sapiens through our own lifestyles and our behavior as consumers.
What’s up Kappel?
The environmental-conscious people of Kappel got together, despite the Corona Crisis, on the 16th of July 2020. The aim was to gather ideas, do brain-storming and to win interested people from the Kappler Valley. Well, 27 Kappler turned up and were informed about the themes that were dealt with earlier in January 2020. The themes were: Nature, Nutrition, Mobility, Energy and Public Relations. Christine Kramer informed us about the climate protection concept of Freiburg City since 1996., and about electro-mobility.
Which themes move the people? The most important theme was the ever-increasing garbage in the Black Forest and rivers with plastic throwaways. It was suggested that the plastic sacks should be stored properly because the ASF-concept isn’t good at the moment. Moreover, it was suggested that the youth should be connected with Kappel’s eco-projects, and the possibility of using reusuable energy, and also cleaning campaigns of the nearby forests. There’s a German word for it: Putzete (cleaning) in the woods and streams. Another Schlagwort in the German language is: Biodiversitätsdorf Kappel. That is, Kappel has become a biodiversity hamlet.
Other concrete suggestions were: climate gardening (Terra Preta), the implementation of resources such as the wind, water and sun. A suggestion for a Nutrition Day with locally grown seasonal products was made and a series of shows for e-mobility (e-bikes,load-bikes) cleaning up the mountain streams (Bachputzete).
When the youth are given the title of ‘Junior Forest Rangers’ they love to help clean the garbage in the streams around Freiburg-Kappel, well-knowing that their contribution towards Unweltverschmutzung, as environmental pollution is called in German. For instance, on Friday the 10th of July 2020 five Junior Rangers belonging to the Biosphere group carried out a clean-up action in the stream in Kappel, removing garbage. The enthusiastic Junior Rangers started with the big glass-container at the Sports Place right up to the stairs in the rivulet and ended their work in the forest area and the Stollen-hut. The garbage was handed over in sacks to the local Kappler administration for further recycling. And the kids enjoyed doing the work and had fun. They’d appreciate it if the streamlets and the forest area are kept clean.
According to my friend Jürgen Dreher, the next meeting will be held after three months. Are you also interested in biodiversity? Then contact us. We’ll be gladly interested in your ecological and climate change ideas and support:
http://www.ov-kappeltadt.freiburg.de
LORETTA UNBOUND (Satis Shroff)
A wooden sculpture
Of a voluptuous, naked blonde,
With long flowing hair,
Who covers her breast
With one hand;
With a rose in the other hand,
She covers her pubic hair.
Below her feet
Plays the shepherd god Pan
On his flute.
‘My sculpture depicts
The mythology of Pan,’
Says Thomas Rees the sculptor.
Loretta evokes the determined woman.
Anonymous emancipated activists
Tied Loretta with a black sticky band.
Germany drew against Hungary 2:2
A message hung on the sculpture:
‘Red cards against sexism’
Sprayed in violet on the floor
Of the Loretto bath
Were the words: ‘ against sexualisation.’
‘Destruction of property
And entrance without permission’
Said the Regio Bäder GmbH,
And filed a lawsuit.
And Alemannic Freiburg’s inhabitants
Have something to fuss about
After the long Corona Blues.
Loretta unbound,
That’s the artist’s freedom.
To depict men and women,
With or without clothes.
Botticelli’s Venus was done in the pink.
What beauty, what truth.