Tobias Rehberger. I am me (except when I pretend I am her)
Galleria Continua, Beijing
June 26, 2022 – January 30, 2023

Galleria Continua is proud to present: I am me (except when I pretend I am her), the first exhibition by Tobias Rehberger with Galleria Continua, Beijing on the occasion of Gallery Weekend Beijing.

“Identity is a weird thing. A bit like catching a fish by hand. Even when you think you caught it, it slips out of your hands. It’s a bit like writing too. The moment you write something down, you immediately think the opposite of it is just as right”. – Tobias Rehberger

The exhibition focuses on the concepts of identity and mirroring, to the point of blending two elements. The works presented in the gallery spaces play on the relationship between two bodies, how they interact and come together as one, and the meaning of this relationship.

The show presents a wide range of works, including one monumental, Siamese lighthouse titled “the same difference is a tragedy and a joke as well”, specially made for the show at Galleria Continua, Beijing. The duality of the works permeates all the exhibited series, from the Siamese lighthouse to the dazzle pattern kitchen on the ground floor, and the dazzled bar on the top floor of the gallery.

“If you are one of two twins and you look at each other, you know it’s her face. But then, you pretend it’s you.” In the same way, the intertwined lighthouses in the main room of the gallery are one and identical, but they are projecting two separate films at the same time. The projections crawl around like ghosts, more like thoughts that pass by than images to look at or stare at. Sometimes sharp and brilliant for a moment, sometimes vague and blurry, almost like images from the past, Rehberger’s projections are sliding by in the present.” Two sculptures from the “Mother Without Child” series; “Hysteric Mother Without Child“ and “Deadpan Mother Without Child” are on view on the second floor of the gallery.

Tobias Rehberger’s works explore the relationship between two elements and how they merge as one, as well as how one person blends with others and what that relationship entails.

more. www.galleriacontinua.com