300 vases

"The Art of Neurosis" could be the subtitle for Olivier Hölzl's latest series. In sculptures, minimalist photo works, and stop-motion videos, the artist explores the collection and arrangement of vases – everyday and decorative objects, the epitome of ordered life and bourgeois simplicity. With an aesthetic reminiscent of Brancusi's endless column, the artist has stacked various vases into meter-high sculptures, creating hypnotic rhythms in stop-motion videos as they come together in ever-changing groups. In a feat of strength and acquisition spanning just under two months, Hölzl ordered, personally picked up, and temporarily stored all the vases via the Internet in his private apartment. Particularly during the collection process, the artist pushed the limits of his endurance. Surprisingly, Olivier Hölzl manages to transcend this impulse. The artist doesn't present a grand concept, undertake psychological examinations that could interpret the vase as a symbol of femininity and the towers as a phallic counterpart. Hölzl doesn't sort the objects by fashion trends or specific techniques, doesn't trace historical developments, but presents the vase without added baggage, as what it ultimately is: an object that can speak for itself. In this reduction, Olivier Hölzl achieves everything that would be impossible for a collecting neurotic – the integration of various elements into a homogeneous and, above all, effortless whole.