Reinhard Reitzenstein, “WTF (Where’s the Forest),” May 24-June 28, 2019

Lead photograph courtesy of Natalie DiIenno

Exhibition Catalog, Reinhard Reitzenstein

Reinhard Reitzenstein’s “WTF (Where’s the Forest)” is the first exhibition in a two-year project that reflects the belief that artists and curators can effect change through purposeful collaborations that balance community need with artistic insight. Titled “Justice in the Arts,” this comprehensive project includes four exhibitions each year that foster critical dialogue about social, ecological, economic, and representational justice. Much of Reitzenstein’s work centers around the tree as an archetype for self and the symbiotic relationship humans share with the forests of the world. The tree serves as a marker of the ravages upon, and attempts at reconciliation with, the natural world.

“WTF” brings the remains of a full tree covered in yellow beeswax into Buffalo Arts Studio. Suspended from the ceiling, “Feel the Buzz” hovers over the concrete floor, bisecting deep cracks that have grown over time and faded yellow lines that once guided machinery through the factory. The encounter with the tree and its scent within the former automotive plant points to the complicity of the industrial past and gentrified present in the production of greenhouse gasses and eradication of green spaces necessary to counteract global warming. “Add a Little to a Lot and There Will be a Big Heap” combines real tree roots and crown with a series of laser-cut discs and simplified tree forms to create a column that connects the floor to the ceiling. The branches at the top of the sculpture reach out to seemingly hold up the concrete support beam, echoing the signature Albert Kahn columns throughout Tri-Main Center. This juxtaposition of the natural and the industrial prompts viewers to take the time to really see the dynamic beauty of the trees themselves.

Also included are large scale woodcut plates and prints. The rhythmic lines suggest the growth of trees as marked by interior rings and exterior bark. The single silhouette, inverted as if caught between floating and falling, reminds viewers of the vulnerability of each tree as well as the forests. The large-scale woodcuts were produced at Mirabo Press, located in the former Sherwood Electromotion plant where large, specialized motors and engines for subways and trains were once manufactured. Like Tri-Main Center, this site historically contributed to the production of greenhouse gasses and their rehabilitation as creative, ecologically responsible facilities is essential to the context of the project. As the specter of global warming looms ever larger, the forests become more precious and each tree more valuable, Reitzenstein’s work forces viewers to confront this reality and consider their own actions.

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.

Reinhard Reitzenstein has exhibited internationally in over 100 solo exhibitions and almost 300 group exhibitions. He has completed over twenty public art commissions along with many private commissions. Reitzenstein’s work is represented in over 50 public and corporate collections internationally including National Gallery of Canada, Art Gallery of Ontario, University of Toronto, Teutloff Collection, Germany, CONAC, Caracas, Venezuela, City of Pirkkala, Finland, Fidelity Investments, Boston, Massachusetts, Trilogy, Austin, Texas, Tridel Corp. Toronto, City of Toronto Parks, National Capital Commission. He is currently Associate Professor at SUNY, Buffalo where he directs the Sculpture Program. He is represented by the Olga Korper Gallery, Toronto and Indigo Art, Buffalo, New York.

A behind the scenes process video of “WTF (Where’s the Forest)” by Mizin Shin can be viewed here.

Post-Exhibition Community Commentary

“What Time is it on the Clock of the World,” Harper Bishop

Exhibition Press

“Reinhard Reitzenstein, WTF (Where’s the Forest)” – Cornelia Magazine, Summer 2019

“A Tree Grows in Trico” by Melinda Miller, The Buffalo News

“A Tree Falls in the Forest” by Bruce Adams, Buffalo Spree Magazine

“A Unique Tree Exhibit at Buffalo Arts Studio,” Ashley Rowe, WIVB TV, Buffalo, NY