typically german?

1 min read

This was also the name of the exhibition in which the artist and designer Rolf Sachs dealt with the supposedly characteristic attributes and clichés of German mentality.

Arrangement of typical German objects

Accuracy, punctuality, “wanderlust” and industriousness are just a few of the ideas which the artist has approached in a tongue-in-cheek and invariably slightly exaggerated way.

Part of the series:

THE MAGIC IS ALWAYS IN THE DETAIL [#1]


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With everyday objects arranged in a meaningful order, such as a garden gnome, beer mug, plumb bob and cleaning utensils, Sachs gently makes fun of the German habits, which are sometimes little more than clichés. Is a passion for garden gnomes, cosiness and beer really typically German? Are the Germans really such meticulous champions of a love of order and spring cleaning who practise the virtues of punctuality and sense of duty like no other nation?

Rolf Sachs (born in Lausanne in 1955) is a Swiss artist, designer and stage designer.
Since 1994, Rolf Sachs has been living in London, where he established his rolf sachs fun’ction design studio.

In his exhibition, Sachs has visualised his answers in the form of unusual objects or installations which invite interpretation and move on the borderline between art and design.

© Byron Slater
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