page_title: Robert Koenig (sculptor)
section_title: Odyssey
hierarchical_section_title: Robert Koenig (sculptor) / Projects / Odyssey
caption_attribution_description: English: Odyssey figures with Sculptor Robert Koenig in Speyer, Germany
context_page_description: Robert Koenig is an English sculptor, who specialises in wood sculpture and is a prominent exponent of the art of woodcarving using the traditional tools of mallet and chisel. He is known for his carved and polychromed figurative wood sculptures, which he has been creating since the early 1980s. One of the earliest polychromed figures was shown in the 'Temple' exhibition at the Shaw Theatre, London in 1988.
  In 1992 the artist Craigie Horsfield wrote: "Koenig drew from the culture of carving that was rooted in the folk art of Central Europe; a naturalist depiction of the world with mythic overtones. It is no coincidence that the small renaissance of wood carving apparent in Europe should have happened in Germany; in our century the focus of the long struggle of nationalism and mystery. It was given impetus and found acceptance through the painted wood sculpture of Georg Baselitz. In the line of Kirchner's expressionist figures the wood is scarred and the heads, excessive and gestural, have pigment dragged across them. They came out of the expressionist tradition but made space effectively for other artists to be seen.
context_section_description: 'Odyssey' finally arrived in the UK in 2006 and was honoured by the Brighton Festival Fringe in that year. At the sculptors request they are currently touring unconventional venues – including a series of churches and cathedrals – in the UK, reaching out to 'ordinary' people rather than being cosseted in a gallery. Koenig has always looked for new ways to display his work and the Odyssey tour also majors heavily on music, encouraging local players to engage in a 'conversation' with the work. In the film showing here, saxophonist Tony Rose provides an improvisation inspired by the figures (including the introductory music in the piece) and acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Phil Thornton is seen interacting with the figures during their Brighton stay.
  A major showing of the monumental Odyssey project consisting of 40 figures each 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) tall took place at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London from 19 March to 20 July 2012. Later, the project travelled to Germany (Leutkirch im Allgäu 2013, Memmingen 2014, and Weingarten 2015).
  The Speyer Town Council in Germany invited Robert Koenig to exhibit his ‘Odyssey’ project in the town in 2017 to help commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. It was also to mark the 75th anniversary of the year when the artist’s mother was brought to the town as a forced worker from her home in Poland. It was also the 20th anniversary of the Odyssey tour across Europe (1997-2017).
caption: Odyssey figures on the Maximilianstrasse in Speyer, Germany with sculptor Robert Koenig 2017
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