Vincent Stemmler
Vincent Stemmler’s works often reference place through photography, molds, or collecting objects and materials on location as a way to represent both collective history and individual memory. For Counterpublic 2023, Stemmler’s large-scale sculpture Three Columns sits inside an active fountain at the major confluence of three streets: Jefferson, Broadway, and Chippewa. Three Columns consists of multiple sculptural elements that incorporate molds taken from the surrounding neighborhoods and images from the relief sculpture carved into the bank across the street.
While some parts of this “three-dimensional collage” are in direct reference to the surrounding neighborhood, some are so commonplace that they could be from anywhere in the United States. The columns themselves reference the Neoclassical Revival, a ubiquitous imperialist architectural trend, and is heavily influenced by the idea of the facade—how something can be presented as one thing but be completely different or even empty on the inside. In this sense, Three Columns itself is made to seem contrived, like much of the so-called history that is presented to us as fact rather than fiction.
about the artist
Vincent Stemmler is a mixed media artist who uses various forms of collage to explore issues of a world in constant flux. Investigating issues of individual and social identity, fragmentation, and loss, Stemmler employs materials with social and political connotations. The material focus of Stemmler’s work is often derived from bringing disparate pieces together to form a whole while addressing ideas of labor, class, and multiculturalism. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Stemmler holds an associate’s in the arts from Florissant Valley Community College, a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Vincent Stemmler is currently artist in residence at the Kranzberg Arts Center in St. Louis.
