Artist Talk: Kaspar Schmidt Mumm

Hear from artist Kaspar Schmidt Mumm in conversation with Micheal Do, about his major solo exhibition 'ROCKAMORA'.

Influenced by his mother’s own art therapy programs in hospitals, aged care and community centres, Kaspar Schmidt Mumm’s practice is based in a belief in the rehabilitative qualities of art.

His first major solo exhibition, ROCKAMORA, builds upon Schmidt Mumm’s experimentation with absurdist and comical forms of art-making that feature fantastical representations of other worldly beings.

The multidisciplinary artist is newly returned from Berlin, where he is currently studying a master’s degree focussed on the intersection of contemporary art and social work at the city’s Universität Der Künste.

Join Kaspar in conversation with Micheal Do, curator of contemporary art at the Sydney Opera House, for a talk that speaks to his process of applying and delivering his first solo gallery presentation ROCKAMORA.

Micheal Do is one third of the 2023 Porter Street Commission selection panel.

We are happy to book an Auslan interpreter if needed – please reach out to grace@ace.gallery if you would like to make a request.

About the exhibition

ROCKAMORA is the first major gallery exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Kaspar Schmidt Mumm, expanding the artist’s fascination with puppetry as a tool for social change.

Named after his mother’s primary school bully, ‘Rockamora’ is a thug taking a bath in the gallery. By feeding, cleaning and caring for this bully, ROCKAMORA encourages us to empathise with a larger-than-life, misunderstood antagonist as a way to counter lived experiences of harassment and discrimination.

Influenced by his mother’s own art therapy programs in hospitals, aged care and community centres, Schmidt Mumm’s practice is based in a belief in the rehabilitative qualities of art. The exhibition builds upon Schmidt Mumm’s experimentation with absurdist and comical forms of art-making that feature fantastical representations of other worldly beings.

With a welcoming spirit, ROCKAMORA encourages play and participation, enlivening the gallery space through shared activity.

Now in its fifth iteration, the large-scale, interactive puppet is cared for in weekly rituals – audiences are invited to join Schmidt Mumm and gallery invigilators to helping ‘Rockamora’ to eat, brush its teeth, clean its ears, and other daily habits.

About Kaspar Schmidt Mumm

Kaspar Schmidt Mumm was born in Göttingen, Germany, in 1990. His father is German with Colombian upbringing. His mother is an immigrant to Canada from Pakistan/India. Kaspar lived in Hannover for the first ten years of his life, attending German Grundschule. In 2000, his family immigrated to South Australia. They have lived in Adelaide for the past twenty years. Kaspar’s mother, an artist, uses art for rehabilitation in hospitals and community centres. It is her ability to engage in extremely complex human relationships that has informed Kaspar's own socially-engaged practice.

Schmidt Mumm recently participated in Sauerbier House’s Culture Exchange, resulting in the exhibition Wiping Vatman’s Tears (2022). Other selected exhibitions include The Multiverse, Bundoora Homestead, Melbourne, 2021; and IMMI, Seventh Gallery, Melbourne, 2019. In 2018 he received The Advertiser Contemporary Art Award for the most outstanding contemporary work in any medium as part of the South Australian Living Artist (SALA) Festival.

In addition to his individual practice, Kaspar is one of the founders of art collective The Bait Fridge and lead vocalist of Slowmango. Both groups create boundary pushing live shows and immersive experiences in which hyper-colourful costumes, spontaneous performance and musical explorations collide into an entrancing experience of visual, sonic and social evolution – blurring the borders between music and art.

About Micheal Do

Micheal Do is a curator, programmer and writer working across Australia, New Zealand and Asia. He is curator, contemporary art at the Sydney Opera House, Australia, curator of Projects at Auckland Art Fair, New Zealand and Curator of 'Primavera: Young Australian Artists 2022' at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Australia.

Feature image: Kaspar Schmidt Mumm in studio (2022). Photography by Emmaline Zanelli.