The exhibition at the Museum for Sepulchral Culture opens a fascinating dialogue between the finiteness of life and artistic engagement with the present. Till Müller's works, which address both transience and the preservation of states of being, offer a unique perspective on the transformation of material and thought. Some of his pieces directly address the gravity of death, while others approach the topic with humor and lightness. Müller himself describes his art as a bridge between life and death: "My aim is to translate the transformation of materials and thoughts into an artistic form that gives new meaning to life in the 'here and now.'"
Till Müller He is a trained bricklayer, reinforced concrete worker, and wood sculptor, and began working in his father's stonemasonry business at an early age. Through his studies at the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe and his time as a master student of the renowned sculptor Stephan Balkenhol, he has also developed his own independent artistic style. The works of this native of Hesse oscillate between sculpture and object, drawing and painting. A selection of his works is on display at the museum.
Important note:
The exhibition is located in our rotunda, which unfortunately can only be reached via stairs.
Unfortunately, access to the exhibition is not barrier-free.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at: info@sepulkralmuseum.de.
Materialization of Transience
Anna Lischper:
You work with various materials, from wood to stone. Each material has its specific requirements and demands a particular craft. What is it about that that appeals to you?
Till Müller:
That's a good point, the bit about craftsmanship, because that's where I come from. It was through craftsmanship that I entered the artistic field, so I added formal art studies on top of that. The basis for my decision, for this path, was that working as a bricklayer, stonemason, or wood sculptor alone—that is, purely service-oriented work—didn't satisfy me.
I felt the need to include the artistic aspect. The foundation is my knowledge of the material, which I acquired through my craft.
Anna Lischper:
A key focus of your artistic work is the processing of discarded gravestones. The areas in the cemetery where the removed and often very diverse stones lie must be a great source of material for you, right?
Till Müller:
My father owns a stonemasonry business where I've worked for a long time. Recycling old gravestones is part of the job. We dismantle them, for example, on behalf of customers. The discarded stones that are stored in cemeteries often end up in the crusher.
We can then help ourselves to some of it or buy stones for a small amount of money. Sometimes people approach you: "Hey, here's some material that's too good to shred or smash. Do you want it?" And so, a certain stockpile has accumulated that I can then access. Unfortunately, this comes with the risk that collecting gets out of hand. A stash can easily turn into a graveyard for money.
Anna Lischper:
When you work with materials like stone or wood, you sometimes make a step that can't be undone. How do you deal with that?
Till Müller:
Yes, that happens. However, after a certain amount of time, expertise and professionalism develop, meaning mistakes are rare. Here, too, prior vocational training is beneficial – the work processes are second nature.
Anna Lischper:
Would you say that your prior vocational training has prepared you well in this regard to implement the work the way you envision it?
Till Müller:
That, for me, is part of artistic freedom. I don't experience any obstacles to how something can be implemented, at least not in my work.
During my studies, I was criticized a bit for still working with wood or stone, because it was considered so archaic. There were even professors who said to us in my class, who were still working in a relatively traditional way: "Another wooden sculpture! Do something different!"
There's also a theory at art academies that some students are so technically inept that they can no longer embrace independent work. Partly true, I think. I see it more as someone who can actually saw a board and concentrate much better on independent artistic work. You don't have to waste so much time bursting into tears because something broke in the wrong place again, or because I've got an angle grinder stuck in my leg. But even those things happen.
The works of Till Müller
Three works by Till Müller were created specifically for the exhibition at the Museum of Sepulchral Culture. They address profound themes such as transience, life, and death. The recurring motifs in his wood reliefs—such as death, the Trees of Life, putti, stone heads, and the snake—create a continuous, symbolic narrative about the cycle of life and its inseparable connection to our mortality. The interplay of colors, such as the celestial hues of the Tree of Life, as well as the ghostly depiction of Death holding an hourglass, reinforce this philosophical exploration.
A wooden relief, painted red, depicts a smiling figure of death alongside two stone heads. In the other two works, the Tree of Life is the central motif. One of these shows the Tree of Life in bright, almost celestial, sacred colors. On the opposite wall, the Tree of Life is again the central motif, this time entwined by a snake. The snake is biting into an apple and is being held by a putto. At the bottom of the Tree of Life, the end of the snake's body is touched by a figure of death. Death holds an hourglass – time is running out.
Müller's works are reminiscent of motifs and scenes by Hans Baldung Grien, a 15th-century German painter. These are motifs that can also be found in the museum's permanent exhibition, but in a different context.
Müller himself says that the essential point of connection between his work and the museum is the overarching theme of "the finiteness of life and its consequences." The transitions from the here and now to the afterlife are usually fluid, as we can see in the new works. The tree of life is associated with death and time.
