For his works, Wroblewski almost exclusively uses found or obtained wooden crates from markets, mostly those for fruit and vegetables. He has been working with this material for several years and has created numerous objects that leave the original material recognisable. This also applies when Wroblewski paints the objects with gouache and oil paint in such a natural way that an almost trompe-l'oeil effect is achieved.

Oranges, garlic, radishes, cauliflower and lemons, for example, are depicted in their own, often bright colours. Their arrangement on columns, all made of the same thin wood and one of them decorated like the vedute of an Ionic column, refers to a higher value, beyond harvest, the farmer's market, kitchen or meal. For Wroblewski, this new attribution of value is an essential aspect of the reflected perception of the subject.

This also becomes clear in the pedestals for some of the sculptures. They are never simple cuboids; rather, the arrangement of coloured geometries evokes memories of the De Stijl aesthetic or the combination of monochrome spatial bodies of the plinths of Constantin Brâncuși (1876–1957), who himself attributed a sculptural value to them. The fact that the purpose of the pedestal is to elevate and thus emphasise something valuable is of decisive importance in these works, as Wroblewski rejects the usual hierarchies: in terms of the care with which the materials are processed and their presence in the space, the pedestals are in no way inferior to the objects; both are enhanced here.

The attribution of a new, higher value is also the criterion that, for Wroblewski, creates the link to the title of the exhibition. ‘Händler der vier Jahreszeiten’ (The Merchant of the Four Seasons) is the original title of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1972 film about the life and relationships of a travelling fruit and vegetable merchant.

Based on the simplicity of the subjects, which are as everyday as the material used, Wroblewski creates parallel worlds in this transformation that are somehow familiar and yet enigmatic. This exhibition shows scenographies that demand a re-evaluation when they sharpen the eye for things that were previously undiscovered or at least underestimated.

Manuel Wroblewski was born in Eckernförde, Germany, in 1975. Before his artistic career, he worked as a boat builder in northern Germany, among other activities. After moving to Berlin, he initially worked as a theatre actor before turning to the visual arts. Wroblewski lives and works in Berlin.