Multimedia Artist/ Instrument Maker
Reinhard Reitzenstein was born in Uelzen, Germany, in 1949.
He studied at the Ontario College of Art, Toronto, 1968-71. From 1971 to 1991 he was represented by, the Carmen Lamanna Gallery, Toronto. Since 1993 he has been represented by the Olga Korper Gallery, Toronto.
Since 1993 he has held biannual solo exhibitions of new work at the Olga Korper Gallery, Toronto.
In 1992,1995 and 1998 he represented Canada in Caracas, Venezuela at the Biennale Barro de Americas. In 1993 he installed, “World Tree” at the Confederation Centre for the Arts, P.E.I. and he completed a public commission for the University of Western Ontario. “Sound Lodge”, an interactive sound sculpture built with composer David Keane, was shown at The Nickel Arts Museum, Calgary, during the conference “Tuning of the World”, also in the Netherlands, and Denmark in 1994 for the International Computer Music Conference. In 1994 he installed a project at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Santiago, Chile and completed a commission for the Donald Forster Sculpture Garden, Guelph, Ontario. In 1994,1995 and 1996, he collaborated with composer Gayle Young completing five sound installation projects, in Quebec, Ontario and as part of Sound Symposium in Newfoundland. In 1995 he presented “The World Tree” project simultaneously in Montreal at Concordia University and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Caracas Venezuela. In 1996 he completed an outdoor project, “The Eighth Bridge”, in Saskatchewan for the Kenderdine Gallery and the Mendel Art Gallery. In 1997 he held a solo exhibition, “Wildness and the Scientific Method”, at the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, University of Guelph, Ontario, and completed a public commission for the city of Etobicoke and another commission for the London Regional Art Gallery, London, Ontario. In 1998 he represented Canada in exhibitions in Taiwan and Venezuela. In 1999 he installed a commission at Brock University, St.Catharines,Ontario, for the Lutz Teutloff Collection, and created an artist’s garden for Harbourfront, Toronto. In 2000 he installed a project at, the Royal Botanical Gardens, Ontario and completed a project, “Transformer” in Quebec as part of the Sculpture Symposium, Cime et Racines. In 2001 he created a project for the Tree Museum, Ontario. In 2002 he completed three commissions, in Toronto, for Tridel Corp., in Oshawa, for the Robert Mclaughlin Gallery and a private water-based project. Three solo shows took place at, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Olga Korper Gallery and the Robert Mclaughlin Art Gallery respectively. A two-person show was held at the University at Buffalo Art Gallery with Gary Nickard. In 2003 he completed a commission for The Lutz Teutloff Sculpture Park in Bielefeldt, Germany, an outdoor site project in Pirkkala Finland and a water feature commission at Rideau Hall, Ottawa, for the Governor General of Canada. In 2004 he participated in a two-person show at The MacMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton, Ontario, with Simon Frank. Also in 2004 he completed a commission for MacMillan Binch Law Offices, Toronto. In 2005-06 he participated in several group exhibitions in Canada and the USA. He also collaborated with physicists at the University at Buffalo creating a permanent installation dedicated to the 100 year celebration of Einstein’s birth. In 2006 he was featured artist at Three Rivers Festival in Pittsburgh. PA, USA, and was commissioned to design a park for Daniels Corp., Toronto. In 2007 he completed two site specific projects, one in Val David, Quebec at the Jardins du Precambrien and at the Haliburton Forest and wildlife reserve, for which he is also the curator and essayist. Several groups shows, at Spaces in Cleveland, Ohio, Stewart Hall art Gallery in Montreal, Morris Museum, New Jersey. In 2008 he took part in two exhibitions of photography in Quebec and PEI. He also participated in group shows in Hamilton, Ontario and Ohio and was commissioned to create a public art project for Great Lands Corp. in Toronto. In 2009 he participated in group shows in Illinois, USA, Kitchener, Ontario, where he also premiered a suite of three video works for Open Ears Festival. For the same festival he created three new musical instruments. He also collaborated on an exhibition, with Gary Nickard for Kenyon College, Ohio, and also with Gary Nickard created new installations for the Physics Department at UB, and the Niagara Science Museum.
His work is represented in numerous corporate and public collections among them, The National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada Council Art Bank, Art Gallery of Hamilton, University of Toronto, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Confederation Centre for the Arts, Province of Ontario, University of Western Ontario, Government of Canada, Lutz Teutloff Collection, Bielefeldt, Germany, CONAC, Caracas, Venezuela, Fidelty Investments, Boston Mass.
Reitzenstein has been an instructor in sculpture and interdisciplinary studies at the University of Guelph from 1980-1998, at Brock University 1991-93, Queens University 1997, Toronto School of Art 1998-2000, Sheridan College 2000, and since fall 2000, Director of the Sculpture Program, SUNY Buffalo.
R. Reitzenstein,146 Ridge Rd.W.,Grimsby, Ont., Canada, L3M 4E7, tel(905)945-4458, fax(905)945-4804, cellphone: ((289) 244-1041, email; ridge146@sympatico.ca, web site: reinhardreitzenstein.com