For his third exhibition at Gimpel Fils, Dutch artist Edwin Zwakman invites the audience to literally step into an office space and experience the banality of everyday life, not even with a twist, just slightly smaller.

In his photographic works Zwakman recreates a world from memory with miniatures that are just detailed enough to trigger the willing suspension of disbelief, but never a perfect illusion. They do not exaggerate or show the spectacular, nor are they surreal or theatrical. “I hope my works start when the viewer goes back into the streets and sees the city with slightly different, maybe more active and critical eyes.”

In semi-architectural installations in public space Zwakman evokes a similar reaction. Tree Hugger (Shanghai 2010) is a 10-meter high footbridge going nowhere, winding itself around a tree. The functionalist structure peters out among the leaves at the top. The steep slope makes a hike of the walk up, slowing the visitor on the way. The heavy concrete construction seems to strangle the tree and this uncomfortable relation between culture and nature pervades all of Zwakman’s work.

Edwin Zwakman is represented extensively in museums and galleries the world over, as well as in platforms such as the Venice and Taipei Bienniales. Recently, he was included in a show at the Rudolfinum in Prague, an exhibition devoted to models in artwork. Among other artists were Rachel Whiteread, Antony Gormley, Thomas Demand and Julian Opie. He is currently working on several public projects in Germany and Holland.