It is hard to understand why it is that continental audiences have been more receptive to Steinbach's work. A contemporary of Jeff Koons, Steinbach juxtaposes items from consumer culture that range from pristine objects of desire to the mundane; Alessi kettles and horror masks, Nike trainers and a kitsch lamp. Perhaps the general lack of receptiveness to Steinbach's work in this country has been due to his use of consumer goods and an association with the acquisitiveness of the 1980s. Most of us may be avid consumers, but the elevation of desire to the gallery could be a notion that not everyone is comfortable with.
There is a real sense of order to this exhibition. The unobtrusive white space of the gallery, still smelling of freshly applied emulsion when I visited, perfectly offsets Steinbach's systematically arranged shelf pieces. Steinbach's triangular shelves, always constructed to the same specifications, are reminiscent of the hard edged minimalism of Donald Judd. However despite the precision with which the shelves and the objects placed upon them have been arranged, there is something strangely domestic about this exhibition.
Each shelf is covered with a different surface, wood veneer, aluminium and varying colours are used. The relationship between the shelves and the objects placed on them elevates items from everyday life, and invites the viewer to reassess the way in which the common place is experienced by all of us. In 'supremely black', 1985, Steinbach places three boxes of Bold 3 and two black jugs on a shiny black shelf. This arrangement takes mundane items from their usual context and allows them to be seen anew, as objects that have been designed with as much care as Steinbach has taken in deciding how to place them. All objects have equal value.
This exhibition works so well because Steinbach has done something that we all do. Steinbach has taken a variety of objects that are, mostly, familiar to all of us and created a system for their display, introducing a sense of order to the chaos of consumer culture. Steinbach's methods reflect the viewer's own need to arrange possessions in a way that is pleasing to the eye and demonstrates a sense of care and taste. Steinbach's juxtapositions may not always be easily understood, they are open to interpretation, but life and the clutter that goes along with it is equally difficult to understand. Perhaps it is the fact that this exhibition is so well ordered that makes it such an enjoyable experience.