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No illusions
None
The Fate of Irony
Irony is one of the defining characteristics of postmodernism but has it now fallen victim to an ironic twist of fate? Has it exhausted its own repertoire or is it still a meaningful strategy, a necessary aspect of our culture, or perhaps even a powerful weapon with which to defend ourselves against fundamentalist world pictures? The artistic positions presented not only demonstrate a frequently tongue-in-cheek, critical attitude to art's societal, political and social contexts and systems, but also home in on the intercultural comprehensibility of verbal and pictorial irony. Published to accompany the exhibition The Fate of Irony, April – July 2010, at KAI 10 Raum fÜr Kunst, DÜsseldorf. English and German text.
The stubborn life of things
We humans are invariably surrounded by things. They perform certain functions for us, whether as tools, toys, weapons, ornaments, commodities or gifts. But many of them elude our influence so that instead of controlling them, they control us, developing an unstoppable dynamism and formative energy of their own. The works of the artists in 'The Stubborn Life of Things' encourage us to think of things as more than just human prostheses and to see them rather as an archive of cultural practice or, more simply, as materialized ideas. The art assembled here inspires us to look at hat stands, cars, wall tiles and such like with new eyes, less as things than as our accomplices. 0Exhibition: KAI 10 Raum für Kunst, Düsseldorf, Germany (13.4.-6.7.2013). 0.
Remote memories
Renewed interest in art historical phenomena can currently be observed in contemporary art. Artists are using aspects of history, art history, literature, modernist film as well as earlier film works as motifs. Remote Memories examines this reiteration of cultural memory in the new art of today: the works presented demonstrate that history and memory are rarely based on direct observation; it is much more common for them to be transmitted by media. The borders between historical quotation, fictionalisation and associative appropriation of historical material are fluid. In addition to contemporary concerns with these themes, the history of certain media in the art of the 20th century is also examined. Published on the occasion of the exhibition Remote Memories at KAI 10 Raum fur Kunst, Dusseldorf, May - July 2009. English and German text.
Revisionen eines Schiffbruchs - Martin Kippenbergers Medusa
Martin Kippenberger (1953–1997) is considered one of the outstanding artists of the 1980s and 1990s. One of the artist’s greatest related bodies of work, Medusa, was produced one year before his death. In over 80 works he addresses Theodore Géricault’s narrative painting The Raft of the Medusa (1819). In this critical, historical analysis the body of work is for the first time set within the context of the entire oeuvre, its evolution is extensively traced and Kippenberger's reception of Géricault's salon painting is examined in detail. Medusa illustrates much more complex dimensions than simply the metaphorization of the artist’s personal situation. Kippenberger translates Géricault's painting into the present day and in doing so reviews a shipwreck.
Less is a Bore
"Enamoured of decorative ornament, posing a challenge to all-powerful modernism, and drawing inspiration from the realm of architecture, the provocative designs of Italian group Memphis (1981-1988) caused something of a stir. Less Is a Bore: Reflections on Memphis contextualizes the creative universe of the designers around Ettore Sottsass in relation to the works of artists Raymond Barion, Eva Berendes, Barbara Kasten, Graham Little, and Tobias Rehberger. The book outlines their shared stylistic history in design and art, which has been given impetus by the phenomena of mass culture as well as by fashion and the history of culture and is reflected in an obsessive enthusiasm for the expressive possibilities of surfaces. The book classifies Memphis in the context of the design, art, and pop culture of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Book is published in conjunction with the exhibition of the same name at KAI 10
Marcel Dzama
Known internationally for his ink and watercolour drawings that incorporate recurring figures and manifestations of violence, Canadian-born, New York-based artist Marcel Dzama takes inspiration from European avant-garde movements such as Dada and Surrealism. Against the background of this cultural context, his creative output primarily uses the device of visual quotation to illustrate traits of the human condition, as well as situations imbued with a certain unease, implying a critique of accepted cultural or societal norms. This book provides an intimate look at Dzama and his work, with numerous examples of the aforementioned drawings, plus objects, collages and photographs.0Exhibition: CAC Málaga, Spain (30.3.-10.6.2012).
