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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.
Drawing a Universe
This book presents drawings, objects and installations based on the process of sketching, drafting, mapping, copying, repeating and translating. Small or even minute elements are aligned in systematic rows or form complex systems that very much follow their own laws. The focus and the isolation of the tiniest detail exist in addition to the overall picture. These surreal "universes in a nutshell" do not follow a familiar scale. They oscillate between micro- and macro-cosmoses. They are the global landscapes of our age, so to speak, in which the call for universal visibility is becoming stronger and stronger while the processes that really determine what happens in the world occur on a level that most people are unable to perceive. 0Exhibition: Arthena Foundation, Düsseldorf, Germany (19.1.-23.3.2013). 00.
No illusions
None
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
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.
Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis? means transformation, modification, mutation. Ovid?s epic poem of the same title (ca. 8 CE) recounts stories of the transformations of gods, heroes, humans, plants, and animals. The book Metamorphosis presents works by five international artists: Habima Fuchs, Thomas Helbig, Renaud Jerez, Kris Lemsalu, and Mary-Audrey Ramirez have developed a unique approach to the study of transformation?of forms, materials, bodies, ideas, and substances. Ambivalent imaginary animals, mysterious hybrid beings, and creatures made of recycled everyday objects take the stage: artifacts that, not without irony, reflect on today?s multi-fictional visual world.0With essays by Zdenek Felix, Dominikus Müller, and Cora Waschke and a preface by Monika Schnetkamp. Exhibition: Arthena Foundation, Düsseldorf, Germany (04.03.-27.05.2017) / Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin, Germany (10.03.-15.04.2017) / Galerie SVIT, Prag, Czech Republic (05.06.-09.07.2017).
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.
