ANSELM KIEFER – IL MISTERO DELLE CATTEDRALI

Posted on 2012-01-09

The title of the exhibition is taken from the esoteric publication by Fulcanelli (published in 1926), which claimed that the Gothic cathedrals of Europe had openly displayed the hidden code of alchemy for over 700 years.

As with all Kiefer’s work, allusions are never literal but reflect an ongoing interest in systems – mystical and material – which have evolved over centuries. Both title and exhibition reflect Kiefer’s longtime fascination with the transformative nature of alchemy: ‘The ideology of alchemy is the hastening of time, as in the lead-silver-gold cycle which needed only time in order to transform lead into gold. In the past the alchemist sped up this process with magical means. That was called magic. As an artist I don’t do anything differently. I only accelerate the transformation that is already present in things. That is magic, as I understand it.’

Opposite – Dat rosa mel apibus, 2009

Exhibition runs through to February 26th, 2012

White Cube
144 – 152 Bermondsey Street
London
SE1 3TQ

whitecube.com

   Tweet

OBJECT FICTIONS

Posted on 2012-01-09

Object fictions assembles a diverse group of artists whose works investigate notions of perception, in its many definitions. Through a variety of media and processes, these artists explore the potential of ordinary objects, historical events, invented narratives and in some cases even other artworks, to expose reality through the lens of fiction. Through sustained looking, the works in this exhibition challenge us to consider what constitutes an object, an image, and in the broadest sense, what constitutes truth.

Opposite – Mother and Child, 2011, Matt Johnson

Exhibition runs through to February 11th, 2012

James Cohan Gallery
533 West 26th Street
New York
NY
10001

www.jamescohan.com

   Tweet

CONOR HARRINGTON – DEAD MEAT

Posted on 2012-01-02

Entitled ‘Dead Meat’, Harrington’s feast has the air of a last supper, ostentatious in its excesses and debauched in its crumbling beauty.

Making a departure from the battle scenes, posturing, and overt masculinity of his previous work this new body takes a step indoors with a behind-the-scenes look at men of power. From an elaborate photo-shoot involving six models, costumes, taxidermy, and props Harrington has recreated an 18th-Century feast. His interest in this period refers to an era when European power was at its peak and examines its heritage in contemporary society given the uncertainty within the Eurozone, as the Asian markets’ rise and established power structures shift.

Harrington raids art history, particularly the tradition of painting, as he samples classics and reworks with free association. The largest canvas from his show depicts a female nude reclining on a table, observing both herself and the view through a mirror – a direct nod to ‘The Rokeby Venus’ by Velsasquez.Referencing Manet’s ‘Déjuner sur L’Herbe’, the artist has clothed his male subjects in traditional 18th-Century garb in contrast to their female counterparts who appear in the nude. While prostitutes from the street have been traditionally employed as models, Harrington has opted for a 21st-Century approach, sourcing his girls through topless model websites in search of exemplary post-feminist beauties with no qualms about profiting from their physiques in what has become an increasingly body-conscious and pornography-soaked culture. Subtly reworking historical narratives and replacing ethnicities, ‘Mary’ is displayed as a young topless black woman, and the offerings from the ‘Three Wise Men’ lifeless birds and the gift of flesh: death is at the centre of glory and finery.

Exhibition runs from March 2nd to April 12th, 2012

Lazarides
11 Rathbone Place
London
W1T 1HR

www.lazinc.com

   Tweet

GARY HUME -THE INDIFFERENT OWL

Posted on 2012-01-02

Over the past twenty years, Hume has developed a distinctive visual language of bold, simplified forms to create paintings that engage the viewer with their pleasantly irresolvable quality. The exhibition, his first in London for over four years, brings together a large and varied body of new work that will occupy both the Hoxton Square and Mason’s Yard galleries.

A painting by Gary Hume is a dynamically ambiguous visual experience. Although each work usually features a recognisable motif – such as a bird or flower – they are often flattened and fractured, and positioned awkwardly in a pictorial space that is brought to life through broad passages of colour that could be repellently acrid or seductively luscious. Negative and positive spaces fluctuate within a painting, stretching figuration to the point that lines, forms and colours start to lose their denotative function. ‘Neither literal nor illusionistic,’ writes Jennifer Higgie in her catalogue essay, Hume’s paintings ‘draw you into the depths of something you might have initially assumed was all surface.’

Exhibition runs from January 18th to February 25th, 2012

White Cube
Mason’s Yard
25-26 Mason’s Yard
London
SW1Y 6BU

whitecube.com

   Tweet

DREAM IN COLOUR – AN EXHIBITION BY STYLOROUGE

Posted on 2012-01-02

Legendary designers for Blur, Trainspotting & The Cure produce their first series of contemporary artworks to coincide with their 30th anniversary.

This London-based creative consultancy was founded in 1981 by creative director, Rob O’Connor, who has steered Stylorouge through various phases embracing design for print, web and multimedia, photography and video production. The team have created some of the most well regarded imagery for the music and movie industries for over 30 years for the likes of Blur, Morrissey, Rolling Stones, George Michael and the now iconic artwork for Trainspotting amongst many others. To celebrate their 30th anniversary Stylorouge have let their creative minds loose on a whole new series of art pieces for a groundbreaking exhibition of personal artistic work with their whole team entering a process of self-directed artistic creation specifically for the show. The resulting video installations, assemblages, painting and photography give a unique insight into the concerns and motivations of one of the most progressive and engaging creative studios once freed from commercial constraints.

Exhibition runs through to February 3rd, 2012

The Aubin Gallery
64-66 Redchurch Street
Shoreditch
London
E2 7DP

www.aubingallery.com

   Tweet

JOHN RIEPENHOFF PRESENTS HANDLER

Posted on 2011-12-26

John Riepenhoff presents Handler, a series of collaborative figurative sculptures, papier-mâché legs outfitted in Riepenhoff’s pants and shoes holding large-scale paintings by Peter Barrickman, Nicholas Frank, Richard Galling, Michelle Grabner, Greg Klassen, Jose Lerma, Scott Reeder and Tyson Reeder.

A painting walks into a gallery and hangs out on the wall. The gallerist says “move up a little”. The painting moves up a little. The gallerist says “looks great”. The painting doesn’t say anything, it’s legs walk away to do something else.

In Art Stand Series, pairs of papier-mâché legs outfitted in Riepenhoff’s pants and shoes hold large-scale paintings by other artists. These unconventional easels simulate the perspective of the art-handler, making visible one of the unseen laborers integral to exhibition making. By ascribing equal value to handler and artist, the artwork suddenly renders the social boundaries within the art community permeable.

Exhibition runs through to January 20th, 2012

Western Exhibitions
119 N Peoria St, Suite 2A
Chicago
IL
60607
USA

www.westernexhibitions.com

   Tweet