For the 75th birthday of Isa Genzken,new National Gallery in Berlin presents an exhibition with a total of 75 sculptures that cover all the creative phases of the artist-starting in the 1970s to the present day.
The works offer a fascinating insight into the work of Isa Genzken and lead visitors through their various styles: from the early hyperbolos from the 1970s to concrete work from the change of century to their latest work such as actors or sculpture groups.
Exhibition view "Isa Genzken. 75/75", New National Gallery, 2023 Pink Rose, 2016/2023 Cast Aluminum, Paint, Stainless Steel 825 × 289 × 307 cm Fredriksen Family Collection Photo: National Gallery-State Museums For Berlin/Jens Pull Courtesy Galerie Buchholz , Bonn 2023
The start of the exhibition is the gigantic rose sculpture (2016/23) , which is placed on the terrace of the museum and represents a truly impressive picture. All works are divided chronologically between 1977 and 2023, so that every single work can be viewed completely - also thanks to their placement along the entire upper hall.
Viewers can thus circle and go through any work of art; This access enables you to take a close look at every aspect of each scene - right as you like!
Important stations in the life and work of the artist
Minimal way - ellipsoid and hyperbolos
the group of ellipsoid and hyperboloids from 1976 to 1982 under the influence of the US minimal way . These wooden sculptures , which are between six and twelve meters long, lie up on the floor at one point. The basic shape of the hyperboloids consists of a concave line and you touch the floor at two points.
Isa Genzken, Blau-Grau-Gelbe Hyperbolo 'Elbe', 1981 Wood, Lack/Wood, Lacquer 20 x 20 x 544 cm private collection Berlin Courtesy Galerie Buchholz/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023
With the help of a physicist from the University of Cologne, ISA Genzken calculated the diameter and dimensions of these works of art on the computer. In contrast to the minimal way, it was important for the artist that viewers can recognize something through her association - for example a spear, toothpick or a boat.
Plaster as a new medium of choice
In the late eighties, ISA Genkzen turned to new materials: plaster became her new medium of her choice. It made smaller sculptures with the help of various fabrics such as wood, paper or glass.
These improvised formats are contrasting to the elegance and technical preszision of wooden works such as ellipsoid/hyperboloids; Instead, it turns to more materiality objects of everyday life.
Concrete sculptures and associations for architecture
In 1985, this outstanding artist also created another work series-this time consisting of concrete sculptures : world receivers with antennas clearly refer to function (s), namely the simultaneous sending and receiving.
Genzken dealt intensively with architecture and urban planning , whereby it was particularly fascinated by New York and Berlin . From 1988 she started creating concrete sculptures These arouse associations with the urban planning of the 1950s and 1960s- such as Le Corbusiers "Unité d'Habitation" in Berlin .
In 1990, Genzken broke out of this pattern: it designed the Window series . It becomes particularly clear how her art communicates in a playful way with the glass architecture by Mies van der Rohe- both indoors and outdoors.
The sculpture "X" (1992) in turn refers to the facade of the John Hancock building in Chicago (1965–69). For the first time, load -bearing parts are outside the building in the building - an idea that was processed by genzkens work. sculpture presented during Documenta IXskeleton made of steel crosses .
New York and pillars made of epoxy resin
Wolfgang Tillmans Isa in Her Studio, 2002 Courtesy Gallery Buchholz
Between 1994 and 2003, Genzken also created a number of columns/stelae using epoxy resin . These works also testify to the attraction of New York for the artist herself: they consist of a collagen -like manner, among other things, perforated sheets above a wood structure base as well as vermrors mirrors holographic maps and photographicreproductions .
Paradigm shift
Isa Genzkens 2003 Empire/Vampire Werk series, who Kills Death is considered a paradigm shift in her work. Like film scenes, figure configurations stand on base that become stages for absurd and violent stories. The title is derived from the Empire State Building, while Vampires comes from the Chrysler Building.
Toy figures crawl or climb on oversized vases and glasses; Wine glasses symbolize rituals, festivals and intoxicating states.
Her series Untitled (2006) follows this narrative approach: Sitting small children's dolls are leaving under torn parasols that do not offer any protection. The human body has always played an important role in Isa Genzkens' work - analogies to architecture or relationships with the body of the viewer are examples.
Mannequins
Since 2007 it has been increasingly using commercially available mannequins that are industrially manufactured and have standardized proportions, limited posing repertoire as well as expressionless faces and uniform surfaces.
ISA Genzken, actor, 2013 shop man, fabric, plastic, metal, wood, lacquer/mannequin, fabric, plastic, Metal, Metal, Lacquer 160 x 70 cm private collection Rheinland Courtesy Galerie Buchholz/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023
Equipped with helmets that are too big for your heads, they wear accessories that protect against external threats against mirrors n instead of reception signals.
Many of the clothes shown come directly from Genzken's own wardrobe repertoire.
The exhibition includes one of the latest work called "Untitled" (2018) , which covers the floor with a collage of different materials such as magazines, newspapers, shopping bags and photographs in a gentle way.
Between 1989 and 1991, Genzken began to collect illustrations from the magazine "The Mirrors ". The work therefore not only captures a piece of history in Germany, but also important events such as the end of the Cold War and the era before the first Gulf War are documented.
All important data for the exhibition "Isa Genzken. 75/75"
Isa Genzken. 75/75
Location: Kulturforum, Neue Nationalgalerie Potsdamer Straße 50, 10785 Berlin
All works of art in this exhibition were transported by land transport. This is a low -carbon way to transport works of art, since transportation on the road is ten times less carbon than the transport of the same objects by plane.
The exhibition is made possible by the friends of the National Gallery.
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Concept art is an artistic style was shaped Sol Lewitt in the 1960s
The origins of concept art are in minimalism (English: minimal art), and with it the theories and tendencies of abstract painting further developed.
What is special about this style is the fact that the execution of the work of art is of minor importance and does not have to be carried out by the artist himself. The focus is on the concept and idea that are considered equivalent to artistic work.
In this section of the art blog you will find numerous contributions and content on this topic complex as well as representatives, exhibitions and trends.
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