Birgir Snaebjörn Birgisson: Ladies, Beautiful Ladies Exhibition at Helsinki Contemporary

Birgir Snaebjörn Birgisson 

Ladies, Beautiful Ladies 

Helsinki Contemporary, Helsinki 

November 28 - December 21, 2014

A scientific article back from 2007 claims that men have “a blonde moment” when encountering an image of a beautiful blonde woman. This means that their mental performance declines, mimicking the unconscious stereotype of a blonde. This article has puzzled the Icelandic artist Birgir Snæbjörn Birgisson ever since.

The two-part exhibition project Ladies, Beautiful Ladies follows up on the latest developments of Birgisson’s ongoing project focusing on the question of politics of representation, addressed through the visual negotiations of blondes in our cultural environments. The theme of blondes has reoccured in Birgisson’s work for over a decade now, the subject matter varying from blonde nurses to blonde Miss World contest winners.

In Ladies, Beautiful Ladies Birgisson presents a variety of works that reach from paintings on canvas via installation on site to works on paper. What connects all the different media is the issue of how identities are made and shaped, distributed and retold, rooted and rebounded.

The work Blonde Musicians consists of over 400 old LP covers – only a selection of them presented in the exhibition – dating from the 1960’s to the 80’s, which Birgisson collected from fleamarkets. He painted over the covers in pastel colours, cropping out everything in the background, focusing on the figure that is then left visible: obviously, a blonde beautiful woman.

“The repetition in the work deals with both the reclarification and volume of the mass-produced things – finding it interesting to say the same things often and all over – and the way in which through repetition it deletes the original meaning and gives room to a new and other meanings.” - Birgir Snæbjörn Birgisson

The exhibition underlines the actively politicized versions of what is beautiful and how that is used and abused – from any sides of the equation, wishes, wants and fears. The works confront the theme of what is believed and seen as beautiful. They are not illustrations, not an explanation of a phenomena or a clarification of an effect. Neither are they celebration or glorifications of the inherent quirkiness of our relationship towards beauty and blondes.

The first part of the exhibition project was shown in ASÍ Art Gallery in Reykjavík, Iceland. 

BIRGIR SNÆBJÖRN BIRGISSON (b. 1966) is an Icelandic artist, graduated in the beginning of the 90’s. Blondes have reoccurred as a theme is his work for over a decade. His works have been seen in group shows and solo exhibitions in Europe and North America in both galleries and museums, e.g. Stop for a moment – Painting as Narrative, group show, Proje4L, Istanbul Museum of Contemporary Art 2002; Pleasure Principle, group show, Kling & Bang, Reykjavik 2011 and Galleri Björkholmen, Stockholm 2011 and Blonde Miss World 1951-, solo exhibition, Reykjavík Art Museum 2007.

HELSINKI CONTEMPORARY

Bulevardi 10, 00120 Helsinki

helsinkicontemporary.com

Samiro Yunoki, MNAAG, Musée Guimet, Paris : La danse des formes. Textiles de Samiro Yunoki

La danse des formes. Textiles de Samiro Yunoki 
MNAAG, Musée Guimet, Paris
Jusqu'au 12 janvier 2015

Cette exposition marque l’entrée dans les collections de 71 œuvres, essentiellement textiles, données au musée national des arts asiatiques - Guimet par Samiro Yunoki, artiste japonais né en 1922 à Tokyo.

Issu d’une famille d’artistes, Samiro Yunoki s’oriente vers des études d’histoire, d’art et d’esthétique au sein de l’université de Tokyo et s’intéresse après la Seconde Guerre mondiale au travail du textile et des techniques artisanales, en suivant les enseignements de Keisuke Serizawa, grand artiste japonais (1895-1984) dont il fut l’élève.

La diversité des pièces de la donation reflète la variété de son œuvre qui allie savoir ancestral et vision moderne, tant dans les techniques et matériaux employés que dans les motifs décoratifs eux-mêmes. Eclatantes de modernité, ces œuvres attestent d’une parfaite maitrise de la technique japonaise de la teinture au pochoir, technique du katazome, littéralement « teinture à partir d’une forme ».

L’artiste se distingue également par l’emploi de couleurs vives, en parfaite harmonie avec la texture du tissu ainsi que par des motifs imaginaires abstraits mais si évocateurs qu’ils en deviennent presque figuratifs. Une extrême clarté des formes et un remarquable sens du mouvement donnent un caractère singulier à l’œuvre de Samiro Yunoki qui, outre les textiles, s’exprime sur des supports très diversifiés tels que peinture sur verre, collages, sculptures ou livres illustrés pour enfants.

En marge d’œuvres imprégnées par le Japon traditionnel, une grande partie de son travail est très ouvertement influencée par l’Occident et notamment Matisse. Yunoki ne considère pas ses textiles comme de simples décors en aplats mais comme des objets d’art tridimensionnels et dynamiques qui se déploient dans l’espace.

Autour de l’exposition, tarifs, informations pratiques et horaires :
www.guimet.fr

Présidente de l’établissement : Sophie Makariou
Commissaire : Aurélie Samuel, chargée de la section textiles au MNAAG

Samiro Yunoki. La danse des formes 

Catalogue de l'exposition

Coédition musée national des arts asiatiques – Guimet / Réunion des musées nationaux – Grand Palais, 2014

Auteurs : Samiro Yunoki ; Aurélie Samuel ; Kévin Kennel, assistant section Textiles au MNAAG.

Broché, 48 pages, 40 illustrations - Prix : 10 euros 

Ann Edholm at Galerie Nordenhake, Berlin - Trotz

Ann Edholm: Trotz
Galerie Nordenhake, Berlin
November 15, 2014 - January 10, 2015

Galerie Nordenhake presents new and recent works by Ann Edholm from her latest body of work titled Trotz (In Spite of All). With an elaborate network of cultural, religious and symbolic references Ann Edholm meticulously merges classical painting with elemental geometric shapes and slight painterly gestures. The size of the canvases and the relationship between form, scale and colour in the compositions subtly define the meeting between viewer and painting.

Working in extended series Ann Edholm often stages large, occasionally even monumental, paintings that straddle both geometric abstraction and subtle expressionism. The latter reveals itself in barely perceptible details, such as small fingerprints or smear marks made by the brush or, more often, the palette knife, thus destabilising the seemingly solid compositional patterns of basic geometric shapes, simultaneously reminiscent of, for instance, the Russian Suprematist Kazimir Malevich and the American Abstract Expressionist Barnett Newman. Her latest paintings from Trotz connect to these sources as well as they point to profound layers of Expressionism in her oeuvre.

Looking at the “Trotz”-paintings art historian Tom Sandqvist emphasises the painter’s specific and decidedly non-abstract approach: „Ann Edholm has again and again fought against the conception of being an abstract painter. Now it’s obvious that her paintings are more than realistic, they are – indeed – painfully real confronting us with our own dark ugliness.”

The four large scale black and red paintings from the series Trotz entitled Oświęcim (2014) are based on the four famous photos taken inside Auschwitz–today’s Oświęcim–by prisoners in 1944, discussed by French philosopher and art historian Georges Didi-Huberman in his book Images malgré tout (2004). Of one and a half million surviving photos related to Nazi concentration camps, only four depict the actual process of mass killing perpetrated at the gas chambers. These images, taken clandestinely in spite of the ban of images by one of the Jewish prisoners forced to help carry out the atrocities, were made as a potent act of resistance. Ann Edholm’s paintings hereby also are an act of resistance, as they remind us not only of our own pain in realising who we really are, but also of our greatness when refusing to forget and why we make images in spite of all. Didi-Huberman’s relentless consideration of these harrowing scenes demonstrates how Holocaust testimony can shift from texts and imaginations to irrefutable images that attempt to speak the unspeakable. Indeed, Didi-Huberman puts the agenda already in his first sentence: ”In order to know, we must imagine for ourselves.”

ANN EDHOLM was born in Stockholm in 1953, and now lives and works in Nyköping, Sweden. Last year her site-specific commission for the ECOSOC Session Chamber at the United Nations headquarters in New York DIALOGOS was inaugurated. Ann Edholm has had solo exhibitions at Karlskrona Konsthall (2012), Millersgården (with Håkan Rehnberg) in Stockholm (2007), Göteborgs Konstmuseum (2003), and Uppsala Konstmuseum (2003) among others. In 2009 she participated in the Tirana Biennial, Albania. Her works have been exhibited in group exhibitions at abc - art Berlin Contemporary in Berlin (2011), Immanuel Kant State University in Kaliningrad (2006), IASPIS in Stockholm (1999), Rooseum in Malmö (1996 and 1992), Frankfurter Kunstverein in Frankfurt/Main (1995), Moderna Museet in Stockholm (1995 and 1991), and PS1 in New York (1988). In 2007 she was honoured with an award from the Landstinget Sörmlands artist fund and was awarded with the second price of the Carnegie Art Award 2012. She has been exhibiting with Galerie Nordenhake since 1994.

GALERIE NORDENHAKE
Lindenstrasse 34, 10969 Berlin
www.nordenhake.com

Nacho Carbonell, Groninger Museum - Inspiration, evolution and transience

Nacho Carbonell

Inspiration, evolution and transience

Groninger Museum

22 November 2014 - 22 March 2015

The Groningen Museum presents the work of Nacho Carbonell (Valencia 1980), one of the most remarkable young designers of the present day. He graduated cum laude from the Design Academy Eindhoven, and at Design Miami Basel in 2009 he was proclaimed Designer of the Future. In that same year, the Design Museum in London nominated his Lover’s Chair as Design of the Year. The Groninger Museum has been following Nacho Carbonell for quite some time. This first large-scale solo exhibition, presenting much new work, forms the conclusion to this cooperation.

Objects that lie at the interface of design and art are a characteristic feature of Nacho Carbonell’s work. He has a recognizable form language and a striking choice of material. His work and work process are light-footed, but are simultaneously critical investigations into the relation between people and objects as well as their symbolic significance. In an ongoing experiment, he researches themes such as inspiration, evolution and transience. 

The interactive and behaviour-determining (or even coercive) elements are also of the utmost importance. For instance, Nacho Carbonell regards objects as a kind of organism that brings visitors to life when they use them. Creeping away, secluding oneself or hiding in cavernous forms is typical of his work, and evokes associations with scenes from the work of the Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516). 

GRONINGER MUSEUM

Museumeiland 1 - 9711 ME Groningen, The Netherlands

www.groningermuseum.nl

Maartje Korstanje, Groninger Museum - Irregular sculptures with soul

Maartje Korstanje
Irregular sculptures with soul
Groninger Museum
22 November 2014 - 22 March 2015

Maartje Korstanje (Goes 1982) makes irregular sculptures, mainly out of cardboard supplemented by diverse other materials. These are often large, room-filling objects that, with their organic forms, induce ideas of tree roots, insects or carcasses. Ambiguity and animation are important concepts in her work, in which she explores the twilight zone where beauty acquires a sinister edge and where doubt raises its ugly head: ‘Has it just died, or is it now coming to life?’ Maartje Korstanje studied at the St. Joost Academie in Breda and the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam. The Groninger Museum has been following her for quite some time and this exhibition is her most extensive one up to the present. Most of the work shown here has been made especially for the occasion.

Much of Maartje Korstanje’s (earlier) work refers to animal shapes and other recognizable natural objects. That work expresses a deep fascination for animals and nature, something that is not surprising for someone who grew up on a farm in the Province of Zeeland. But in addition to these recognizable elements, her work also has a very outspoken formal side. It can be regarded as an ongoing investigation into form and material, in which classical sculptural principles such as composition, structure and texture are all equally important.

The result is not determined in advance but develops during the process of creation – kneading and pasting. Originally she mainly used papier-mâché, which she replaced with cardboard after a time. She gradually expanded her arsenal with silver leaf, synthetic materials, ceramics, bronze, textile and existing objects such as a cart. She introduces tension into her work by playing with contrasts: dry and (apparently) wet, brownish and unnaturally brightly coloured, round and spiky, hard and soft, figurative and abstract. Maartje Korstanje’s work has become more stratified in the course of time. It ranges from literal quotes or references to living creatures and current events (such as bee extinction) to existential and universal themes such as life and death, the boundary between organisms and objects, culture and nature.

GRONINGER MUSEUM
Museumeiland 1 - 9711 ME Groningen, The Netherlands
www.groningermuseum.nl

Neïl Beloufa, Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff, Alberta - Counting on People

Neïl Beloufa: Counting on People 
Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff, Alberta
November 8, 2014 - March 1, 2015

Walter Phillips Gallery, in collaboration with the Institute for Contemporary Arts (ICA), London, presents an exhibition of new work by the French and Algerian artist Neïl Beloufa. Combining video and sculptural elements, the works in Counting on People reflect on the ways in which society and our interpersonal relationships are highly influenced by changing digital technology. It is Neïl Beloufa’s first North American solo exhibition.

“Neïl is an important young contemporary artist, and it has been fantastic working with him to develop this new body of work! This exhibition will challenge the audience’s perception of sculptural and video artwork. We are thrilled to be partnering with the ICA, London to present this exhibition, where it is simultaneously being staged – an incredible task for both galleries and artist,” says Jen Mizuik, director of visual and digital art at The Banff Centre.

Counting on People is the North American premiere of two new films co-commissioned by Walter Phillips Gallery, The Banff Centre, and the ICA. Filmed in Banff, the first film, Data for Desire (2014) seeks to explore and predict, via statistical analysis, the romantic actions of a group of North American teenagers at a house party, highlighting the unpredictable nature of attraction.

The theme of desire continues in Home is Whenever I’m With You (2014). This science fiction drama reflects on the ways we communicate via social media, and how these developments in technology change how we receive information. Home is Whenever I’m With You was filmed in Banff and Calgary.

Two of Neïl Beloufa’s previous works are also included in the exhibition: VENGEANCE (2014) documents the artist’s collaboration with secondary school students in a suburb of Paris; and World Domination (2012) depicts a geopolitical role-play where members of the public meet and make decisions about local and international issues.

Neïl Beloufa puts the viewer at the heart of his exhibition arrangements, offering familiar images of the world while deconstructing their codes, symbols, myths, and economic systems.

The French and Algerian artist Neïl Beloufa (b. 1985) lives and works in Paris. Having studied at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris; the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, Paris; California Institute of the Arts, Valencia; Cooper Union, New York; and Le Fresnoy–Studio National des Arts Contemporain, Tourcoing,  he has gone on to exhibit internationally in contemporary art institutions as well as in film festivals. Recent solo exhibitions of his work have taken place at the Mendes Wood Gallery, Sao Paolo (2014); Fondation d’Entreprise Ricard, Paris (2014); the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2013); Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2012) Kunstraum Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria (2012) and Western Front, Vancouver (2011).  His videos have been screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (2011); the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Netherlands (2009, 2012, 2014); and the London Film Festival (2009, 2010, 2011), and he was awarded grand prizes at the 54th (2008) and 57th (2011) Oberhausen Film Festival, Oberhausen. Beloufa has been the recipient of several awards, including the Audi Talent Award, Paris (2011), the Studio Collector prize by Agnes B. (2011) and most recently the Meurice Prize for Contemporary Art (2013).

WALTER PHILLIPS GALLERY
The Banff Centre
107 Tunnel Mountain Drive, Banff, Alberta
www.banffcentre.ca

Ai Weiwei at La Virreina Image Centre, Barcelona

Ai Weiwei: On the Table
La Virreina Image Centre, Barcelona
5 November 2014 - 1 February 2015

On the Table. Ai Weiwei offers a comprehensive view of the artist's life and work through the display of a variety of artworks and materials, set up to match the scale of La Virreina Image Centre.

The exhibition aims to give an idea of the scope of Ai Weiwei's artistic career, from his beginnings in 1980s New York to his present-day status as the best-known and most influential Chinese artist in the world. Work by this media-savvy activist calling for greater freedom in China can now be found in leading contemporary art museums and collections worldwide.

Ai Weiwei makes use of a number of artistic practices, including photography and documentary film, sculpture, design and architecture, in operations that transcend formats and disciplines to create images that infiltrate and propagate through social networks and popular culture. In addition to several key pieces for appreciating this artist’s work, the show at La Virreina Image Centre also presents unseen work, new productions and installations by Ai Weiwei specially designed for this exhibition.

Curator: Rosa Pera

AI WEIWEI

Ai Weiwei is well known for his longstanding confrontation with the Chinese communist government and for his large-scale installations in leading contemporary art museums and events worldwide. He works on a global scale with any format and medium that comes to hand—or simply invents new ones.

A staunch defender in the struggle for freedom, he has used his work as a potent mouthpiece for speaking out against the unseen repression and censorship as China opens up to capitalist markets. As an artist, he strives tirelessly to raise critical awareness in society.

On the Table. Ai Weiwei aims to give a comprehensive overview of his work by exploring some of his best-known pieces alongside previously unseen work. Ai Weiwei makes use of a wide range of techniques—including photography, architecture, video, sculpture, graphic design, installations, objects and music videos, among others—but central to all his work is the role of the image as a construction and vehicle for reality. He then uses this to explore the tensions between truth and lies, evidence and ambiguity, control and freedom, politics, art, power and society.

Ai Weiwei sees art as a device for striking up dialogues within various contexts, comparing and contrasting different traditions and visions, negotiating, dissecting, projecting and sharing: like a table on which we can lay out our credentials and show our cards, discovering what is underneath and, if necessary, turning the tables.

Rosa Pera

La Virreina Image Centre and La Fábrica have prepared a catalogue to accompany the exhibition On the Table. Ai Weiwei. It offers an insightful rereading of the artist’s work and runs to 180 pages, including over 240 pictures of 42 pieces. The idea, design, editing and sequence of images were all personally overseen by Ai Weiwei himself. The catalogue also includes an interview with the artist in his studio in Beijing by Llucià Homs, director of La Virreina Image Centre, and an essay by Rosa Pera, curator of the show, entitled Image and Power in Three Movements and a Device.

La Virreina Centre de la Imatge
Palau de la Virreina
La Rambla, 99. 08002 Barcelona
http://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/lavirreina/en/