NIKA PROJECT SPACE PRESENTS EXHIBITION ‘BEGHOST’ UNVEILING TIMELESS ECHOES TRANSCENDING BOUNDARIES OF GEOLOGY AND ART

Sculpting time through the lens of transformation, Nika Neelova’s solo exhibition mirrors the constant flux of material exchanges that define our world by merging chemistry, alchemy, and geology.

Opening Preview: May 16, 2024

On View: May 17- October 5, 2024

May 15, 2024 (Dubai, UAE) – NIKA Project Space presents ‘Beghost,’ a solo exhibition by London-based artist Nika Neelova, on view from May 17 – October 5, 2024. The show will feature sculptures, crafted from various materials including glass, clay, and fossilized shark teeth, offering a speculative view of the ancient marine life that once inhabited Buhais Geology Park and Jebel Buhais, an archaeological site in Al Madam Plain (Sharjah, UAE). Narrating a story of transformation and decay, the new works are placed in direct dialogue with fossils from Nirmal Rajah’s collection, the archaeologist, who in 2015 led an expedition to discover fossils in the Ariyalur district in Tamil Nadu, contributing to the production of the first English documentary focusing on India's remains.

‘Beghost’ traces the history of Sharjah region backwards, endowing the desert with the spirit of water that has long disappeared, but has left its fossilized traces in the geological record, encrypted in the rocks. The artist engages with the vast materiality of the geological history, exploring further how rock erodes into sand and clay, sand with silica becomes glass and clay petrifies upon contact with air, hardening into form. Reflecting these natural sequences, all materials of Neelova’s sculptures are engaged in a constant cycle of metamorphosis, alluding to the never-ending recycling of matter on the planet, merging chemistry, alchemy and geology.

Following the impressions of Neelova’s research trip to the UAE in August 2022 supported through the Residency & Research programme by NIKA Project Space, the artist reflects: ‘This terrain was, in fact, the site of a prehistoric sea that covered most of Arabia until geologically recent times. I imagined the ancient waters buried under the sand dunes, the landscape changing slowly over 93 million years, descending into the blue underworld. Among the layers of sedimented time and these prehistoric rocks, the exhibition conjures the oceanic subconscious of the desert, of the sand dunes haunted by the memory of water, and their watery ancestors.’

The glass medusas’ sculptures titled ‘Medusa series,’ 2023, are crafted from antique chandelier fragments, fused with handblown flame-like glass elements. Inheriting their shapes from fire, the sculptures remind us of the primary purpose of their forebears, the chandeliers, to provide light, and at the same time reflect the transparent qualities of the animal itself. The inverted fragmented tree-like sculpture ‘And their phantoms,’ 2023, holds hundreds of decapitated rose stems made from fossilized shark teeth of extinct species dating over 30 million years, set into hardened clay, thereby bridging the futility and short life span of flowers with the vast temporalities of deep time. The ripple stone piece titled ‘Stones,’ 2023, created by fingerprints left in soft beds of petrified clay, witnesses the moments of interaction between humanity and nature, mimicking the pockmarks on the planet’s skin, a vast network of now dying lakes. Strewn across the upstairs floor of the gallery, the skeletal lemniscate sculptures, ‘Untitled,’ 2021, reference the ouroboros, an ancient symbol of a mythical snake devouring its own tail, representing the eternal cycles of destruction and rebirth. Reminiscent of the remains of prehistoric creatures, the sinuous flowing sculptures are made from reclaimed handrails from several flights of stairs.

Sophie J. Williamson explores in her essay 'Seepages' the concept of decay as a flexible architecture forever reconstructing itself by Reza Negarestani, who explains that all structures, physical or socio-political, are perpetually unraveling, only momentarily appearing whole. ‘Beghost’ mirrors this concept, illustrating the transient nature of reality, where distinctions blur between human and non-human, organic and inorganic, all destined for continual material flux and recycling on Earth, existing between geological cycles, and eroding time scales.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

‘Beghost’ by Nika Neelova will be on view at NIKA Project Space from May 17 – October 5, 2024.

Address:
NIKA Project Space
Al Khayat Avenue, Unit 11, 19th Street Road – Al Quoz 1. First Al Khail Street, Dubai, UAE.

About NIKA Project Space
NIKA Project Space is a UAE-based gallery that fosters the artistic inquiry of emerging and established artists and curators internationally, with a focus on practitioners from the Global South. Founded in 2023 by Veronika Berezina, the gallery serves as a platform for artistic discourse and experimentation and champions the work of female artists and curators. In addition to exhibitions which focus on conceptualization, abstraction, and philosophical inquiry, NIKA Project Space offers a critically engaged programme that emphasizes contemporaneity and dialogue through talks, performances, and educational initiatives. The gallery also hosts a research programme, inviting artists to create impactful new works that implement research-based and experimental creative processes, ultimately facilitating the exploration and portrayal of nuanced societal experiences and historical narratives. Located in Al Khayat Avenue in Dubai’s industrial district Al Quoz, the 250-square-metre NIKA project space is designed by award-winning international practice T.ZED Architects to serve as a catalyst for artistic, cultural, and philosophical inquiry.

The NIKA Project Space Residency & Research programme supports experiments in art, creative practice and interdisciplinary dialogue. It provides a platform for artists to delve into the cultural and social nuances of a chosen region, offering a depth of experience that fosters the exchange of ideas. Launched in 2022, the programme invites artists to create new work using research-based and experimental creative processes, facilitating the exploration and representation of nuanced societal experiences and historical narratives. The programme ranges in length from one week to a month, and fosters connections between the artist and the local community by embedding them within a region’s cultural and social fabric. Through artistic collaboration and exploration, the programme aims to bridge cultural gaps and promote understanding. The artists collaborate with locally based curators, bringing the issues and experiences of the Global South to a worldwide audience. nika-projects.com

About Veronika Berezina:
Veronika Berezina is the founder of NIKA Project Space, a UAE-based gallery that fosters the artistic inquiry of

emerging and established artists and curators. Committed to providing a space for discourse and critical engagement, Berezina opened the doors to NIKA Project Space in Dubai in March 2023 and has since worked in tandem with international practitioners, with a focus on artists and curators from the Global South. Through a considered approach, Berezina is building a rigorous roster of artists and focusing on expanding the gallery’s research programme and publishing arm. Born in St. Petersburg, Berezina formerly held a career as a lawyer. In 2022, she relocated to Dubai to pursue her goal of opening a gallery. NIKA Project Space evolved from over a decade of private collecting and patronage.

About Nika Neelova:
Nika Neelova lives and works in London, where she received her Masters Degree from the Slade School of Art, after graduating with a BA degree from the Royal Art Academy, KABK. Her work has been exhibited in the United Kingdom and internationally, recent solo exhibitions include ‘Very Like a Whale’ at the Santorini Museum in Greece (2023), ‘Thaw’ at Noire Gallery in Turin (2023), ‘One of Many Fragments’ at the New Art Centre, Roche Court (2021), ‘Silt’ at Brighton CCA (2021), CELINE Art Project curated by Hedi Slimane for Celine London (2021), [ъ] [ы] [ь] at Garage MCA (2021), ‘Ever’ at The Tetley, Leeds (2019).
Selected group exhibitions include: ‘(Everything) is not what it seems’ curated by Mara Ambrosic for the Piran Coastal Galleries Museum (2023) & NITJA museum, Oslo (2022), From Birth to Earth, Parafin, London (2023), Frieze Allied Editions (2021); ‘Her Dark Materials’ curated by Philly Adams (2021), Art Newspaper 40th Anniversary project (2021), ‘She Sees the Shadows’ curated by Olivia Leahy and Adam Carr for DRAF & Mostyn

museum, Wales (2018), ‘Seventeen. The Age of Nymphs’ curated by Daria Khan for Mimosa House, London (2017), ‘Theatre of the Absurd’, Green Art Gallery, Dubai (2017).
Nika Neelova was awarded the Kenneth Armitage Young Sculptor Prize, the Land Security Prize Award, the Royal British Society of Sculptors Bursary Award and was the winner of Saatchi New Sensations. In 2017 Neelova attended an alternative study program organised by the Wysing Art Centre in Cambridge. In 2019 she was awarded the Arts Council National Lottery Grant supporting the development of her practice.

Nika Neelova first gained recognition for her large scale sculptures and sculptural installations, depicting complex, imaginary environments that suggest a place or a landscape out of time. She participated in numerous residencies and her work is represented in various public and private collections internationally.

About Nirmal Rajah:
Nirmal Rajah, originally from India and now based in the UAE, is deeply passionate about exploring and educating others about the natural world. Currently serving as the head of education at the Mleiha Archaeological Center in Sharjah, Nirmal has a bachelor's degree in zoology, a master's in biotechnology, and is about to begin his Ph.D. Since 2008, he has dedicated himself to the study of evolutionary biology and paleontology, actively collecting fossils and studying them.

Nirmal's commitment to sharing knowledge extends beyond academia. He has been involved in projects aimed at popularizing paleontology, including contributing to the production of the first English documentary focusing on India's fossils in 2015, aiming to showcase his homeland's rich geological heritage to a wider audience. He has also co-founded a YouTube channel dedicated to discussing natural history, attracting over 123k subscribers.

Apart from scientific publications, he has also authored a book, a prehistoric fiction based on the prehistoric fauna and flora he encountered through fossils in Southern India. It was published by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. Nirmal is a member of the Royal Society of Biology, the Indian Society for Evolutionary Biologists, and the Indian Society of Earth Scientists.

Outside of his professional pursuits, Nirmal enjoys exploring geologically significant sites across India, the UAE, and beyond. Additionally, he is a part-time astronomer, often engaging in discussions about the universe with others when he's not discussing Earth's history.

Image Credits:
1.Nika Neelova. Untitled. 2021. Wood. Variable dimensions. Courtesy of The New Art Centre, Roche Court.
2.Nika Neelova. Medusa series, 2023. Handblown glass, reclaimed antique chandelier parts. Variable dimensions. Image courtesy of the artist.
3.Nika Neelova. And their phantoms. Fossilised shark teeth set in clay, expoxy, oil. 2023. Image courtesy of the artist.

PDF

DAS MINSK KUNSTHAUS PRESENTS LARGEST INSTITUTIONAL RESTROSPECTIVE TO DATE OF AMERICAN PAINTER NOAH DAVIS

On View: September 7, 2024 – January 5, 2025

May 14, 2024 (Potsdam, Germany) – DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam presents the largest institutional survey to date of the late artist Noah Davis (1983-2015), on view from September 7, 2024, to January 5, 2025. Bringing together over 50 works spanning the artist’s complete oeuvre, this major touring exhibition titled ‘Noah Davis’ offers a comprehensive overview of the artist’s extraordinary practice. It will be the artist’s inaugural institutional retrospective, which will subsequently travel to the Barbican, London and the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles.

Curated chronologically, the retrospective presents Davis’ relentless creativity and curiosity commencing with his first exhibition in 2007, spanning eight years until his untimely death in 2015. Featuring previously unseen paintings, works on paper and sculpture, the exhibition pays special attention to the art historical and conceptual approaches in his practice, revealing that art history, imagery, humor, and above all, people, were the epicenter of his work.

Committed to showing modern and contemporary art with a focus on art from the former GDR, DAS MINSK continues its conversation with the past from a contemporary perspective. The show at DAS MINSK highlights the artist’s unique perspective and extensive knowledge of the history of figurative painting, including German art, ranging from Neue Sachlichkeit and Magischer Realismus to the Leipziger Schule, while it simultaneously reveals, how his motifs riff on the so-called canon and question it by including his surroundings and community.

Based primarily in Los Angeles, Davis created a body of figurative paintings that explore a range of Black life. Believing he had a “responsibility to represent the people” around him, Davis drew on anonymous photography found in flea markets, personal archives, film and television, music, literature, art history and his imagination to create a ravishing body of work. Figures dive into swimming pools, sleep, dance, play music, read, and look at public art in settings that can be both realistic and dreamlike, joyful, and melancholic. Often enigmatic, sometimes uncanny, Davis’ paintings reveal a deep feeling for people, humanity, and the existential and universal layers of everyday life.

Motivated by the desire to ‘change the way people view art, the way they buy art, the way they make art’, Noah Davis and his wife Karon Davis co-founded The Underground Museum in 2012, an internationally renowned institution in the historically Black and Latinx neighborhood of Arlington Heights, Los Angeles.

The exhibition Noah Davis is initiated by Barbican, London and DAS MINSK, Potsdam. This project is organized in close collaboration with the Estate of Noah Davis and David Zwirner Gallery.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Locations:

DAS MINSK, Potsdam, Germany | September 7, 2024 – January 5, 2025. Curated by Paola Malavassi Barbican, London, UK | February 6 – May 11, 2025. Curated by Eleanor Nairne and Wells Fray-Smith The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, USA | June 8 – August 31, 2025. Curated by Aram Moshayedi

The exhibition is organized by the Barbican, London and initiated with DAS MINSK, Potsdam. The presentation at the Hammer is organized by Aram Moshayedi, interim chief curator.

Address:

DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam
Max-Planck-Straße 17 14473, Potsdam Germany

Opening Hours:

Wednesday – Monday: 10 am - 7 pm Closed on Tuesdays

About Noah Davis:

Born in 1983 in Seattle, Washington, Noah Davis set up a studio for himself as a teenager and studied briefly at Cooper Union in New York before pursuing his own artistic education. In 2004, he relocated to Los Angeles and began working at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) bookshop, allowing him to indulge his insatiable appetite for cultural history, particularly in the realm of painting. Drawing on the legacy of painters ranging from Mark Rothko to Marlene Dumas and Kerry James Marshall, he experimented with different painterly styles. Davis co-founded The Underground Museum in Arlington Heights in 2012 where he curated a series of group exhibitions and devised a collaboration with the MOCA, Los Angeles.

Image Credits:

1. Noah Davis, Isis, 2009. Mellon Foundation Art Collection © The Estate of Noah Davis. Courtesy The Estate of Noah Davis und David Zwirner.
2. Noah Davis, Untitled, 2015. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis in honor of Jerry Speyer’s 80th birthday, 2020. © The Estate of Noah Davis. Courtesy The Estate of Noah Davis and David Zwirner.

PDF

A R T Communication + Brand Consultancy Announces the Global PR Representation of Avant Mar, a boutique hotel in Paros

Now open for the 2024 season, the new hotel with exclusive seaside views embodies the island's Cycladic charm, while introducing Nobu-style cuisine, Matsuhisa Paros for the first time.

May 13, 2024 (Paros, Greece) – A R T Communication + Brand Consultancy announces the global PR representation of Avant Mar, a new five-star boutique resort nestled in the picturesque island of Paros, Greece. A member of the Leading Hotels of the World, the property is situated amidst the serene landscape within the fishing town of Naoussa, emerging as a testament to inspired minimalist architecture seamlessly blending with the surrounding natural beauty. Directly translated as ‘in front of the sea,’ Avant Mar is adorned on the shores of the Aegean Sea and stretches across the charming Piperi beach. The hotel brings the esteemed Nobu-style culinary experience to the Cycladic island for the very first time, introducing Matsuhisa Paros to the local gastro-scene.

The island of Paros is celebrated for its traditional allure and tranquility, embodying the essence of Greece with its abundant natural splendor, historic villages, scenic alleys adorned with bougainvillea, and vast stretches of golden beaches. Following the island’s reputation as the quintessence of relaxed Greek living, the hotel is a harmonious fusion of the Aegean Island life, traditional Cycladic elements, and contemporary design aesthetics, incorporating clean lines, minimalist decor, and locally sourced materials. Located at a five-minute walking distance from the town of Naoussa and celebrating its local legacy and continued tradition, Avant Mar becomes the perfect blend of homegrown charm with elevated hospitality, with 38 meticulously designed rooms and suites, including seven suites with plunge pools and the Avant Mar Premium Suite with its pool.

Set across 6,100 square meters enriched with waterfront views, Avant Mar offers a variety of amenities, ensuring a truly immersive hospitality experience, including Thymes – an all-day restaurant, Figs – a Greek pastry shop, The Bridge – a G&T bar opening at the end of May 2024, a Wellness area with outdoor heated pool, Nikos Koulis Jewels Boutique and Chef Nobu’s Matsuhisa Paros, a fine dining restaurant.

The island of Paros played a pivotal role in crafting the architectural identity of the Aegean Islands and has been known since ancient times for the Parian marble found in great sculptural masterpieces, such as the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory of Samothrace. Inspired by these renowned local elements, Avant Mar draws directly from Parian architecture including arches, geometric patterns, and imperfect shapes, seamlessly incorporating them into its contemporary design quality. Conceptualized by the Athens-based studio Tense Architecture Network, the hotel embodies a serene hospitality experience, with its sleek, curved surfaces and embossed elements, becoming the ideal Parian sanctuary.

Honoring the island's splendor and legacy, white marble is a central aspect of the design, complemented by a palette of natural hues such as blue-green, Cycladic white and sandy tones and natural passages inviting an abundance of light, fostering a serene ambiance mirroring Naoussa's landscape. This style informs the interior design, created by Konstantinos Chadios, echoing local heritage in a contemporary fashion, with custom-made curved furniture, and horizontal and vertical surface reliefs. Consisting of various juxtapositions of cubic prisms, and circular volumes, the hotel harmonizes with the Piperi Beach and its lush surroundings. Every detail complements the island's essence, from the modern interpretation of traditional paving in the flooring, featuring asymmetrical white marble slabs with off-white joints, to the central 55-meter swimming pool, seamlessly blending with the nearby sea, forming a focal point of unity.

Further underlining the sense of peacefulness and serenity that the hotel’s architecture springs, the dedicated wellness space is tucked away in a calm and protected part of the hotel, capturing the essence of the historic thermal baths of Asklepios, an homage to Asclepius, the deity associated with medicine and recovery. Drawing inspiration from the ancient Greek belief in the therapeutic properties of light, air, and water, the tranquil ambiance of the hotel's semi-outdoor wellness area is crafted to ensure that guests can indulge in treatments amidst nature, while an outdoor theater hosts pilates sessions, embracing the holistic approach to well-being.

Home to Chef Nobu’s latest restaurant, Matsuhisa Paros marks the debut of Nobu-style cuisine on the island, joining a network of 14 renowned locations worldwide. Featuring the celebrated culinary creations nestled amidst a Mediterranean garden overlooking the sea, the restaurant's modern Japanese design seamlessly integrates with its architectural surroundings, characterized by graceful curves and wooden frames.

Avant Mar is open for the 2024 season until October 14.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Avant Mar
Piperi Beach, Naoussa Paros, 844 01, Greece
Facebook | Instagram | @avantmarparos Matsuhisa Paros
Facebook | Instagram | @matsuhisaparos

Image credits:
1.Wellness Area at Avant Mar. Courtesy of Avant Mar.
2.Aerial View of Avant Mar. Courtesy of Avant Mar.
3.Aerial View of Piperi Beach and Avant Mar. Courtesy of Avant Mar.

PDF

CONTEMPORARY ARTIST NADINE SCHEMMANN UNVEILS THREE SIMULTANEOUS PRESENTATIONS OF ALL NEW WORK

Schemmann’s painterly constellations find their origin in the interstice of interactions, as she transforms her textiles into ‘chromatic conversations’ reflecting the fragility of interpersonal relationships evoking natural, cosmic, and personal mysteries beyond and within.

‘Behind Flying Fields’ at Galerie Norbert Arns, Köln
‘Sculpture Project’ at Art Dusseldorf
‘Only Metaphors of Acting’ at KJUBH Kunstverein, Köln in collaboration with Galerie Norbert Arns

April 4, 2024 (Köln, Germany) – This spring, contemporary Berlin-based artist Nadine Schemmann will unveil all new works on linen canvas exploring modes of communication through painterly constellations, at multiple solo exhibitions and presentations, including ‘Behind Flying Fields’ at Galerie Norbert Arns, Köln, on view from April 13 – June 1, 2024, a presentation at Art Dusseldorf with Galerie Norbert Arns and participation in ‘Sculpture Project’ selected by the fair’s jury, from April 12 – 14, 2024, and a solo exhibition ‘Only Metaphors of Acting’ at KJUBH Kunstverein, Köln in collaboration with Galerie Norbert Arns on view from April 13 – May 18, 2024. Her abstract canvases, enveloped in sophisticated plumes of color and floating forms set on raw linen, spring emotional interactions through form and color, echoing the spoken and the unspoken explored in interpersonal relationships.

Predominantly working with large-format linen and various techniques, Schemmann’s work undergoes an alchemic process of integral transformation, starting with an examination of its constituent parts, beginning with the texture and tone of the base, the Belgian linen. These extended fields of canvas are firstly bleached and hung out to dry, followed by the application of suspended pigments such as ink or oil paint, resulting in striking, but unexpected color paths forming organic, endlessly changeable edges on the linen canvas. As the artist handles this material, it conveys an abstract intimacy suggested by forms competing, touching, coming together, and moving. This process becomes a private performance, resulting in a material conversation and relationship developing something not seen through something already known. Often, they hang freely in a space, or nature, where they are exposed to wind and weather, where the color and fabric change with time and only sometimes the artist stretches the linen fabrics on frames.

Exploring the various layers reflective of human encounters, Schemmann materializes feelings as different shades, creating an expressive and sensory visual language, while translating encounters as the deepest and most honest form of dialogue. As seen in her piece Universe Owes You Something, 2023 (the first painting), the artist creates billowing shapes in her favored palette of deep saturated reds and blues playing a leading role, becoming an amorphous melding of tones and elements, offering palpable intensity open to interpretation.

Crafting the space that remains free of color and that which is delimited by cut edges and seams, the artist becomes both a painter and a sculptor. Every texture, transition, edge, border, flow, and seam is on display and rendered meaningful. Typically, her sculptures hang in clumps, or as improvised partitions or cave-like theatric drops, and of late, nodes and other organic forms are emerging from her studio as well.

As her pieces expand and take on room-filling dimensions, expanding in all directions out of necessity to exist beyond the confinement of frames, they encourage a full-body one-on-one experience. Ultimately, Schemmann creates immersive environments composed of riotous fabric and color underpinning her works in the continuing authenticity of direct expression, as well as the capability of the shared experience they might stimulate. As her work encourages free associations in her viewers, Schemmann explains: ‘The title of my upcoming exhibition ‘Behind flying fields’ at Nobert Arns, has this mood of diving more into chaos, or darker side. One might see beauty and poetry in my work, but then you might also realize too late that your demons have consumed you.’

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Galerie Norbert Arns

‘Behind flying fields’ by Nadine Schemmann | On view from April 13 - June 1, 2024


Opening: April 12, 2024, 6-9 pm
 Lindenstraße 19, 50674 Cologne

kjubh Kunstverein e.V.
‘Only metaphors of acting’ by Nadine Schemmann, invited by Anika Gebauer-Aulbach and Jürgen Menten | On view from
April 13 - May 18, 2024 

Opening: April 12, 2024, 6-9 pm
Dasselstraße 75, 50674 Cologne

Art Düsseldorf | April 12-14, 2024

Galerie Norbert Arns | Booth A05 & ‘Sculpture Projects’ S03: Nadine Schemmann

Artist Talk | April 19, 2024

Nadine Schemmann in conversation with Prof. Uta Brandes
on April 19, 2024, at 7pm
 Reading Room of Museum Ludwig’s ‘Art and Museum Library’
Hein-rich-Böll-Platz, 50667 Cologne


ABOUT NADINE SCHEMMANN:

Nadine Schemmann is a contemporary German visual artist. She studied design and fashion at the Cologne International School of Design from 1997 - 2000 and at the Berlin University of the Arts from 2004 - 2006. In 2001 she moved to Berlin and worked as a freelance designer and internationally recognized fashion illustrator until 2018.

Working with encounters in the broadest sense, her work arises from the need to translate encounters, conversations and moments to give them a lasting expression. In doing so, Schemmann recalls these moments and feelings as colors that then meet again on the canvas. Her own artistic practice is constantly evolving and presented in solo and group exhibitions. Most recently at Museum Wiesbaden, Schlossgut Schwandte, Kunsthaus Lempertz, Studio Berlin in cooperation with Boros Collection, and TEXT-ile at Galerie Haverkampf & Leistenschneider, among others.

Image Credits:
1.Close up of Universe Owes You Something, 2023 40 × 30 cm, ink and chlorine bleach on canvas. Credit Studio Nadine Schemmann.
2&3.Left. Things behind flying fields. Ink, oil paint and chlorine bleach on sewn linen. Detail /Installation Kunstmuseum Wiesbaden 2024. Credit Studio Nadine Schemmann Right. Waving ghosts (..) stuck in old laundry. Ink, oil paint and chlorine bleach on sewn linen. 280 x 240 cm. Berlin, 2023-24. Credit Studio Nadine Schemmann
4. Courtesy of Studio Nadine Schemmann.

PDF

BELVEDERE HOTEL MYKONOS UNVEILS EXCLUSIVE NEW SWIMMING POOL AT HILLTOP SUITES WITH EXPANSIVE VIEWS OF THE CYCLADIC LANDSCAPE

Perched atop a scenic hill, the new pool presents a 180-degree view of Mykonos's main town Chora and the Aegean Sea from sunrise to sunset.

April 3, 2024 (Mykonos, Greece) – Belvedere Hotel in Mykonos, Greece, a treasured member of The Leading Hotels of the World, unveils a luxurious new addition to its Hilltop Rooms & Suites minutes away from the main hotel complex – a brand-new rectangle-shaped swimming pool with panoramic views of Mykonos Town, the historic windmills, and the azure sea. The latest addition now completes a full offering at Hilltop, becoming a sanctuary of tranquility, embodying the intimacy, and privacy of a residential precinct. Reserved solely for its Hilltop residents, the swimming pool fosters an atmosphere reminiscent of a members' club, where guests enjoy a private escape with supreme personal service, enveloped in the seclusion of the idyllic Mykonian scenery.

Belvedere is a family-owned luxury boutique hotel known for its prestige hospitality experience, five-star facilities, and breathtaking, immersive view of Mykonos's main town Chora and the Aegean Sea, while its name pays tribute to these magnificent vistas. This authentically Mediterranean residence is an oasis of wonders, merging consciously with the city’s eminent architectural landscape and identity. Built on the legacy of an 1850s stately home, Mansion Stoupa, the hotel has risen around it like a Cycladic neighborhood. The mansion started welcoming guests in 1969 and has evolved into the Belvedere Hotel since, leaving its lush and flamboyant gardens untouched. Elegantly shifting through the decades, the hotel has transformed into a superb social and hospitable experience, setting out to capture a nostalgic glance in pursuit of the elusive Mykonos feeling. With its main complex featuring the bright sapphire Pool Club, a signature cocktail bar Sunken Watermelon, a peaceful Six Senses Spa and Chef Nobu Matsuhisa's first open-air restaurant, Matsuhisa Mykonos, Belvedere boasts more additions in its proximity, including Hilltop Rooms & Suites, The Waterfront Villa & Suites and Villa Next Door & Suites.

The newest addition at Hilltop conveys sheltered poolside charm, enhancing the offering of this more residential complex. The swimming pool, crowned with fragrant, lush greenery significant for the Hotel amid the Mykonian neutrals, complements the iconic Pool Club at the main complex, dressed in sun loungers and spherical chairs with a significant blue and yellow décor for utmost relaxation with epic views of the celebrated skyline. Offering a sanctuary for relaxation with every detail meticulously crafted, the newly inaugurated area delights guests to revel in the beauty of Mykonos beneath the warm Mediterranean sun.

‘The recent addition represents Belvedere’s ongoing dedication to offering our guests an unparalleled stay that combines luxury, comfort, and the breathtaking beauty of Mykonos. By elevating the privacy aspect of the complex, we create a new place of enjoyment and relaxation exclusive to Hilltop residents as the new swimming pool,’ explains Nikolas Ioannidis, the co-owner of Belvedere.

Nestled 250 meters from the central complex of the Hotel perched atop a hill overlooking Mykonos town, 26 Hilltop Rooms and Suites, were designed by Belvedere’s very own Domna Ioannidis from Conceptboarding Architectural Studio. With three whitewashed houses beckoning the distinguishable Cycladic design, Hilltop redefines the concept of elevated hospitality with the aura of a residential complex, providing the guests with additional privacy to enjoy the exclusivity and serenity that come with private pools, jacuzzies and terraces in each suite. Merging Mykonian design and minimalism, each Suite averages between 30 – 50 square meters, highlighting Belvedere’s architectural signature with white-washed spaces, curved walls, and natural tones, complementing the feeling of serenity and calmness. As an ode to the hotel’s legendary seascape, each suite offers immaculate vistas over the Aegean Sea and Mykonos town, epitomizing the perfect blend of proximity to Mykonos' vibrant heartbeat and the tranquility of private living.

Extended stays have recently been launched at the Hilltop Rooms and Suites as an additional offering to accommodate more tailored needs of its loyal guests, looking to spend significantly more time in privacy and comfort, but within the reach of the main complex’s sociable life and the genuine sense of community it is known for. By providing an immersive experience that goes beyond the ordinary hospitality offering, Hilltop becomes a residential, tranquil sanctuary secluded from city life, complemented with all the benefits and facilities of a luxury hotel experience.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Belvedere Mykonos
School of Fine Arts District, 84600, Mykonos, Greece
Facebook | Instagram | Belvedere Hotel , @belvederehotel

Facebook | Instagram | Matsuhisa Mykonos, @matsuhisamykonos

Image credits:
1.View of Hilltop Pool. Courtesy of Belvedere Hotel Mykonos.
2.Exterior View of Hilltop Rooms and Suites. Courtesy of Belvedere Hotel Mykonos.

3.Interior view of Hilltop Rooms and Suites. Courtesy of Belvedere Hotel Mykonos.

PDF

HOUSE BERLIN REVIVES A HISTORIC 19TH CENTURY WILHELMINE BUILDING WITH AN EXHIBITION TITLED SÉANCE

Jeff Cowen's artworks will be presented as monumental sculptures, engaging with the venue's archival memory and in dialogue with works by artists such as Hans Bellmer, Joseph Beuys, Anna & Bernhard Blume, Sigmar Polke & Christof Kohlhöfer, and others.

Installation view of Séance with Jeff Cowen and Claude Cahun & Marcel Moore, HOUSE, Berlin. Photography by Noshe.

April 23, 2024 (Berlin, Germany) – Following a critically acclaimed inaugural exhibition Very friendly in 2023, Berlin-based art space HOUSE presents its second exhibition with the American artist Jeff Cowen following the theme of a ‘séance’. The show is on view through June 14, 2024, set in HOUSE’s historic venue, an unrenovated Wilhelmine building complex from the 19th century, with a former 40-meter-long shooting range as the main exhibition space. Understood as a metaphorical artistic dialogue between the artist and the past, Séance will feature fourteen works placed on custom-made steel monoliths appearing as monumental sculptures, surrounded by additional artists’ pieces as a reference to Cowen’s works, including Hans Bellmer, Joseph Beuys, Anna & Bernhard Blume, Claude Cahun & Marcel Moore, Maya Deren, Paul Éluard (under the pseudonym of Didier Desroches) with Dora Maar & Man Ray, Germaine Dulac, Rudolf Koppitz, Albert Leo Peil, Sigmar Polke & Christof Kohlhöfer and Margaret Raspé.

In the realm of contemporary photography, Cowen’s work stands as a mystic medium, bridging the visible with the invisible, and the present with the echoes of the past. His work, deeply ingrained in the history of photography, transcends the traditional boundaries of the medium, exploring the ethereal aspects of time, memory, and spiritual resonance. Transcendence in Cowen’s work is evident in his ability to transform ordinary subjects into profound, almost otherworldly, experiences. His photographs are not mere representations, they are invitations to a deeper realm of existence. Through a meticulous process of manipulation and layering in his laboratory, Cowen coaxes out the invisible aspects of his subjects – their aura, their spirit, their essence.

Installation view of Séance with Jeff Cowen, HOUSE, Berlin. Photography by Noshe.

Photography and Spiritualism, or occult, have an intertwined history. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Spiritualist movement, séances, and interest in the supernatural coincided with the rise of photography. Even some of the surrealistic practices – that contained an influencing openness for alternative or ‘magical realities’, are routed in Spiritualism. The surrealists Breton and Apollinaire were often given credit for automatic writing, but in fact, the parent movement of this technique was Spiritualism.

The exhibition Séance at HOUSE will follow the transformative character of this cultural ritual in the idea of moving or flying objects – the main works by Cowen are taken away from the wall and placed centrally to occupy the former shooting range as monumental sculptures. Emanating an immersive concept of a séance ritual, the show will include a soundscape by Gustave Rudman Rambali augmenting the atmosphere, as an ode to the history of the HOUSE and an interplay to the works on display.

The artist explains: ‘My process is to give myself over in a trance-like manner in my darkroom where the forces of the unconscious can take me over and allow me to communicate with the unfathomable and irrational. A non-verbal, non-conceptualised expression of the unrevealed is the result.’

Derived from the old French word ‘seoir’ (to sit), for a ‘session or gathering’, a ‘séance’ implies the existence and presence of ‘the many’. Following this narrative, a selection of further artworks that function as ‘inspiration’ for Jeff Cowen’s photographic-painterly practice, constitute a ‘frame of reference’, exemplarily visualizing a ‘hidden dimension’ or the conscious and unconscious sources that provide inner guidance for his practice.

As the exhibition engages with the venue's archival memory, HOUSE’s Artistic Co-Director Juliet Kothe explains: ‘HOUSE, as a holistic concept of showcasing art in a dialogue to its surroundings, examines the symbolic meaning of buildings, stories deriving from historic houses and the change of its meaning over time, rather than becoming a rationalist examination of architecture. It's an empathetic approach towards the history of a building, while the housed exhibitions are concerned with the auratic quality of a place.’

(Left) Joseph Beuys, 2 Sheep’s Heads, 1961-1975, HOUSE, Berlin. Courtesy: Private Collection, Cologne. (Right) Installation view of Séance with Jeff Cowen, HOUSE, Berlin. Photography by Noshe.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Séance with Jeff Cowen and others is on view at HOUSE, Berlin through to June 14, 2024.
Address: Friedrichstrasse 112b, 10117 Berlin
Opening Hours: Thursday – Saturday | 1 – 7 pm
Gallery Weekend Special Hours: Thursday 25.04 – Sunday 28.04 | 12 – 7 pm

About Jeff Cowen:
Jeff Cowen grew up in New York City and graduated in Oriental Studies from New York University and Waseda University Tokyo. In the 1990’s he studied academic drawing and painting at the Art Students League and the New York Studio School. Cowen’s interest in poetry, aesthetics, and the non-visible world eventually led him to explore the conceptual, experimental terrain of black-and-white film photography. His work explores the evolutionary potential of the photographic medium and has particularly been interested in mating the power of painting with the power of photography. Jeff Cowen’s works are included in numerous public and private collections. In 2019, the private collection MAP from Bremen acquired a substantial body of Cowen’s work from the previous 10 years. His works have been shown in Kunsthalle Bremerhaven, Germany; DZ Bank Art Collection Frankfurt, Germany; Ludwig Museum, Koblenz, Germany; Huis Marseille, Museum for Photography, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Russia; among others. In 2021, Jeff Cowen was awarded the Pollock Krasner Grant for Fine Art Still Photography for his Provence project. In 2024, Cowen will show Provence Works at the Huis Marseille Museum for Photography and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in a co-operative exhibition. https://jeffcowen.eu/

About HOUSE, Berlin:
HOUSE was created in 2023 by Juliet Kothe and Georgina Pope, and hosts international artistic productions, exhibitions, musical performances, and readings, thought of as chapters, to stimulate reflection on our present. HOUSE is temporarily located in Berlin-Mitte in an unrenovated Wilhelmine building complex with a former shooting range from the 1930s which serves as the main exhibition space. The first chapter at HOUSE was as an exhibition titled ‘Very friendly’ curated by Agnes Gryczkovska. ‘Very friendly’ included the artists: Adam Alessi, Davide Allieri, Angélique Aubrit & Ludovic Beillard, Darja Bajagić, Blackhaine, Allen-Golder Carpenter, Romeo Castellucci, Maggie Dunlap, Adam Gordon, Anne Imhof, Jack Kennedy, Sibylle Ruppert, Throbbing Gristle, Minh Lan Tran, Rosemarie Trockel and Mauro Ventura. The second chapter ‘HOUSE Music’ during February and March 2024, presented sound and musical performances by visual artists who work with music as part of their artistic practice. A wide range of voice, instrumental or experimental sound work created an audial dialogue in the HALL of HOUSE. Performing artists included Reece Cox, Alexander Iezzi, Stephanie Gudra, Nazanin Noori and Raed Yassin. www.house.berlin | @house.berlin

About Juliet Kothe:
Juliet Kothe is an artistic director, curator and author. After completing her master’s of cultural studies with a focus on sociology of the arts at Leuphana University, Lüneburg, she worked for the Association of Arts and Culture of the German Economy at the Federation of German Industries. From 2017 to 2022, she was the director of the Boros Foundation. Together with Karen Boros, she was the artistic director of STUDIO BERLIN, an exhibition at Berghain in 2020 and 2021. Since 2014 she is an active volunteer curator for the Nairobi-based NGO One Fine Day e.V.. Juliet Kothe and Natanja von Stosch co-created a book on fe:male body representations, titled Boobs in the Arts – Fe:male Bodies in Pictorial History, which was published by Distanz in 2023.

About Georgina Pope:
Georgina Pope is an artistic director, curator and cultural producer. Following her graduation from The University of Sydney in arts and communication, and working in the contemporary art world in Sydney, she moved to Berlin in 2011. In 2021, Georgina founded THE FAIREST, a hybrid curatorial platform for young, emerging, or independent artists and creatives to have direct visibility in the art ecosystem and market. From 2018 to 2022, Georgina was the curator of Independent Collectors – the largest international community of private collections of contemporary art. Released at Art Basel in June 2022, she was the co-editor of the 7th edition of The BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors. Since 2015, Georgina continues to work as a supervisor and art mediator at the Boros Collection.

PDF

‘A FAMILY AFFAIR’ | ARTISTS ANNA VIRNICH, WINFRIED VIRNICH AND DAVID PRYTZ EXHIBIT TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME AT ARTEFACT BERLIN

Opening on Tuesday, April 23 in advance of Gallery Weekend Berlin, the exhibition will bring together the artistic Virnich-Prytz family, and debut new paintings and sculptures, unraveling an interplay of inherent poetics in their respective practices.

On View through July 5, 2024

March 4, 2024 (Berlin, Germany) – Artefact Gallery is pleased to announce the inaugural exhibition by the Virnich-Prytz family, unveiling a series of all-new works, bringing together contemporary artists Anna Virnich, her partner, sculptor David Prytz, and her father Winfried Virnich, the German painter. On view through July 5, 2024, ‘A Family Affair’ will debut new pieces teasing out abstract meditations by each artist, exploring novel intimate scales and materials. Anna Virnich's conceptualization of works is rooted in a painterly approach, while the execution and final pieces move seamlessly between object and painting, further conversing with Prytz's sculptures and Winfried Virnich's paintings. Connecting the artists’ work beyond their personal ties, the exhibition is a take on the possibility and poetics of lightness in every form and shape.

Conceptualized by curator Anna Rosa Thomae, the exhibition will amass, for the first time, artworks of diverse corporeality exploring common threads of continual transformation and the three-dimensional, as a result of elusive interplays between materiality and composition.

After unveiling a collection of intimate pieces (35 cm x 35 cm / 13,7 inches x 13,7 inches) at Proyectos Monclova at Art Basel in 2015, Anna Virnich revisits this format for 'A Family Affair'  imbuing it with a sense of humility and contemplation. Following four solo shows in the last 12 months, these new works directly reflect on the current state of the world and its overbearing truths through its clear formal language of abstraction and its almost monochromatic colorways.

The cornerstone of Anna Virnich’s practice is fabric, the emotive evocation of this tactile material into a painterly form. Recognizing the extreme personal connections humans have with textiles, Virnich charges her pieces sensually and haptically, instantly connecting the viewer to the paintings, which ultimately become familiar artifacts creating a distinctive world of genuineness. Virnich processes materials such as cloth, wax, and plants with specially developed scent compositions, and probes answers to her inner world of truth. In their abstract ephemerality, these creations forge a presence that transcends boundaries, conveying a poetic essence of the material itself and its ability to create new spaces and complexity in the painterly field. Lending a sense of vitality, Virnich uses fabrics as carriers of subjective expression through fragility and extensibility. The paintings seem to float, becoming a composite entity implying variations of depth, and at the same time echoing and celebrating qualities of lightness.

Responding to the space, David Prytz's new pieces for the exhibition will show materiality as possibilities and thought, unveiling raw matter, shapes, and surfaces combined, that singularly carry various feelings, expressions and meanings, depending on the viewer. 

With a profound interest in philosophy and music, David Prytz infuses the elements of these disciplines in creating sculptures interconnected in otherworldly structures, referring to the universe and space. In exploring this approach, he delves into the intricacies of time and the cosmos, challenging the relative nature of the idea of the center. By considering each element as an epicenter unto itself, Prytz’s sculptures explore eternity, boundless space, and the unique principles and emotions that govern individual experiences. His sculptures show that the form is self-contained and cohesive, yet it only manifests within its external context, defined in relation to other elements defining space or time. Prytz creates and outlines distinctive environments where clusters interact with each other, reflecting a state of continual change, working within the dualities, both the consistency and shapeless character, fragility, and roughness of materials. The structures appear weightless and brittle, a bold contrast to their materiality which conveys rawness and incompleteness, giving the pieces a poetic distinction.

Presenting all new works at Artefact, Winfried Virnich will further his exploration of abstraction in the painterly field, inquisitive with colors and their inherent abilities to produce individual and meticulous effects on the viewer.  The world of the abstract, without reference to images or symbolic functions, becomes the open field for Virnich who uses texture and minimal, pure qualities of color to create plausible paintings, beyond any didactics. The placements of shades and shapes, all dependent on each other, conceal individual metaphors bringing forth a clarity of the painterly truth. The specific rhythm of the brushwork in coincidence with pigment creates a certain poetic quality in Virnich’s paintings, suggesting context without clearly defining it. This musical quality which is a product of fine balance between the primary painterly elements, brings forth a certain chromatic quality, an interplay of lightness and depth at once.

 ‘I am thrilled to present 'A Familiar Affair’ as the artists will show together for the first time presenting all new works specifically for us. The exhibition unveils intricate connections in their artistic production — a sense of lightness in all pieces albeit different mediums makes for an unexpected discourse between the works,’ explains curator, Anna Rosa Thomae.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

A Family Affair is on view at Artefact through July 5, 2024.

Artefact | Geisbergstraße 12, 10777 Berlin, Germany

Monday – Friday

10 – 6 PM and by appointment

About Artefact Gallery:

Artefact is a Berlin-based gallery and project space presenting contemporary art and collectible design. We are dedicated to fostering a dynamic and inclusive community by supporting both emerging and established artists and designers in articulating their unique perspectives. Our collaborators are entrusted with unrestricted creativity, with the freedom to explore, experiment, and express themselves without limitations. 

Previous exhibitions include:

‘Blushing out of Blue’ by Berlin-based Brazilian-born artist Caterina Renaux Hering

‘Transparency, Form and Color’ featuring contemporary Berlin-based artist Nadine Schemmann and mid-century glassware attributed to glass artist Albin Schaedel

artefactgalleryberlin.com | @artefactgallery.berlin

About Anna Rosa Thomae:

Shaped by her professional and personal encounters, Artefact is the symbiosis between Anna Rosa Thomae’s passion for handcrafted design and contemporary art. Her curatorial input and direction at Artefact reflect each artist’s creative expression and spirit in line with the gallery’s main objectives to support and provide visibility. 

Growing up in Berlin in the 1990s, Thomae spent her formative years living and working between New York, London, and Berlin. With a career of over fifteen years in the field of global cultural communications Thomae has ceaselessly nurtured the premise that valuable synergies exist between, and can emerge from, art, design, and architecture – a vision that led her to establish the reputed international cultural communications agency A R T Communication + Brand Consultancy in 2014 in Berlin. Thomae has worked with creatives across all continents, ranging from gallerists, museums, and artists to designers, architects, and more.

 Images Caption:

1. + 2. Left. Installation View of ‘A Family Affair.’ Right. David Prytz, Untitled (they) 2024. Dimensions variable. Courtesy of Artefact Gallery.
3. + 4. Left. Anna Virnich, Interlude III, 2024, 37 x 25,5cm. Seiden Tüll auf Seiden Tüll, Siebnessel und Faden auf Holz. Right. Anna Virnich, Interlude IV, 2024, 35 x 35 cm. Seiden Tüll auf Seiden Tüll und Faden auf Holz. Courtesy of Artefact Gallery.
5 + 6. Left. Winfried Virnich. Untitled 2020; pigment harztempera, leinwand; 110 x 80 cm. Right. Winfried Virnich. Untitled, 2024, pigment harztempera, leinwand. 90 x 60 cm (no. 1). Courtesy of Artefact Gallery.

PDF

THE 26TH EDITION OF ART PARIS FLOURISHES AS A CENTRE FOR THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY, EMBRACING INCREASED INTERNATIONAL GALLERY PARTICIPATION ALL THE WHILE NURTURING THE FRENCH SCENE RENAISSANCE

Reestablishing the strong presence of the French capital’s impact across the global cultural scene, the Parisian spring art event unveils new curatorial topics Fragile Utopias and Art & Craft, set to connect domestic and international contemporary influences.

Opening VIP and Press Preview: April 3, 2024 | 11 AM – 9 PM
On view: April 4 – 7, 2024

January 15, 2024 (Paris, France) – The regional and cosmopolitan art fair Art Paris 2024 will unveil its 26th edition at the Grand Palais Éphémère from April 4 – 7, 2024, bringing together the best modern and contemporary artistic creation, re-establishing its presence as a major spring art event. Following a consistent focus on discovery and innovation since its founding in 1999, the fair will be welcoming a strong international presence in 2024, encompassing 136 modern and contemporary art galleries from 25 countries. This edition will be exploring two themes: Fragile Utopias. A Focus on the French Scene and Art & Craft, led respectively by guest curators Éric de Chassey and Nicolas Trembley. In parallel, The Promises sector for young galleries will support new talents whilst the Solo Show sector will feature historical figures through monographic exhibitions contributing to their re-discovery.

With a 30% increase in new arrivals compared to 2023, the 2024 selection is marked by the very first participation of several trendsetting European contemporary art galleries: Esther Schipper (Berlin, Paris), Peter Kilchmann (Zurich, Paris), Meessen De Clercq (Brussels), Michel Rein (Paris, Brussels) and Richard Saltoun (London, Rome), joined by returning galleries such as Poggi, Frank Elbaz, Continua, Lelong & Co, Almine Rech and Perrotin. Featuring a majority of French exhibiting galleries, totaling 60%, this edition presents a comprehensive overview of the French gallery ecosystem, ranging from prominent modern and contemporary art galleries in Paris and across the country, all the while extending support to emerging galleries. The remaining 40% is dedicated to a diverse selection of international galleries, including notable names such as Bienvenu Steinberg & J from New York, Circle Art Agency from Kenya, Etemad from Iran, and Soho Revue from London. Notably, 20% of the selection focuses on modern art, with a significant representation of surrealism in honor of the movement's 100th anniversary in 2024. The addition of first-time exhibitors such as Antoine Laurentin (Paris, Brussels), Boquet (Paris), and the Czech gallery Cermak Eisenkraft will further enrich the existing lineup.

Fragile Utopias. A focus on the French scene by Éric de Chassey

To support and engage with the currents of the French scene, Éric de Chassey, director of the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (INHA), a teacher at the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon and exhibition curator will share his perspective on ‘Fragile Utopias,’ the precarious nature of various artistic forms of the domestic scene, with a selection of 21 artists chosen among the exhibiting galleries. As Éric de Chassey points out: ‘The sole function of the visual arts is not one of representation or decoration, they also provide models that can guide our perception, thoughts and actions, in other words, they contribute to constructing possible utopias. These utopias may be embodied in any form and with every medium, however in these uncertain times marked by major changes in society and the way we understand the world, they are often of a temporary and precarious nature and as such they are ‘fragile’ utopias.‘

Selected Artists: Jean-Michel Alberola (1953) - Templon / Yto Barrada (1971) – Polaris / Cécile Bart (1958) - Galerie Catherine Issert / Alice Bidault (1994) - Pietro Spartà / Pierrette Bloch (1928-2017) - Galerie Zlotowski / Nicolas Chardon (1974) - Oniris.art / Sonia Delaunay (1885 - 1979) - Galerie Béres / Mathilde Denize (1986) - Perrotin / Nathalie Du Pasquier (1957) - Yvon Lambert / Philippe Favier (1957) - Galerie 8+4 / Elika Hedayat (1979) – Aline Vidal Paris / Sarah Jérôme (1979) - H Gallery / Benoît Maire (1978) - Nathalie Obadia / Vera Molnár (1924-2023) – Galerie Verart Véronique Smagghe / Michel Parmentier (1938-2000) – Loevenbruck / Juliette Roche (1884-1980) - Pauline Pavec / Edgar Sarin (1989) - Galerie Michel Rein / Daniel Schlier (1960) - Galerie East / Assan Smati (1972) - Nosbaum Reding / Maria Helena Vieira da Silva (1908-1992) - Galerie Jeanne Bucher Jaeger / Raphaël Zarka (1977) – Mitterrand

Art & Craft by Nicolas Trembley
This theme’s title, curated by art critic and independent exhibition curator Nicolas Trembley, takes its name from the pioneering Arts and Crafts movement that saw the light of day in Great Britain at the end of the 19th century. The theme will address the way in which modern and contemporary artists have taken – and continue to take - the world of crafts (ceramics, glass, tapestry, etc.) and make it their own, combining in so doing, thought and gesture. Around twenty international artists will be chosen from among the exhibiting galleries to comprise a themed tour of the fair, while Trembley will draft a text with a presentation of each artist’s work. As Nicolas Trembley explains: ‘Although it is true that the visual arts at the beginning of the 20th century incorporated practices more often associated with the applied arts, the emergence of a more conceptual form of contemporary art put an end to this historical way of doing things. Since the beginning of the 21st Century and the development of a globalized art market that pushes minority practices and groups to the fore, we are witnessing the emergence of artworks whose techniques are traditionally related to artisanship. Furthermore, we are rediscovering works by historical and contemporary artists whose approach borrows from the world of craft.’

Selected Artists: Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930-2017) - Richard Saltoun / Joël Andrianomearisoa (1977) - Almine Rech / Jean-Marie Appriou (1986) - Perrotin / Thomas Bayrle (1937) - Galerie East / Karina Bisch (1974) - Lahumière / Saloua Raouda Choucair (1916-2017) - Saleh Barakat / Michele Ciacciofera (1969) - Galerie Michel Rein / Daniel et Grégory Dewar et Gicquel (B. in 1976 and in 1975) - Loevenbruck / Elizabeth Garouste (1946) - Galerie Ketabi Bourdet / GE BA - Galerie Françoise Livinec / Josef Grau-Garriga (1929-2011) - Galerie Claude Bernard / Sheila Hicks (1934) - Galerie Claude Bernard / Jérôme Hirson (1984) - Galerie Le sentiment des choses / Patrick Kim-Gustafson (1986) - Marguo / Jacqueline Lerat (1920-1992) and Jean Lerat (1913 -1992) - Capazza / Barbara Levittoux- Świderska (1933-2019) - Richard Saltoun / Océanie - Anonymous sculpture made in 1920 - Galerie Jeanne Bucher Jaeger / Shiro Tsujimura (1947) - Galerie Le sentiment des choses / Jeanne Vicerial (1991) - Templon / Jane Yang-D’Haene (1968) – Bienvenu Steinberg & J.

Solo Show: 17 single-artist exhibits
The monographic shows spread throughout the fair allow visitors to discover or rediscover, in-depth, the works of modern (Jean Hélion, Jacqueline, Jean Lerat), contemporary (Gilles Barbier, Erwin Olaf, Samantha Mc Ewen) and emerging artists (Leyla Cardenas, Lucia Hierro, Katia Kameli).

Solo Shows:
Gilles Barbier (1965) - Huberty & Breyne
Leyla Cardenas (1975) - Galerie Dix9 - Hélène Lacharmoise
Stijn Cole (1978) - Irene Laub Gallery
Fathi Hassan (1957) - Nil Gallery
Jean Hélion (1904-1987) - Galerie Patrice Trigano
Lucia Hierro (1987) - Fabienne Levy
Ellande Jaureguiberry (1985) - Galerie 22,48 m2
Katia Kameli (1973) - 110 Galerie Véronique Rieffel
Mohamed Lekleti (1965) - Galerie Valérie Delaunay
Jacqueline (1920-2009) et Jean (1913-1992) Lerat - Galerie Capazza Samantha McEwen (1960) - Modesti Perdriolle Gallery
Giulia Marchi (1976) - Labs Contemporary Art
Jung-Yeon Min (1979) - Galerie Maria Lund
Erwin Olaf (1959-2023) - Galerie Rabouan Moussion
Pauline Rose Dumas (1996) - Galerie Anne Laure Buffard
Ben Walker (1974) - Soho Revue
Sophie Zénon (1965) - Galerie XII

Promises: a sector supporting young galleries and emerging artists
Conceptualized less than six years ago, Promises provides a forward-looking analysis of cutting-edge contemporary art. Participating galleries can present up to three emerging artists, while Art Paris finances 45% of the exhibitor fees. This year Promises plays host to nine international galleries: Bim Bam Gallery (Paris), Galerie Felix Frachon (Brussels), Gaep (Bucharest), Galerie Hors-Cadre (Paris), Labs Contemporary Art (Bologna), Maāt Gallery (Paris), Molski gallery (Poznań), She Bam Galerie Laetitia Gorsy (Leipzig), Soho Revue (London).

Art Paris, a sustainable art fair
In what was a first in 2022, Art Paris adopted a sustainable approach to organising an art fair based on a life cycle analysis (LCA). This pioneering approach carried out in partnership with Karbone Prod has considerably reduced the fair’s environmental impact. Amongst other improvements, a reduction of 13 tonnes of waste (from 25 to 12 tonnes), 12 tonnes of reused material and a decrease in energy consumption by 37%. For 2024, Art Paris is pursuing its commitment to sustainability and increasing the scope of its approach to take into account the question of visitor mobility with actions aimed at encouraging the use of public transport and carsharing etc.

Paris, the world art capital this spring

In the run-up to the Olympic Games 2024, Paris is in the midst of an exceptional period of cultural and artistic renaissance, as illustrated by the opening of new galleries and venues, the renovation of existing cultural institutions and the inauguration of new ones. The 35 events that comprise the “In Paris during Art Paris” VIP programme for collectors and art professionals (by invitation only), bear witness to the effervescent art scene this spring in Paris. It features Brancusi at the Centre Pompidou, Jean Hélion at the MAM Ville de Paris, Myriam Mihindou at the Musée du Quai Branly, Robert Ryman at the Musée de l’Orangerie and Bijoy Jain/Studio Mumbai at the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain to name but a few.

In 2024, Art Paris commits to further support the French scene by joining forces with BNP Paribas Private Bank, the fair’s premium partner, to launch the BNP Paribas Private Bank Prize. A focus on the French scene with a total prize award of 30,000 euros.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Art Paris 2024 will be on view at Grand Palais Éphémère, from April 4 – 7, 2024.

www.artparis.com

Address:
Grand Palais Éphémère Place Joffre
75007 Paris

Opening Hours:

Thursday April 4 | 12 to 8 pm Friday April 5 | 12 to 7 pm Saturday April 6 | 12 to 9 pm Sunday April 7 | 12 to 7 pm

Admission:
Thursday & Friday: 30 € / 15 € for students and groups Saturday & Sunday: 35 € / 20 € for students and groups 2-day Pass: 35 € / 20 € for students and groups

About Éric de Chassey:
Éric de Chassey is the director of the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (INHA), a teacher at the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon and the former director of Villa Medici: The French academy in Rome. His latest publications include: Après la fin. Suspensions et reprises de la peinture dans les années 1960 et 1970 (Klincksieck, 2017) and L’abstraction avec ou sans raisons (Gallimard, 2017). In 2021-2022, he curated a number of exhibitions, such as Le surréalisme dans l’art américain, 1940-1970 (Centre de la Vieille Charité, Marseille), Napoléon? Encore! (Musée de l’Armée, Paris), Alex Katz. Floating Worlds (Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Pantin), Ettore Spalletti. Il cielo in una stanza (Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Rome) and Le désir de la ligne. Henri Matisse dans les collections Jacques Doucet (Musée Angladon, Avignon).

About Nicolas Trembley:
Nicolas Trembley is an art critic, exhibition curator and contemporary art advisor who shares his time between Paris and Geneva. He is currently artistic director of the Syz contemporary art collection. He has worked with various cultural institutions, such as the MAMCO (Geneva), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Le Consortium (Dijon) and Musée Guimet (Paris). One of his interests is in the connections between contemporary art and artisanship. He has organised numerous exhibitions on the subject, notably the touring exhibition Sgrafo vs. fat lava - ceramics and porcelains made in West Germany, 1960-1980, five different exhibitions between 2013 and 2022 exploring the Mingei (folk crafts or art of the people) movement in Japan, Expanded Craft in Vienna and Craft at Galerie Francesca Pia (Zurich) in 2023. His book Keramikos published by Buchhandlung Walther König was awarded the Most Beautiful Swiss Book prize in 2021.

Exhibitors list 2024:
Galerie XII (Paris, Santa Monica)* • Galerie 8+4 (Paris) • 22,48 m2 (Romainville)* • 110 Galerie Véronique Rieffel (Paris, Abidjan)* • 313 Art Project (Seoul, Paris) • A&R Fleury (Paris) • A2Z Art Gallery (Paris, Hong Kong) • Almine Rech (Paris, Brussels, London, New York, Shanghai, Monaco) • AMS Galería (Santiago) • Galerie Andres Thalmann (Zurich, Paris)• Galerie Ariane C-Y (Paris) • backslash (Paris) • Galerie Bacqueville (Lille, Oost-Souburg) • Helene Bailly (Paris) • Galerie Jacques Bailly (Paris) • Saleh Barakat Gallery (Beirut) • Galerie Anne-Sarah Bénichou (Paris) • Galerie Berès (Paris) • Galerie Claude Bernard (Paris) • Bienvenu Steinberg & J (New York)* • Bigaignon (Paris) • Bildhalle (Zurich, Amsterdam)* • Bim Bam Gallery (Paris)* • Galerie Binome (Paris) • Galerie Boquet (Paris)* • Galerie Anne-Laure Buffard (Paris) • By Lara Sedbon (Paris) • Galerie Camera Obscura (Paris) • Galerie Capazza (Nançay)* • Cermak Eisenkraft (Prague)* • Circle Art Gallery (Nairobi)* • Clavé Fine Art (Paris) • Galleria Continua (San Gimignano, Beijing, Boissy-le-Châtel, La Havane, Rome, São Paulo, Paris, Dubai) • Galerie Valerie Delaunay (Paris)* • Dilecta (Paris) • Ditesheim & Maffei Fine Art (Neuchâtel) • Galerie Dix9 – Hélène Lacharmoise (Paris) • Galeria Marc Domènech (Barcelona) • Double V Gallery (Marseille, Paris) • Dumonteil Contemporary (Paris, Shanghai) • Galerie Eric Dupont (Paris) • Galerie Dutko (Paris) • Galerie East (Strasbourg) • galerie frank elbaz (Paris)* • Galerie ETC (Paris)* • Gallery Etemad (Tehran)* • Clémentine de la Féronnière (Paris)* • Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire (Paris) • felix frachon gallery (Brussels) • Freijo Gallery (Madrid)* • Gaep Gallery (Bucharest) • Galerie Claire Gastaud (Clermont-Ferrand, Paris) • She BAM! Galerie Laetitia Gorsy (Leipzig)* • Gowen Contemporary (Geneva)* • galerie gugging nina katschnig (Maria Gugging)* • H Gallery (Paris) • H.A.N. Gallery (Seoul) • Galerie Ernst Hilger (Vienna) • Galerie Hors-Cadre (Paris) • Huberty & Breyne Gallery (Brussels, Paris)* • Ibasho (Anvers) • Galerie Catherine Issert (Saint-Paul-de-Vence) • Galerie Jeanne Bucher Jaeger (Paris, Lisbon) • rodolphe janssen (Brussels) • Galerie Kaléidoscope (Paris) • Ketabi Bourdet (Paris) • Galerie Peter Kilchmann (Zurich, Paris)* • Koren Gallery (Paris)* • Galerie Carole Kvasnevski (Paris, New York) • Galerie La Forest Divonne (Paris, Brussels) • LABS Contemporary Art (Bologna)* • Galerie Lahumière (Paris) • Yvon Lambert (Paris) • Alexis Lartigue Fine Art (Paris) • Irène Laub Gallery ( Brussels)* • Galerie Laurentin (Paris)* • Le sentiment des choses (Paris)* • Galerie Lelong & Co. (Paris) • Fabienne Levy (Lausanne, Geneva) • Galerie Françoise Livinec (Paris, Huelgoat) • Loevenbruck (Paris) • Patricia Low Contemporary (Gstaad, Venice)* • Galerie Maria Lund (Paris) • Maāt (Paris)* • Galerie Marguo (Paris) • Martch Art Project (Istanbul) • Galerie Martel (Paris, Brussels) • Maruani Mercier (Brussels, Knokke, Zaventem) • Mayoral (Barcelona, Paris) • Meessen De Clercq (Brussels)* • Galerie Mitterrand (Paris) • Modesti Perdriolle Gallery (Brussels)* • MOLSKI gallery&collection (Poznań)* • Galerie Eric Mouchet (Paris, Brussels) • Galerie Maïa Muller (Paris) • Galerie Najuma – Fabrice Miliani (Marseille) • Nil Gallery (Paris)* • Nosbaum Reding (Luxembourg, Brussels) • Galerie Nathalie Obadia (Paris, Brussels) • Oniris.art (Rennes) • Opera Gallery (Paris) • Paris-B (Paris) • Galerie Pauline Pavec (Paris) • Perrotin (Paris, Hong Kong, New York, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, Dubai) • Galerie Poggi (Paris)* • Galerie Polaris (Paris)* • Galerie Catherine Putman (Paris) • QG Gallery (Knokke, Brussels) • Galerie Rabouan Moussion (Paris) • Michel Rein (Paris, Brussels)* • Galerie Retelet (Monte-Carlo) • RX&SLAG (Paris, New York) • Salon H (Paris) • Richard Saltoun ( London, Rome)* • Esther Schipper (Berlin, Paris, Seoul)* • Mimmo Scognamiglio Artecontemporanea (Milan)* • Sèvres - Manufacture nationale (Sèvres, Paris)* • Edouard Simoens Gallery (Knokke) • Verart Véronique Smagghe (Paris) • Soho Revue (London)* • Galerie Pietro Spartà (Chagny) • Strouk Gallery (Paris) • Richard Taittinger Gallery (New York) • Galerie Tanit (Beirut, Munich) • Galerie Suzanne Tarasiève (Paris) • Templon (Paris, Bruxelles, New York) • Galerie Traits Noirs (Paris) • Galerie Patrice Trigano (Paris) • Galerie Eva Vautier (Nice)* • Aline Vidal (Paris)* • Galerie Dina Vierny (Paris) • Galerie Esther Woerdehoff (Paris, Geneva) • Gallery Woong (Seoul) • Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery (Paris, Luxembourg, Dubai)* • Galerie Zlotowski (Paris)

*first time participants or returning galleries to Art Paris 2024

Image credits:

1. Yan Pei-Ming. Bouddha en lotus, 2001. Courtesy of rodolphe janssen.
2. Elika Hedayat. Les Dépossédés #16, 2023. Courtesy of Aline Vidal.
3.Jean-Marie Appriou. The sleeper must awaken, 2019. Courtesy of Perrotin.
4. Jane Yang-D’Haene, Untitled, 2023. Courtesy of Bienvenu Steinberg & J.
5. André Masson, Le voyageur, 1971. Courtesy of Galerie Jacques Bailly.
PDF

ARTIST ARNE QUINZE AND SWIZZ BEATZ PRESENT ‘ARE WE THE ALIENS_’ EXHIBITION TO COINCIDE WITH LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA 2024

Debuting in a historic 16th century church in Venice, the immersive exhibition unites art and sound with an extraterrestrial scenery, inviting viewers to contemplate humanity’s estrangement with nature.

Press Breakfast + Artist Talk: April 18, 2024, 10.30 a.m.

On View from April 20 – November 24, 2024

Installation View of Bronze_Are We the Aliens_Arne Quinze_Photography by Dave Bruel for Arne Quinze. Courtesy of König Galerie.

April 17, 2024 (Venice, Italy) – Coinciding with the 60th edition of La Biennale di Venezia, Belgian contemporary artist Arne Quinze and globally acclaimed American music producer Swizz Beatz will present an immersive exhibition fusing Quinze’s large-scale site-specific sculptures, saturated within an ethereal acoustic environment and soundscapes by Swizz Beatz. On view from April 20 – November 24, 2024, ‘Are We The Aliens_’ marks the first-ever contemporary show to debut in the historic 16th century church, San Francesco della Vigna, completed by the influential Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio in Campo San Francesco, Castello, Venice. The exhibition will debut Quinze’s first-ever large-scale sculptures in glass and ceramic made in collaboration with master craftsmen Berengo Studio and Atelier Vierkant.

Co-curated by Hervé Mikaeloff, independent art consultant and advisor of the Louis Vuitton Foundation, and Reiner Opoku, art consultant and agent, with support from the Ludwig Museum, Germany, ‘Are We The Aliens_’ is an immersive experience of our planet’s hidden aesthetics, poised as an intersensory transformative encounter where diverse artistic mediums converge. The title of the exhibition encourages thoughtful contemplation about society's growing detachment from nature, while the underscore (_) symbol, typically used as an interrogative mark in code and technology, prompts viewers to unravel and decode the narrative of our connection with nature. 

Encompassing the 16th century church’s nave, cloister, and the 300m2 Scoletta’s (private religious study) ground and first floor, with a vast space featuring a 12-meter-high ceiling, the exhibition’s multiple parts highlight diverse visual experiences. Central to this artistic dialogue is the installation ‘Sonic Levitation,’ encompassing the first floor of the Scoletta, and resonating a seamless integration of Quinze’s visual and Swizz Beatz's auditory expertise. Set in an entirely white space, Quinze’s aluminum sculpture forms a circle, a symbol of perfect harmony, with four distinct parts, nine meters in width. With an explicit tactile approach to the material, Quinze captures the essence of nature's unrestrained beauty, while Swizz Beatz's fusion of digital and instrumental soundscape echoes through the space, emanating nature's interplay between fragility and power. The sculpture, sonic soundscape creation, and light scenography form a distinctive sensory experience, offering a poignant and thought-provoking engagement with the beauty and awe of the natural world, signifying nature’s perfect harmony.

For the ‘Sonic Levitation_’ installation, Arne Quinze and Swizz Beatz are collaborating with Bang & Olufsen, leveraging their world-renowned expertise in sound design. Through this partnership, a tailor- made setup featuring Bang & Olufsen’s exclusive Beolab 90 state-of-the art loudspeakers ensures an unparalleled audio experience, elevating Swizz Beatz's soundscape to its highest potential.

Installation View of Sonic Levitation__Are We the Aliens_Arne Quinze_Photography by Dave Bruel for Arne Quinze. Courtesy of König Galerie.

Swizz Beatz explains: “The process of marrying sound to art is a special one. Creating this sonic experience with Arne Quinze, every second is important, every sound has meaning, the combination takes you on a journey of expression. This will be a Sonic installation for the world to enjoy.”

Transitioning between the Scoletta and ground floor, Quinze’s oil painting ‘Murchison Garden_’ depicts a thriving wild greenery, serving as a powerful emblem of nature’s liberty and biodiversity. Spreading across three to six meters, the piece echoes the artist’s profound belief in the essential reconnection with nature for the enduring existence of future life on Earth. A meticulous observer of the intricate dynamics of nature, Quinze often resides within his cultivated wildflower garden surrounding his studio, where he studies nature’s architecture throughout the seasons and finds profound inspiration for his oil painted canvases.

As a harmonious juxtaposition to the atmosphere of ‘Sonic Levitation’, the ground floor of the monks’ private study hosts Quinze’s ‘Impact Glass’ installation. Diverse organic-looking formations emerge from an all-white space, carrying fifteen individual glass sculptures. The pieces, handcrafted by internationally renowned glass manufacturer Berengo Studio in Murano, Italy, range from 40 to 120 centimeters (15 – 47 inches) in height, and are coated with hues of red, yellow and green, emanating nature’s many vibrant shades. The installation serves as a metaphor for humans landing on Earth in the form of alien DNA, disrupting nature’s equilibrium. A video piece titled ‘SIX Testimonials’ further contemplates humanity’s state of alienation as otherworldly beings foreign to the earth. Showcased on two large screens, the videos feature six distinct humanoid AI characters, engulfing the room in their extraterrestrial declarations.

Installation View of Impact Glass_Are We the Aliens_Arne Quinze_Photography by Dave Bruel for Arne Quinze. Courtesy of König Galerie.

The church’s cloister voluted colonnade holds a group of large-scale site-specific ceramic sculptures titled ‘Ceramorphia_’ evoking nature’s intricate patterns with fungi-like and rough textures, stemming from Quinze’s decade-long study of his wildflower garden. Ranging from 1,20 – 4 meters (47 – 157 inches) the pieces are crafted in collaboration with the Belgian studio Atelier Vierkant, narrating a story of nature’s extraordinary aesthetic diversity reclaiming its space in urban landscapes. With a wealth of meteorite stones at his disposal in the GRANADA Collection, meteoritics' researcher and collector Jochen Leën significantly contributes to the investigation in ‘Are We The Aliens_,’ providing invaluable insights and expertise in the origins and implications of extraterrestrial materials found on Earth.

Shining a light on new facets of celestial phenomena, Quinze and Leën deepen our understanding of their impact on our planet. Extending the conversation within the 16th century church, Quinze unveils ‘Bronze_’ in front of the altar niche, a two meters wide horizontal bronze sculpture directly mirroring nature's cycles and the divine harmony of nearby 15th century painting ‘Madonna and Child’, by the artist of the Quattrocento Antonio Falier da Negroponte.

Quinze explains: “My ultimate goal is to reawaken our sense of awe and appreciation for the natural world. In my journey through a wildflower-filled microcosm, ‘Ceramorphia’ reflects a decade of observing nature's transformative architecture. The work aspires to set out a blueprint to reshape cities into open-air museums, harmonizing again with nature, with the ultimate aim of reawakening our sense of awe and appreciation for the natural world.”

Installation View of Ceramorphia_Are We the Aliens_Arne Quinze_Photography by Dave Bruel for Arne Quinze. Courtesy of König Galerie.

Following two decennia of presentations in museums and institutions such as Frieze Sculpture and Saatchi Gallery, London; Kunsthal Rotterdam; MAMAC Museum, Nice; the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art; Art D’Egypte, ‘Are We The Aliens_’ marks a new chapter in Quinze’s artistic practice. Over the last twenty years, his observations of urbanization’s detrimental effects on human life have fostered his artistic commitment to convert urban spaces into open-air museums with monumental artworks that reawaken our sense of awe and respect for nature. This upcoming exhibition transforms the historic church into an ethereal eloge of nature’s beauty in contrast with the alienated state of humanity towards their habitat. The sonic installation by Swizz Beatz complements Quinze’s sculptural exploration with experimental soundscapes, enhancing the exhibition's immersive effect.
 
In parallel with the theme of the Biennale di Venezia 2024, ‘Foreigners Everywhere’, ‘Are We The Aliens_’ is an invitation to contemplate our humanity and the growing alienation of our habitat, by proposing unconventional perspectives of self-perception, forging new bonds with our external environment.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Location
Scuola San Pasquale
Castello Campo San Francesco 2780, 30122 Venice, Italy (12 minutes from Piazza San Marco)

Opening Times
Tuesday - Sunday: 10 A.M. - 6 P.M.
Closed on Mondays

Press Preview + Artist Talk

April 18: 10:30 A.M.

Opening Weekend
April 19 - 21: 10 A.M. - 8 P.M. April 22: 10 A.M. - 6 P.M.

ABOUT ARNE QUINZE
Arne Quinze is a Belgian contemporary artist, painter, and sculptor. Building on his artistic journey from street art to paintings and public installations, Quinze explores the intricate relationship of human interaction and urban complexity, in correlation with the delicate harmony inherent in the natural world.
 
From oil paintings to large-scale public installations, Quinze reawakens an instinctive sense of awe and appreciation for nature, showcasing its diversity and the beauty of evolution. Placing nature’s splendor at the core of his work, Quinze’s large-scale works confront us with the grandness of its power, bringing to the surface a powerful dialogue of resilience and fragility. Blurring the lines between culture and the natural world, Quinze creates immersive artistry of a delicate but vibrant world, capturing the very essence of life. 

Since 2005, he has unveiled public sculptures in Europe (including London, Amsterdam and Paris) Asia (such as Shanghai, Mumbai and Beirut) North America (including New York, Chicago and Washington D.C.) and South America (Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro), and exhibited at the Burning Man Festival, Frieze Sculpture, London, Kunsthal Rotterdam, MAMAC Museum, Nice, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Art D’Egypte, among others. Upcoming projects include the exhibition ‘Are We The Aliens_’ during Venice Biennale 2024.

PDF

CHYBIK + KRISTOF WIN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR A MULTIFUNCTIONAL TOWER IN THE CAPITAL OF ALBANIA SETTING A NEW STANDARD FOR URBAN LIVING

Set to integrate into the masterplan of Tirana’s upcoming Culture Hub central area, CHYBIK+KRISTOF’s winning multifunctional tower rings in a new ear for the capital, being the first of many projects from the masterplan to be built, joining international firms in re-defining the urban landscape of Tirana.

December 4, 2023 (Tirana, Albania) – CHYBIK + KRISTOF (CHK) present the winning design for a new multifunctional tower, set to become a landmark in the capital of Albania, Tirana, with its recognizable cascading silhouette wrapped in red concrete. Located at the heart of the forthcoming Culture Hub of the capital within the New Boulevard, the multifunctional complex is envisioned as an 83-meter tower, consisting majorly of residential spaces while the first three floors are dedicated to offices and retail, all the while becoming a significant addition to Tirana’s ever-growing skyline.

Over the past decade, the Albanian capital has been booming into a modern and dynamic city, following its mission to invest in infrastructure and high-quality spaces, improving the eminence of life for its residents alongside becoming an attractive point in the Balkans. Underlining the city’s active leadership efforts to elevate Tirana’s urbanism, many international offices are contributing to this important development, including CHK. As a part of this reactivation and redesign of the city, particularly establishing the cultural importance of the upcoming area, CHK's winning design is a central connector in the urban masterplan, bringing together the entire district of the upcoming Cultural Hub, consequently forming a vibrant public space for the locals.

At the heart of CHK’s project is a design that integrates with the planned city's fabric, forging a connection with the dynamic landscape of Tirana via the New Boulevard. The tower, positioned strategically at the heart of the future Cultural Hub, serves as the urban connector, weaving together the district's upcoming key cultural buildings such as the opera house, art gallery, cultural center with the Boulevard, and the River Park, into a vibrant and cohesive public area. The cascading scheme of the tower, a rectangular structure situated on a prominent corner of the area, marks it as a pivotal orientation point for the entire neighborhood.

The significance of the tower extends beyond its design, as it combines old and new elements, defining a new urbanity at a crucial scale for Tirana. Located at the end of the New Boulevard, this structure is set to be one of the first realized buildings of the new masterplan, bringing balance to the end of the Boulevard in close proximity to the River Park. This integration connects the Boulevard with nature, adding an essential element to the overall urban landscape of Tirana.

The main driver of the architectural form of the tower is the quality of the residential areas, the apartments that build up to 80 percent of the building. The cascading façade forms green roof terraces for several apartments on each floor, extending the greenery of the surrounding urban context by retaining rainwater to mitigate the heat island effect and irrigate vegetation. Supporting the optimal environmental goals, CHK introduces a climate-specific living approach to the residential block by creating passive shaded loggias full of greenery, as a viable response to the local subtropical Mediterranean climate. The passive, shaded loggias are built in every apartment with aluminum window frames, bringing optimal thermal coverage to the entirety of the apartment, protecting the interior from overheating, providing only the main source of daylight, and framing the unique views of the Skanderbeg Mountain Range in the distance.

Frida Pashako, General Director of Urban Planning and Development at the Municipality of Tirana, explains:

‘The winning project for the multifunctional tower at the New Boulevard of Tirana marks a milestone in our city's architectural landscape, as it is a result of the first private international competition amongst nearly 20 future competitions in this particular area.

This project showcases an extraordinary fusion of innovative design and visionary urban planning. The proposal stands out by its thoughtful consideration of the street articulation/corner of the project, integrating with the urban fabric while establishing an inviting and dynamic connection. It shows an appreciation for the site's context and the rapid development unfolding around it.

One of the key highlights is its ability to establish a cohesive relationship between diverse functions within the tower and with the public spaces around it. The clever distribution of spaces fosters a synergy that intertwines various functionalities, creating an environment that is not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing.

This project aspires to contribute to the emergence of a new identity within the informal urban context, shaping a future that accommodates the rapid pace of development. I am certain that this building will aid in creating spaces that inspire and evolve with the cityscape. We are eager to witness the tangible impact it will have on our city's skyline and the lives of its inhabitants. We thank CHYBIK+KRISTOF for bringing their international expertise and experience to Tirana.’

Setting a pioneering example of collaboration between the private and public sectors, the project marks the first pilot exemplary international competition for privately owned land and a private investor with the active participation of the city of Tirana and international architectural offices.

CHK’s winning design stands as a testament to their vision for a dynamic and interconnected urban future. As the tower takes shape, it will contribute to defining the city's identity, representing the fusion of architecture, environmental action, and community engagement.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About CHYBIK + KRISTOF

CHYBIK + KRISTOF (CHK) is an architecture and urban design practice founded in 2010 by Ondrej Chybik (*1985) and Michal Kristof (*1986). Operating with 60+ international team members and offices in London, Prague, and Brno, CHK's focus has been ranging from urban developments to public and residential buildings, emphasizing the connection of architecture and societal responsibility, ultimately creating an improved dialogue between the built environment and the society residing in it. Following a successful volume of work over the last decade, the studio has been awarded a number of prizes, including the 2019 Design Vanguard Award from Architectural Record, and winners amongst the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies 2019, 40 Under 40 Award. chybik-kristof.com

Lead Architect: Ondrej Chybik, Michal Kristof
Design team: Jiri Vala, Jiri Richter, Radek Satora, Ondrej Svancara, Ondrej Mundl, Ilya Lebedev, Lukas Kvasnica, Martyna Bobinska, Magdalena Czopka, Antonin Hampl, Martin Holy, Martin Iglesias
Structural Engineer: SDS Group shpk, BOLLINGER + GROHMANN

Landscape Architect: MARKO & THE PLACEMAKERS

Local Consultant: STUDIOARCH4

Sustainable Design Specialist: CLEARLY EFFICIENT

Structural Engineer: SDS Group shpk, BOLLINGER + GROHMANN

Collaboration: Marko&Placemakers, CLEARLY EFFICIENT, Studioarch4, SDS Group shpk,

Competitors: XDGA, Bovenbouw Architectuur, Coop Himmelblau, Atelier Martel

Investors: 2T SHPK, BE-IS SHPK

Year: 2023
Type: mixed-use, residential, offices, retail
Size: 17 500 m2
Investment: 11 375 000 EUR
Status: competition (1st place)

Tower height: 83,7 m

Floors: 23

Image credits:

Image 1. Render Exterior View. Courtesy of CHYBIK + KRISTOF.

Image 2. Drawing of the Culture Hub. Courtesy of CHYBIK + KRISTOF.

Image 3. Drawing of the Multifunctional Tower Exterior by Alexey Klyuykov . Courtesy of CHYBIK + KRISTOF.

Image 4. Render Interior View. Courtesy of CHYBIK + KRISTOF.

Image 5. Render Exterior View. Courtesy of CHYBIK + KRISTOF.

Image 6. Render Exterior View. Courtesy of CHYBIK + KRISTOF.
PDF

ROLF SACHS UNVEILS A NEW SOLO EXHIBITION AT STALLA MADULAIN IN SWITZERLAND, CONCEIVED AS A MULTISENSORIAL POETIC JOURNEY

The extensive exhibition, envisaged as an orchestrated scenography, offers a unique opportunity to explore the breadth of Sachs’ oeuvre and the fluidity across the artist’s mediums.

On view: March 17, 2024

December 4, 2023 (Madulain, Switzerland) – For his carte blanche at Stalla Madulain gallery this winter, artist Rolf Sachs presents ‘So ein Mist!’ (What B.S), a multidisciplinary exhibition spanning sculpture, installation, video, painting and works on paper. Consisting almost entirely of new work, with interventions both inside and outside, the artist envisioned So ein Mist! as a carefully orchestrated multisensorial and poetic journey. On view through March 17, the exhibition encapsulates much of Sachs’ enduring interest in materiality and recontextualizing everyday objects, all the while unveiling a series of never seen before paintings and drawings, his Défroissage series.

Many of the works in ‘So ein Mist!’ subtly relate to Stalla Madulain’s history as an agricultural barn in the mountains. The hayloft, a stable on the middle floor where the animals lived, and the basement, which was used both as a storage room and as a slaughterhouse were subtly transformed in 2014 into three unique exhibition spaces which now showcase contemporary art. The space bears the patina of 500 years of mountain farming, respecting the original spirit and inherent tradition of the place. Stalla Madulain has a deep personal resonance for the artist as he grew up in the region. 

The grand hayloft (tabla) hosts a series of deeply meditative and immersive site-specific works which flow as an ensemble. An expression of the artist’s sensorial relationship to the valley, the works displayed are a celebration of the innate poetry found in commonplace agricultural materials that would have once populated a place like Stalla Madulain. The visitor’s visual and sensory experience is enhanced by the barn’s open structure, allowing the outside elements to enter the gallery space. 

We are greeted by Einsamkeit [Loneliness] (2023), a minimalist salt installation reflecting on mankind’s solitary and existential experience in the surrounding mountain landscape. Looking up, the video installation Leise rieselt der Schnee [Silently the Snow Falls] (2016) enhances the artist’s scenographic approach and evokes the particularly magical experience of snow falling at night. The monumental vitrines Mist, Wolle, Heu and Ross (2023) are an homage to the archaic materials that could have been found in a barn like this one: manure, wool, hay, and horsehair. Their scale celebrates the materials’ tactility and vitality. The vitrines’ museum glass gives their content an immediate presence, making them almost like immersive portals. Part object, part abstract painting, these commonplace materials are elevated. On the wall opposite hangs Rocks (2016) consisting of sharply cut stones that the artist chose from the riverbed of the Inn river.

Although the works in the hayloft seek to elicit an emotional, sensory reaction, Sachs also deftly employs humour and wit, a strategy Sachs recurrently turns to (as seen in the exhibition’s title). The hanging pink moped, a personal reference to him passing by Stalla Madulain during teenage clandestine escapes, adds salz in the suppe [salt in the soup] to what would be otherwise a contemplative room.

The stable (stalla) on the second floor unveils new paintings and works on paper. While this is a new venture for the artist, his pictorial approach is a continuation of an enduring interest in materiality, tactility and reinterpreting the conventional use of materials. As often in his work, the artist finds a certain freedom in letting things fall under the agency of chance. The process behind the Défroissage series is a perfect balance between ‘faire et laisser faire.’ Sections of raw canvas are crumpled and creased, scrunched into a ball, a process that the artist sees as a sensual act. The canvas is then unfolded, and it is in this ‘defroissage’, that the surface’s character is unraveled. The unfolded canvas is then fixed with layers of resin, rendering the creased canvas part painting, part object. The sculpture Froissage Rose (2023) furthers that dialogue. Even with painting, Sachs is interested in making work that impacts us physically.

‘A blank piece of paper or canvas is unassuming, characterless, uninspiring. If you crush it, as to dispose of it, and then unfold it delicately, it remerges alive, with character. It nearly compares to traces of life. When we emerge as a newborn, we are cute and sweet and a clean slate. It then takes a lifetime to shape us, to give us the depth, wrinkles, character, understanding,’  Sachs explains.

The dark, damp rooms of the basement (schler) are transformed into an atmospheric, dreamy environment. Separated from their original, practical function, everyday farming objects such as milk cans and buckets are transformed into sculptures and therefore given a new poetic dimension. By perforating their surface and lighting them from inside, the artist highlights their importance and beauty. Once again, the viewer’s experience is multisensorial.

Sachs has always been inspired by his upbringing in Switzerland and has regularly referred to it in his sculptural practice. The neon installation Ewiger Lauf [Perpetual Run] (2016), placed on Stalla Madulain’s façade, recalls the memories of hearing rainwater falling down the gutter, its noise here replaced by a silent neon strip. In the field facing the barn, a 5.50 meter wooden pyramid entitled Boundless (2023) recalls the archaic architectural language used to build simple mountain structures but rendered in this case infinite.

The exhibition encompasses Sachs’ visual language in its entirety. All three floors attest to the artist’s oneiric sensibility, enduring fascination with materiality, interest in recontextualising domestic objects and to his empathetic and sensual approach to art.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

‘So ein Mist!’ (What B.S) by Rolf Sachs is on view at Stalla Madulain through March 17, 2024.

Address:
Via Principela 15 7523 Madulain Switzerland

Opening Hours:
08.01 to 17.03 – Friday to Sunday 3 - 6 pm

About Rolf Sachs:
Rolf Sachs is a multi-disciplinary artist currently based in Rome. He applies a distinctive humane and conceptual approach across a multitude of mediums, ranging from sculpture, photography, painting and design and through to architectural projects and set designs for opera and ballet. Since the 1990s, Sachs has challenged preconceived applications of materials, processes, and everyday objects, imbuing them with novel meaning. Deftly employing humour and wit, his work seeks to elicit emotional, sensory reactions. However, his work has nothing of the dryness that is often associated with conceptual art. Rather, it is full of humanity, sensibility, and respect towards the materials he uses. It is poetic, humorous, tongue and cheek, but never irreverent. Currently, his work is particularly focused on exploring the human psyche, people’s character, relationships, soul, and spirit.

His work has been exhibited internationally in galleries and museums including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the Museum for Applied Art, Cologne, the MAK, Vienna, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Hauser and Wirth, Gstaad and Monika Sprüth, Cologne.

https://rolfsachs.com/

About Stalla Madulain:
Stalla Madulain is a contemporary art gallery housed in a 500-year-old barn located in the smallest village in the Upper Engadin. Founded in 2014 by cousins Gian Tumasch Appenzeller and Chasper Schmidlin they have exhibited national and international artists, such as Not Vital, Franz Gertsch, Mirko Baselgia, Jani Leinonen, Conrad Jon Godly and Chrissy Angliker and Olga Titus, all who have a connection with the Engadin.

Appenzeller and Schmidlin also run Stalletta, a small gallery located in a 17th C stable next to Stalla Madulain. Stalla Madulain has also collaborated with Muzeum Susch on site-specific projects with artists from their programming. https://www.stallamadulain.ch/

Image Credits:
Image 1. Exhibition View ’So Ein Mist’ by Rolf Sachs .Photography by Katja Meuli.
Image 2. Exhibition View ’So Ein Mist’ by Rolf Sachs. Photography by Stefan Altenburger.
Image 3. Exhibition View ’So Ein Mist’ by Rolf Sachs.Photography by Stefan Altenburger.
Image 4. Exhibition View ’So Ein Mist’ by Rolf Sachs. Photography by Katja Meuli.
Image 5. Exhibition View ’So Ein Mist’ by Rolf Sachs.Photography by Rolf Sachs.
Image 6. Exterior View of Stalla Madulain. Photography by Stefan Altenburger.

PDF

A R T COMMUNICATION + BRAND CONSULTANCY ANNOUNCES THE GLOBAL REPRESENTATION OF BELGIAN CONTEMPORARY ARTIST ARNE QUINZE

Quinze’s newly refurbished 1,000 sqm2 studio is dedicated exclusively to his large-scale paintings, exposing audiences to the intricate yet powerful influence of nature’s fragility and resilience.

November 8, 2023 (Sint-Martens-Latem, Belgium) – In a continuous commitment to support international creatives and artists, A R T Communication + Brand Consultancy is pleased to announce its global PR representation of Belgian contemporary artist Arne Quinze. From large oil paintings to monumental public installations, Quinze explores the intricate relationship of human interaction and urban complexity, in correlation with the delicate harmony inherent in the natural world. His works have been exhibited at globally acclaimed art fairs and museums, including Frieze Sculpture, London; Kunsthal Rotterdam; MAMAC Museum, Nice; the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Quinze’s circular Lupine sculpture titled ‘Aurora,’ is currently on view at Art D’Égypte until November 18, 2023. To coincide with La Biennale di Venezia, 2024, the artist will unveil a new large-scale site-specific installation in a 16th century church.

Quinze’s new 1,000 sqm2 painting studio, in addition to his metal atelier used to produce his monumental sculptures, cultivates his commitment to showcasing nature’s resilience and vulnerability. His artistic practice is shaped by his rural upbringing in the Belgian countryside and his exposure to the stark opposition of big cities, where he has lived since the 1980s, including Belgium, Shanghai, New York, and São Paulo. Experiencing and observing the effects of urbanization on human life, Quinze transitions from street art to public art installations and large oil paintings, transforming urban spaces into open-air museums reawakening an instinctive sense of awe and appreciation for the natural world.

In his sculptural work, Quinze uses a specialized sculpting technique involving a large demolition excavator on sustainable metal to create intricate sculptures inspired by nature, evoking a sense of power into the integral fragility during the creation. His process starts with sketches and paper models, serving as the foundation for his large-scale works that capture nature's interplay between power and fragility. Incorporating the Japanese concept of Mono no Aware – a celebration of the ephemeral beauty inherent in the cycles of life, Quinze engages in a meditative dialogue with nature, capturing an evolution often overlooked in the rush of modern life. Quinze's oil paintings, rooted in preserving nature through documentation, unveil deeper layers that extend the gaze beyond the earthly realm and into a broader universe. Immortalizing the evanescent juncture between resilience and vulnerability is central to his practice, as he believes human conduct places at risk the diversity and splendor of the planet.

Both studios, the metal atelier, and the new painting space, are located in the heart of Flemish Impressionists’ picturesque village Sint-Martens-Latem in Belgium. Quinze’s wildflower garden serves as a laboratory of biodiversity to study the evolving aesthetics of over 150,000 plant species cultivated over the past decade, the garden is also a sanctuary for the artist to nurture his intuitive connection with nature, experiencing its growth and decay, often kneeling to observe the plants from a humble perspective. His endless awe and immersion in nature’s wonders consequently fuel his exploration of the topic, all the while shaping the essence of his vigorous sculptural and painted pieces.

Quinze expands, ‘My ultimate goal is to showcase the true diversity and astounding beauty of nature’s evolution.’

NOTES TO EDITORS:

ABOUT ARNE QUINZE

Arne Quinze is a Belgian contemporary artist, painter, and sculptor. Building on his artistic journey from street art to paintings and public installations, Quinze explores the intricate relationship of human interaction and urban complexity, in correlation with the delicate harmony inherent in the natural world.

From oil paintings to large-scale public installations, Quinze reawakens an instinctive sense of awe and appreciation for nature, showcasing its diversity and the beauty of evolution. Placing nature’s splendor at the core of his work, Quinze’s large-scale works confront us with the grandness of its power, bringing to the surface a powerful dialogue of resilience and fragility. Blurring the lines between culture and the natural world, Quinze creates immersive artistry of a delicate but vibrant world, capturing the very essence of life.

Since 2005, he has unveiled public sculptures in cities across the world, including Belgium, France, China, and the USA, and exhibited at the Burning Man Festival, Frieze Sculpture, London, Kunsthal Rotterdam, MAMAC Museum, Nice, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, among others. Upcoming projects include the exhibition ‘We are the Aliens’ during Venice Biennale 2024.

Image Credits:

1. Arne Quinze in his new painting atelier, 2023, Courtesy of Dave Bruel.
2. Ipomoea Group, A Wildflower Field Painting Series, 2023. Courtesy of Dave Bruel.
3. Chroma Lupine Chameleon, 2019, On View at the Meneghetti Sculpture Garden. Courtesy of Dave Bruel.

PDF

AFRICAN ARTISTS' FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES ARTIST LINEUP FOR LAGOSPHOTO FESTIVAL'S LARGEST EXPANSION

THEME: ‘GROUND STATE – FELLOWSHIP WITHIN THE UNCANNY’

On View: October 27 – December 31, 2023

Curated by AAF’s founder and director Azu Nwagbogu, and East Wing Artistic Director (Dubai, UAE) Peggy Sue Amison, the 14th edition of the international photography festival will bring together 38 national and international artists igniting hopeful visions of change, showcasing their photographic works in Nigeria and in the festival’s first-ever geographical expansion, the Republic of Benin.

October 9, 2023 (Benin and Nigeria) – The African Artists’ Foundation, a non-profit organization and art space based in Lagos reveals the final selection of artists participating in the 14th edition of the LagosPhoto Festival, an international photography festival taking place from October 27 – December 31, 2023. Bringing together 38 national and international artists, this year’s edition welcomes talents from all over the world including Nigeria, Republic of Benin, United States of America, Ireland, and Australia, showcasing myriad of artistic visions for hopeful change. The final selection includes returning artists such as Raquel van Haver and Zanele Muholi, and newcomers including Arko Datto, Eugenia Lim, and Rehab Eldalil. This year’s theme, ‘Ground State – Fellowship Within the Uncanny’ will bring together photographic works exploring the present moment and envisioning repair, syncopation, putrefaction, restitution, and restoration. Marking the first time in its history that the event is held beyond Lagos, the festival extends to Cotonou, Ouidah, and Porto-Novo in the Republic of Benin. This geographical expansion offers a wider audience the opportunity to engage with the powerful works of talented photographers, challenging our own complicity in a culture of desire founded on consumption.

Photography has always held a mysterious power. In the past two decades, it has played a significant role in the rise of post-truth ideologies encouraging divisive and tribal societies. The malaise of the twenty-first century presents unsettling possibilities and anxieties surging from dystopian post-covid realities, growing conflicts, and the indelible signs of climate change. Recalcitrant colonial mindsets continue to judge worth through an impossible hierarchy. Efforts to imagine decolonized and sustainable futures have been captured in recurring hierarchies of different entities delivering the same results. As society reaches a Ground State, where everything humanity knows as ‘common sense’ no longer applies, there is an urge to restore, repair and restitute the mysteries of oral histories and aspects vital for survival. For its 2023 edition LagosPhoto Festival invites artists to showcase new perspectives of humanity’s revival and equilibrium through hopeful visions of social, political, environment and spiritual change.

Initiated in 2010, LagosPhoto has since created a community of local and international artists united through contemporary photography encapsulating individual experiences and identities from the African continent. Through an extensive program of exhibitions, workshops, screenings and large-scale outdoor installations, the festival promotes education and reclaims public spaces, engaging local and global audiences with the continent’s historical and contemporary stories narrated through photography.

As in this year’s edition taking place in the Republic of Benin and Nigeria, the festival’s recurring topics of restitution and cultural heritage have set the tone for groundbreaking programs. In 2020’s ‘Rapid Response Restitution – The Home Museum’, audiences were invited to produce a fast shutter retrieval of their personal and family’s cultural heritage to be presented in an inclusive digital exhibition, sparking an interest and conversation on cultural heritage and a visual intellect amongst citizens. ‘Searching for Prince Adewale Oyenuga’ in 2021 presented a project about a missing suitcase with a historic archive of photos and paintings left in Barcelona and repatriated to Nigeria, highlighting the thematic of restitution. In 2022 ‘Remember Me—Liberated Bodies; Charged Objects’ interrogated the photography’s influence in shaping, archiving, and ordering the stories of communities and individual identities, determining the way the present and future are constructed.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

LagosPhoto Festival will be on view from October 27 – December 31, 2023, in select venues in Lagos, Nigeria and Cotonou, Ouidah, and Porto-Novo, Benin.

*For updates on additional venues and programming in Nigeria and Benin, please follow us on our social media for agendas and updates.

Grand Opening in Cotonou, Benin: October 27, 2023

*Venue to be announced

Grand Opening in Lagos, Nigeria: November 2, 2023

African Artists' Foundation | 4:00 p.m.

Address:

3B Isiola Oyekan Close, Off Adeleke Adedoyin St, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria

Additional Venues in Benin

Fondation Zinsou,

936P+J44, Ouidah, Benin | Mon: 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Wed – Thu: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Route du Gondouana, Cotonou, Benin | Mon: 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Wed – Thu: 10 AM – 7:00 PM

Borna Soglo Gallery

9C5P+CHM, Cotonou, Benin | Tue – Fri: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Galeries Les Ateliers Coffi

Fidjrosse 01BP7774, Cotonou, Benin

Gallery A

Cotonou, Benin

Maison Rouge Cotonou Hotel

Boulevard de la Marina, Cotonou – Benin

Gallery 3.0 (Maison Samuel Degnon)

Porto Novo, Benin

Additional Venues in Nigeria

Alliance Francaise de Lagos

9 Osborne Rd, Ikoyi 106104, Lagos, Nigeria | Mon – Fri: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Sat: 9 AM – 2 PM

Falomo Under Bridge

CCRG+FC4, Akin Adesola St, 106104, Lagos, Nigeria

Federal Government Printing Press

No. 9 Broad Street, Lagos Island, Lagos, Nigeria

Soto Gallery

10, Omo Osagie Street, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria.

ABOUT AAF:

African Artists’ Foundation (AAF) founded in 2007, Lagos, Nigeria, is a decentralized, multivalent, metamorphic art space that embraces community values, experimental artistic principles in supporting boundary-breaking and artistic ideas. Over the years, AAF has evolved beyond the limiting shell of a non-profit, to embody an art space that is responsive, attuned to social justice issues, ecology, freedom, community initiatives by empowering creative expression. AAF is dedicated to fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of contemporary art, design, and culture through residencies, workshops, innovative exhibitions, and educational programs. We aim to further challenge and inspire our community, unearth, and develop more talents while also promoting inclusiveness. Our goal is to be a dynamic and interactive space that sparks meaningful dialogue and encourages critical thinking, celebrates community programs and ultimately to become a change-maker through the power of art.

ABOUT LAGOSPHOTO:

Launched in 2010, LagosPhoto is the first international arts festival of photography in Nigeria. In a month-long festival, events include exhibitions, workshops, artist presentations, discussions, and large-scale outdoor prints displayed throughout the city with the aim of reclaiming public spaces and engaging the general public with multifaceted stories of Africa. LagosPhoto aims to establish a community for contemporary photography which will unite local and international artists through images that encapsulate individual experiences and identities from across all of Africa. LagosPhoto presents and educates about photography as it is embodied in the exploration of historical and contemporary issues, the sharing of cultural practices, and the promotion of social programmes.

Image Caption
1.Fikayo Adebayo, The Flesh Is Here but The Soul Is Gone - What Remains, courtesy of Fikayo Adebayo.
2.Arko Datto, Shunyo Raja (Kings of a Bereft Land) - Tara Mutata, courtesy of Arko Datto.
3.Federico Estol, Shine Heroes, courtesy of Federico Estol.

PDF

ARTEFACT.BERLIN ANNOUNCES A DEBUT SOLO EXHIBITION BY ARTIST CATERINA RENAUX HERING | UNVEILING GENUINE SENSATION THROUGH THE POETIC EXPRESSION OF THE BODY

The exhibition will present a series of drawings and ceramic sculptures, showcasing traditional and innovative ways of presenting art, all the while exploring the organic nature of the corporal form.
On View: November 3, 2023 – February 2, 2024

October 5, 2023 (Berlin, Germany) – Artefact.Berlin announces the first solo show by Brazilian, Berlin-based artist Caterina Renaux Hering, following her recent graduation at Universität der Künste (UDK) in Berlin. Blushing out of Blue, will be on view from November 3, 2023 – December 20, 2023, unveiling new and site specific pieces, ranging from dainty drawings to ceramic sculptures, expressing the artist’s sensibility towards crafting a distinctive language with shapes, senses, and exploration of materiality.

Blushing out of Blue will debut a series of distinct drawings, on paper, inside resin and cast in silicone, engulfing the gallery into the very essence of Renaux Hering’s subject, genuine sensation. The diverse expression from a range of mediums allows the artist to craft narratives, diving deeper into the sensuality of the subject, ultimately becoming mystifying surfaces for generating sentiments. Working within the existing materiality of the exhibition space itself, the works become embedded in its structure, further coding its sensual essence into the gallery.

At the heart of Renaux Hering's artistry lies an exploration of the human body as the central subject and vehicle for her creative expression, drawing on the themes of transience, eroticism, delight and duration. Probing various facets of sensibility through her unique perspective, Renaux Hering’s work invites viewers to make sense of the genuine sensations that pulse through corporeal existence. Drawing, as a consistent presence in her oeuvre, allows Renaux Hering to look for the soul’s knowledge of our intrinsically unfolding self. Serving as her very own Ariadne's thread, the lines act as guides for navigating the labyrinth of subjectivity, packing depths into shapes and emerging from abstraction towards clarity.

Blushing out of Blue unveils a variety of the artist’s drawings, based on different plastic approaches encompassing both tradition and innovation. Spanning from the conventional method of drawing on paper, glass, and framing, the pieces include the use of resin as an ode to 1960s Italian aesthetics, and conclude with several drawings utilizing silicone, an innovative technique developed by the artist herself. The drawings fuse with silicone becoming one, liberating them into a skin-like fluid condition, achieving the resilience required for fragility to thrive. Netting the essence of the exhibition, in ‘LinDonna’ (pictured above left), a drawing cast in silicone, the artist captures the beauty of femininity as the nurturer of the continuity of life and, as the very form that existence crafts to seduce the production of life continuously.

In the same vein as her drawings, the ceramic sculptures (pictured above left) indulge in the inquiry into the origins of organic shapes, the site-specific pieces evoke the sensuality and sturdy delicacy of the human form, skillfully giving shape to archetypal representations of intimacy.

‘Blushing out of Blue is a take on exciting vitality through the erotics of seduction and the language of elegance. To blush is an uncritical and innocent form of response, and the works presented are meant to be delicate exciters, pulling us away from stagnation as if by surprise,’ the artist explains.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Blushing out of Blue is on view at Artefact.Berlin from November 3, 2023 — December 20, 2023.

Artefact.Berlin | Geisbergstraße 12, 10777 Berlin, Germany Monday – Friday
10 – 6 PM and by appointment

About Caterina Renaux Hering
Caterina was born in 1985, in the south of Brazil and currently lives in Berlin where she recently finished her master degree in Fine Arts at Universität der Künste - UDK, under the mentorship of Professor Valérie Favre.

Caterina Renaux Hering creates artworks that span a diverse range of media, all driven by the intent to lend forms for the mystifying subjective substances that animate emotions. She engages with drawings, ceramic sculptures, assemblages, music, costumes, and performance as vehicles for crafting a language that resonates with the most delicate and dense aspects of sensibility. Her work places the body at the center of these investigations, exploring themes such as transience, eroticism, delight and duration, in a quest to make sense out of genuine sensation.

caterinarenauxhering.com | @caterinarenauxhering

About Artefact.Berlin Gallery
Established in December 2021, Artefact.Berlin is a gallery and project space prefiguring itself as an extension and complement to Thomae’s already reputed international cultural communications agency A R T Communication + Brand Consultancy, founded in 2014. Through a series of curated exhibitions, the project is rooted in Thomae’s ongoing commitment to promoting the interrelatedness between art, design and architecture. With a rich program of carefully selected exhibitions focusing on contemporary art and design, the space stands as an important reference point for art and design collectors and enthusiasts worldwide.

Rooted in the Schöneberg district’s distinct architectural heritage, Artefact.Berlin will continuously connect with local art and design professionals and general audiences alike through a dense program of multidisciplinary events, talks, and performances, once again fostering Berlin’s extensive and widely diverse cultural community and its visibility worldwide.

artefactgalleryberlin.com | @artefactgallery.berlin

About Anna Rosa Thomae:
Growing up in Berlin in the 1990s, Anna Rosa Thomae spent her formative years living and working between New York, London, and Berlin. With a career of over fifteen years in the field of global cultural communications Thomae has ceaselessly nurtured the premise that valuable synergies exist between, and can emerge from, art, design and architecture – a vision that led her to establish her own consultancy, A R T in 2014 in Berlin. Ever since, Thomae has worked with creatives across all continents, ranging from gallerists, museums, and artists to designers, architects, and more.

A versed art and design collector, constantly shaped by her professional and personal encounters, Thomae has developed an extensive collection bringing together vintage European furniture from the 1960s—1980s in tandem with Modern, Post-War and Contemporary Art. Established in 2021, Artefact.Berlin is the symbiosis between these two passions that continue to develop to this day.

Image Caption
1.Left. ‘LinDonna’, drawing cast in silicone, 120 x 80 cm. Courtesy of the artist. Right. ‘Fave Hands Touching The Absent’. Graphite On Paper.420x997mm. Courtesy of the artist.
2.Left ‘Archetits’. Ceramic. 145x145 mm. Courtesy of the artist. Right. ‘CherryDonna’. 60x50cm. Courtesy of the artist.

PDF

ARTIST ROLF SACHS CREATES A LIMITED COLLECTION OF BISQUE PORCELAIN CANDLESTICKS FOR NYMPHENBURG

With these handcrafted pieces, Sachs unveils an unconventional approach to porcelain creation, celebrating the tactile and the imperfect.

September 27, 2023 (München, Germany) – Artist Rolf Sachs unveils an exclusive limited collection of candlesticks titled ‘Berührung’ which translates as ‘touch’ in English, in collaboration with the historic Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg, available from October 24, 2023.

Striking a balance between faire and laisser-faire, this collection highlights Sachs’ empathetic and sensual approach to creativity and encapsulates the artist’s vision of producing ‘arts emotionels instead of arts décoratifs,’. The porcelain is molded with verve, shaped with intuition, bent and pressed with impulse. The candlesticks express Sachs’ endless fascination with the concept of imperfection: ‘Perfection often seems a little sterile. I have a love of flaws. By nature, humans are not perfect and if we are, we are probably boring,’ Sachs suggests. Despite many years of cooperation with Nymphenburg, porcelain remains something special for the artist. It is a moving experience to feel the fine material with his hands, to shape it and to deal with it, even more: to engage with it with all his senses.

The ‘Berührung’ collection epitomizes a deliberate break from today's predominant perfectionism as a general standard and is intended to encourage us to acknowledge imperfections and celebrate them. For the artist, the focus of his work has always been the examination of people: ‘The more truthful we are, the more we show of our character,’ Sachs calls on us to stop hiding our flaws and instead live and even enjoy them. ‘Berührung’, in keeping with the tradition of Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg, can act as a centerpiece on a dining table, becoming the focal point of conversations and exchanges. It also invites us to reconsider and discover the soul of porcelain.

The ‘Berührung’ candlesticks are a testament to Sachs’ unconventional use of the material, inviting the manufacturer to approach it in new ways. With Sachs’ intervention, they become original, poetic one- offs that come in all shapes and sizes: small and large, high and low, in pure white bisque porcelain or stained with colored glazes. Contrary to its usual transparency and delicacy, the bisque porcelain is full of fractures, fingerprints, and seemingly arbitrary shapes, offering a new language than its usual finesse. Sachs approaches the medium more spontaneously, molding, turning, embossing, painting, and firing it with great freedom.

Retail Prices for the ‘Berührung’ series start from 800 €.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

‘Berührung’

Design: Rolf Sachs, Artist's unique pieces, bisque porcelain, partially hand-painted with colored glaze, various sizes.

ROLF SACHS
Rolf Sachs is a multi-disciplinary artist and designer currently based in Rome. He applies a distinctive humane and conceptual approach across a multitude of mediums, ranging from sculpture, painting, photography and design and through to architectural projects and set designs for opera and ballet. His move to Rome has inspired Sachs to finally dedicate himself seriously to painting. Since the 1990s, Sachs has challenged preconceived applications of materials, processes, and everyday objects, imbuing them with novel meaning. Deftly employing humour and wit, his work seeks to elicit emotional, sensory reactions. However, his work has nothing of the dryness that is often associated with conceptual art. Rather, it is full of humanity, sensibility, and respect towards the materials he uses. It is poetic, humorous, tongue and cheek, but never irreverent. His work is particularly focused on exploring the human psyche, people’s character, relationships, soul and spirit.

His work has been exhibited internationally in galleries and museums!

Sachs was born in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1955, to a German father and French mother. After studying in the US and the UK in the late 1980s, Sachs moved to London in 1994 to focus on his artistic practice. In 2018 he moved to Rome where he opened a new studio in 2020.

PORZELLAN MANUFAKTUR NYMPHENBURG
Nymphenburg is the last purest manufactory of its kind. Since its foundation in 1747, the high art of porcelain production has been cultivated at the manufactory of the Bavarian royal family. Manu factum means there to this day: made entirely by hand using techniques that have been handed down and preserved from generation to generation. Ahead of their time, the master workshops at the Nördliches Schlossrondell in Munich produce style-defining services and artefacts as well as custom-made interior solutions - designed to this day by the most renowned artists, architects and designers of their time.

Image Credits:
1.‘Berührung’ by Rolf Sachs. Courtesy of The Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory.
2.‘Berührung’ by Rolf Sachs. Courtesy of The Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory.
3.The Making of ‘Berührung’ by Rolf Sachs. Photography by ROCKA Studio. Courtesy of The Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory.

PDF