Taysir Batniji
Nina Berman
Viktoria Binschtok
Robert Boyd
Wolf Bowig
Luc Delahaye
Thomas Demand
Harun Farocki
Omer Fast
Samuel Fosso
Kathrin Gunter
James Howard
Alfredo Jaar
Sven Johne
William E. Jones
Barbara Klemm
Petra Kohl
Nicolas Vermot Petit
Outhenin
David LaChapelle
Eva Leitolf
Armin Linke
Gustav Metzger
James Mollison
Simon Norfolk
Peter Piller
Elodie Pong
Paul Qaysi
Walid Raad
Doug Rickard
Martha Rosler
Michael Schmidt
Frank Schramm
Manit Sriwanichpoom
Hank Willis Thomas
Oliviero Toscani
Jeff Wall
Michael Wolf
Anne-Marie Beckmann
Lilian Engelmann
Peter Gorschluter
Holger Kube Ventura
Alexandra Lechner
Celina Lunsford
For 200 days, the Rhine-Main region will host the presentation, discovery, and discussion of outstanding positions in photography and video. The first issue of Ray will include the central main exhibition Making history, as well as a highly faceted program of partner exhibitions and events that deals with the term of Time in today's photography.
From April to October 2012, RAY Fotografieprojekte will present outstanding
international positions of contemporary photography and video art in Frankfurt
Rhein-Main. RAY comprises the main exhibition MAKING HISTORY, which is
distributed across three central sites in Frankfurt and many partner exhibitions and
projects in Frankfurt and the region.
With RAY 2012, the Rhine-Main region is once again establishing itself as an
important site of contemporary photography. For the first time, nine strong
partners worked together to enable this event: Art Collection Deutsche Börse, the
Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie, the DZ BANK Kunstsammlung, the Fotografie
Forum Frankfurt, the Frankfurter Kunstverein, the Marta Hoepffner-Gesellschaft
für Fotografie e.V. in the Stadtmuseum Hofheim am Taunus, the MMK Museum für
Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main, the Städel Museum and the Opelvillen
foundation followed the initiative by the cultural fund Kulturfonds Frankfurt
RheinMain.
Prof. Dr. Herbert Beck, manager of the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, gives his
motivation for the initiative as being: "We wanted to get everyone together to
emphasize the high rank of photography in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region."
Every one of the houses involved with the project enriches and amends the projects
with its expertise and its own presentation of contemporary photography. "We
believe that this type of cooperation, in which different points of view and
competences are bundled in fruitful exchange is the special strength of RAY," say
the curators of the main exhibition MAKING HISTORY in a joint statement.
Looking ahead
The region Frankfurt/Rhine-Main has a high density of internationally renowned
institutions in the area of contemporary photography. It includes renowned
collections as well as training and exhibition facilities. This great potential is to be
focused on more strongly in future by »RAY Fotografieprojekte
Frankfurt/RheinMain«. RAY represents the rich collections and competence on the
focus of photography in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region.
The first issue of RAY will include the central main exhibition MAKING HISTORY,
as well as a highly faceted program of partner exhibitions and events that deals with
the term of TIME in today's photography. The Art Collection Deutsche Börse starts
the RAY partner projects with "Be here now", an exhibition on the photography
take on time and space. The entire RAY partner program of the Darmstädter Tage
der Fotografie, the DZ BANK Kunstsammlung, the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, the
Marta Hoepffner-Gesellschaft für Fotografie e.V. in the Stadtmuseum Hofheim am
Taunus, the MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main, the Städel
Museum and the Stiftung Opelvillen foundation will take place in Frankfurt and the
Rhine-Main region until October 2012. For detailed information, see
www.ray2012.de.
The importance of history and the questions of the present
The central main exhibition MAKING HISTORY focuses on artistic reflection of
public images without limiting itself to the medium of photography. Film and video
are included as well. The exhibition shows different positions on the subject of
presentation of reality in media images. Almost 40 renowned artists, among them
Viktoria Binschtok, David LaChapelle, Omer Fast, Alfredo Jaar, Barbara
Klemm, Gustav Metzger, are present in the exhibition. At the MMK Museum
für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main, Thomas Demand is one of the exhibitors,
showing his image series "Embassy" in an elaborate installation covering the entire
central hall. The main exhibition also includes works by Harun Farocki,
specifically three parts of his latest multi-part installation "Ernste Spiele", and
Walid Raad, who has just received the Hasselblad Award. Additionally, there are
many new discoveries whose works already show a wide range of artistic dealing
with public images.
In the media society, reality seems to only be created in images: Special events
seem to take place only when present in the media. In particular the younger
generation strongly defines itself via images: imago ergo sum. Not only socially and
politically important, but also private, mundane and marginal events become part
of public reality today, with images spreading through social media networks by
media snowball effects. Everyone who produces images also constructs reality. This
development can be traced using the photography documentation of historical
events as well, which were and are still closely connected with political conflict and
events of war. The wars after 1945 repeatedly showed that power over images
· means power over what happens. Images, particularly online, are vital in today's
media-characterized public – images and image creators alike are instrumentalized
and instrumentalize themselves.
How do contemporary artists react to this development? The artists in this
exhibition do not offer their own history models. Instead, their work shows
different views of historical events that can be understood as extended forms of
presenting history, as well as subjective images of the past, and convey independent
ideas on the creation of history.
Contributing artists: Taysir Batniji (F), Nina Berman (USA), Viktoria Binschtok
(D), Robert Boyd (USA), Wolf Böwig (D), Luc Delahaye (F), Thomas Demand (D),
Harun Farocki (D), Omer Fast (IL), Samuel Fosso (RCA), Kathrin Günter (D),
James Howard (GB), Alfredo Jaar (USA), Sven Johne (D), William E. Jones (USA),
Barbara Klemm (D) , Petra Köhle & Nicolas Vermot Petit-Outhenin (CH), David
LaChapelle (USA), Eva Leitolf (D), Armin Linke (D), Gustav Metzger (GB), James
Mollison (I), Simon Norfolk (GB), Peter Piller (D), Elodie Pong (CH), Paul Qaysi
(USA), Walid Raad (LB), Doug Rickard (USA), Martha Rosler (USA), Michael
Schmidt (D), Frank Schramm (USA), Manit Sriwanichpoom (TH), Hank Willis
Thomas (USA), Oliviero Toscani (I), Jeff Wall (CAN), Michael Wolf (F)
Responsibility for the main exhibition's content lies with the curator team Anne-
Marie Beckmann (Art Collection Deutsche Börse), Lilian Engelmann (Frankfurter
Kunstverein), Peter Gorschlüter (MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am
Main), Dr. Holger Kube Ventura (Frankfurter Kunstverein), Alexandra Lechner
(Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie) and Celina Lunsford (Fotografie Forum
Frankfurt).
Curators
Anne-Marie Beckmann (Art Collection Deutsche Börse)
Lilian Engelmann (Frankfurter Kunstverein)
Peter Gorschlüter (MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main)
Dr. Holger Kube Ventura (Frankfurter Kunstverein)
Alexandra Lechner (Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie)
Celina Lunsford (Fotografie Forum Frankfurt)
Press
Ursula Teich, press speaker
Christina Henneke (MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main)
Julia Wittwer (Frankfurter Kunstverein)
Office address
RAY Fotografieprojekte Frankfurt/RheinMain, Weißfrauenstraße 1,
60311 Frankfurt , T +49 (0)69 74 090 993 F +49 (0)69 26 839
info@ray2012.de www.ray2012.de
Thursday, 19 April 2012, 11 am
Press conference MAKING HISTORY
At the Frankfurter Kunstverein
Thursday 19 April 2012, 7 pm
Opening MAKING HISTORY
At the MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main
Afterwards opening party at the Frankfurter Kunstverein
Exhibition duration MAKING HISTORY: 20 April – 08 July 2012
Exhibition sites MAKING HISTORY: Frankfurter Kunstverein, MMK Museum
für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main, MMK Zollamt and two public locations.
To download press images and further information on the program, visit:
www.ray2012.de
Frankfurter Kunstverein
Steinernes Haus am Römerberg, Markt 44, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
Opening hours (during MAKING HISTORY)
Tue – Sun 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Wed 10 - 8 p.m.
Closed on Mondays
Fee: 8 € (reduced 4 €), free for FKV members.