26/10/2006
Paul Chan
Portikus, Frankfurt
Like fleeting shadows on the ground, we see objects defying gravity. Sunglasses, cars, people—everything is falling against a backdrop in shifting colours. But what appears to be simple shadows are digital animations projected on the floor—a recurring feature in Chan’s ongoing series The 7 Lights.
Solo show
The Portikus in Frankfurt am Main proudly presents Paul Chan’s first
exhibition in Germany. Born in Hong Kong in 1973 and educated in the
US, he has established himself as an important international artist.
In the wake of 9/11 and the war in Iraq, Chan has become a key figure
both in the American art world and in the world of political
activism. He is also an artist who emphasizes what is specific of
these two spheres.
Like fleeting shadows on the ground, we see objects defying gravity.
Sunglasses, cars, people—everything is falling against a backdrop in
shifting colours. But what appears to be simple shadows are digital
animations projected on the floor—a recurring feature in Chan’s
ongoing series The 7 Lights. Portikus presents 3rd Light, the first
part to also involve a sculptural element: a 3-dimensional replica of
the table in Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. This ingredient
emphasizes the theological quality already strongly felt in the
previous chapters, and the first falling object to appear is an
apple, followed by chairs and dogs. In spite of the calm and
meditative atmosphere, this seems to be a work about a world falling
apart. Here the world seems to end in silence.
Paul Chan creates films, animations and works with references to Goya
as well as to Japanese pornography, to the Bible as well as to the
Samuel Beckett. Previously this year he participated in the Whitney
Biennial. Other recent exhibitions include a solo show at the ICA in
Boston (2005), ‘Uncertain States of America,’ at Astrup Fearnley
Museum of Modern Art in Oslo (2005), the Lyon Biennial (2005), and
the ‘Greater New York’ at PS 1 in New York (2005).
This exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue produced together with
Magasin 3 Stockholm Konsthall, where the artist currently presents
other key works. Portikus’ and Magasin 3’s joint venture is the
artist’s first institutional solo presentation in Europe.
Opening: October 27, 2006, 8 p.m.
Portikus
Alte Brucke 2 (Maininsel) - Frankfurt