Piotr Nathan
dal 26/3/2009 al 12/6/2009
Segnalato da
26/3/2009
Piotr Nathan
Magnus Muller, Berlin
The artist presents works, which he simply calls "pictures". As templates, he used wood engravings that he had taken from publications of the late 19th Century. Through subtle editing and considering the iconography and the formal characteristics of these prints, the works have been re-interpreted and presented on canvases.
We are delighted to announce the second solo exhibition of the Berlin
based
artist Piotr Nathan at Magnus Muller. In the large room of the gallery,
the
artist presents works, which he simply calls "pictures". As templates, he
used wood engravings that he had taken from publications of the late 19th
Century. Through subtle editing and considering the iconography and the
formal characteristics of these prints, the works have been re-interpreted
and presented on canvases. The interpretations illustrate the thoughts,
desires and fears of the contemporary human being, who feels as though
he is
living in the wrong period of time. In search of a generation that he can
relate to, he becomes himself a figure of a fantasy world.
In the small gallery space, Nathan will install the documentation of two
works from last year. First, it is the documentation of the
installation The
splendor of the glass swan¹s shadow, realized on behalf of the Cobra
Museum
in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, as a contribution for the exhibition Just
Different!. On the other hand, it is a large poster, which will be seen
until
the summer of 2009 in Berlin in the subway station Weinmeisterstrasse
on the
occasion of the artistic competition Lucky You!, organized by the NGBK in
Berlin.
For both works, the blue wood engraving The Blue Grotto at
Linderhof
Castle after a drawing by Robert Asmus served as a template. This motif
shows
the King Ludwig II with one of his servants in the boat on the water of
the
Blue Grotto in Linderhof Castle. The motif of this wood engraving can
be seen
as the leitmotif of Piotr Nathan¹s new work series.
Piotr Nathan has been living in Berlin since the end of his studies at the
Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Hamburg, in 1986.
He is represented by
magnus
muller since 2005. His oeuvre includes drawings, paintings, sculptures,
multiples, artist books, wall works and installations. He is reknowned
ever
since his appearance on the 3rd Berlin Biennial in 2004. His impressive
installation with doors of public toilets, converted to seats
(Interpretation
of Dreams, 2004), and the wall drawing The Weaving Mill of the Scents
(2002)
have certainly remained in the memories of many. Visitors to the Berlin
club
Berghain might also know the monumental wall drawing The Rituals of
Disappearance (2004). Since 2006, Piotr Nathan is professor of free
drawing and printmaking at the Muthesius University of Visual Arts in Kiel.
Opening: Friday, March 27, 6pm 9pm
Magnus Muller
Weydingerstr. 10/12 - Berlin
Free admission