Uncertain eye. In his visually overwhelming works Claerbout experiments both with photographs he has found, often of a historical nature, as well as with reconstructed images and his own film material. Claerbout often focuses on unspectacular everyday occurrences lasting a few seconds or minutes which he then condenses into impressive parables about the meaning of life and the transience of time. The exhibition includes three new space-filling installations created in the past few years.
Responsible curator: Dr. Inka Graeve Ingelmann. Head of Department Photography and New Media
Time is the central theme in the oeuvre of the Belgian David Claerbout, who is
among the best-known video artists of his generation. In the past few years in
particular, major solo exhibitions of his work have been held in Europe (Centre
Georges Pompidou, Paris; De Pont, Tilburg) and North America (MIT, Cambridge;
Belkin Art Gallery, Vancouver). In his visually overwhelming works Claerbout
experiments both with photographs he has found, often of a historical nature, as
well as with reconstructed images and his own film material.
In a new form of
imagery that transcends the boundaries between the media of photography and
film, he almost imperceptibly adds movement to static pictures while bringing film
footage virtually to a standstill. Claerbout often focuses on unspectacular everyday
occurrences lasting a few seconds or minutes which he then condenses into
impressive parables about the meaning of life and the transience of time. At the
same time, his technically complex works question the perception and accuracy of
images in the light of our increasingly digitalised world.
To mark the recent acquisition of two works by the artist for the Sammlung
Moderne Kunst, the exhibition includes three new space-filling installations
created in the past few years. The presentation will be complemented by two early
works in black and white. The exhibition is being devised in close cooperation with
David Claerbout and his studio.
David Claerbout, born in 1969 in Kortrijk, studied at the Nationaal Hoger Instituut
voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp from 1992 until 1995, and in 1996 at the
Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunst in Amsterdam. He spent 2002 in Berlin on a
DAAD grant. In 2007 he received the renowned Will-Grohmann-Price, in 2010 he
was honoured with the Peill Price. He has participated in a number of international
exhibitions and, among other shows, will be represented at the São Paulo Art
Biennial in 2010. David Claerbout lives and works in Antwerp and Berlin). Further
information can be found under: http://www.davidclaerbout.com
"The triangle of continuity is composed of the past, present and future. I attempt to
capture these three elements on the same plane. In my videos I try to create an
awareness for the history of an image, its position in the present and the meaning
the future could hold." (David Claerbout)
Image: Riverside, 2009 I Still Video installation. Courtesy David Claerbout and Galleries Hauser & Wirth, Yvon Lambert, Micheline Szwajcer, Rüdiger Schöttle, Jörg Johnen © David Claerbout
Press Office of the Pinakotheken
Tine Nehler M.A. | Head of Press Department
Pinakothek der Moderne and Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen
Tel: + 49 89 23805-1321 | Fax: + 49 89 23805-125 | press-office@pinakothek.de
Press Preview 30 September 2010, 11
Opening 30 September 2010, 19
The artist will be present at the press conference and opening.
Pinakothek der Moderne
Barer Strasse 40 - Munich
Hours: daily 10-18, thur 10-20
Admission: Regular 10, reduced 7