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14/3/2013

Irene Kopelman / Stefan Burger

Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen

With the exhibitions of Irene Kopelman (*1974, Argentina) and Stefan Burger (*1977, Germany) Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen is presenting two different artistic positions which enter a dialogue. Both projects attempt the impossible: to capture complex phenomena and relationships visually.

The works of the Amsterdam-based artist Irene Kopelman are the result of intensive research which includes close cooperation with scientists as well as her own fieldwork. In the process she searches for suitable methods to transform certain phenomena into drawings, paintings and sculptures.

In the exhibition «Entanglement» Irene Kopelman is showing three series of delicate drawings and paintings on paper which she produced during visits to scientific expeditions in Malaysia, Panama and Peru. The artist approached the forests there in cautious and very different ways: whereas for the Panama series of drawings, Leaf Litter Traps, she used the outlines of fallen leaves and small twigs which she gathered in nets – the so-called leaf litter traps as laid out by researchers, the diptychs of the Malaysia series (Sampling Greens) show Kopelman’s attempt to capture in colour studies the immeasurable and perhaps infinite varieties of shades of green in the jungle. In the Peru series (The Exact Opposite of Distance) a system ultimately becomes visible which first enabled the artist – overwhelmed by the density and proximity of the jungle – to produce a representation. She created a section with borders made up of crossing lines – such as a tree trunk, a liana or a branch lying on the ground. She then depicts the contents of this “window” in the drawing.

This comprehensive work of Irene Kopelman is being shown at an institution in its entirety for the first time. A publication, produced in cooperation with Roma Publishing, accompanies the exhibition.

Stefan Burger’s project «Caressing an Irritable Colon – The Christoph Schifferli Collection of Ephemera and the Georg A. Hermann Archive as Continuous Flow Systems» is also an attempt at the artistic representation of a proliferating system: the Zurich-based artist, who sometimes uses the ritualised organisational forms of presentation and production conditions of art as a sounding board for his installations, photographs and photo-collages, is showing a continuation and further development of the exhibition «Les éphémeras de Schifferli» curated by Giovanni Carmine at Hard Hat in Geneva in 2012. This was a portrait of the ephemera collection of Christoph Schifferli from Zurich, which concentrates on artist posters, exhibition invitations and other incidental printed matter from the art system.

For Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen Burger is expanding the project with a focussed insight into the archive of the German architect Georg A. Hermann, the central component of which is a photographic archive with pictures of the art world and its protagonists that has grown over decades. Burger transforms the systematic approach of the two collectors on the one hand and the meandering abundance of material on the other into a temporary installative condition.

About the artists:

Irene Kopelman (*1974 Cordoba, Argentina) studied at the School of Arts, National University of Cordoba, AR and the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam. Solo exhibitions took place at the following institutions and galleries (amongst others): Motive Gallery, Brussels (2013); Gasworks Gallery, London (2012); BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, Utrecht, NL; Labor Gallery, Mexico City (2011); Centro Cultural Montehermoso, Vitoria-Gasteiz, ES (2009). Further, she participated in various group exhibitions (amongst others): Bienal do Mercosul, Porto Alegre, BR; Fondation d‘entreprise Ricard, Paris; MUSAC - Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León, ES (in cooperation with Mariana Castillo Deball) (2011); De Vleeshal, Middelburg, NL (2010); MACBA - Museu d‘Art Contemporani de Barcelona; Performa, New York (in cooperation with Mariana Castillo Deball); FRAC - Ile-de-France Le Plateau, Paris; Contemporary Image Collective - CIC, Cairo (2009).

Stefan Burger (*1977 Müllheim/Baden, D; lives in Zurich) graduated in Photography at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). Solo exhibitions took place at the following institutions and galleries (amongst others): Freymond-Guth Fine Arts, Zurich (2013); Hard Hat, Geneva (2012); Nassauischer Kunstverein Wiesbaden, D; Walcheturm Zürich (2011); Fotomuseum Winterthur, CH; Istituto Svizzero, Venice; Laura Bartlett Gallery, London; Neuer Saarbrücker Kunstverein, D (2010); Kunstmuseum Stuttgart; Stiftung Binz39, Zurich; Hauser & Wirth Collection, Henau, CH (2009). Further, she participated in various group exhibitions (amongst others): Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau, CH; Kunstmusem Luzern, CH; Kunsthalle Nürnberg, D; NRW Forum, Düsseldorf, D (2012); Kunsthalle Krems, AT; Kunsthaus Zürich; Cabaret Voltaire at the 4th Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art; KUMU, Tallinn, Estonia; ReMap3 Athens; Kunstbunker Nürnberg, D; Independent Art Fair, New York (2011); Kunsthaus Glarus, CH (2010).

«Entanglement» is supported by Mondriaan Fonds, Amsterdam.
Special thanks to Crees Foundation, The Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship (SARF), Naturalis Biodiversity Center and Albert Groot for the support of Irene Kopelman's project.
The artist would like to thank the following people: Quinn Meyer, Jaime Villacampa, Jasmine Rowe, Grant Reekie and the entire team of Manu Learning Centre, Menno Schilthuizen, Giovanni Carmine, Petra Kuipers and Chris Bestebreurtje from Motive Gallery, Albert Groot, Pamela Echevería from Galeria Labor, François Piron, Praneet Soi, Zulema Resnik, Guido Kopelman, Roger Willems, Moosje Goosen, Josefina Coisson, Amalia Pica, Mariana Castillo Deball, Rodrigo Feliz, Cathy de Haan, and Maren Brauner.

Image: Irene Kopelman, Leaf Litter Traps, 2012. Courtesy: Labor Gallery, Mexico City

Opening: Fri, 15 March 2013, 6 p.m.
Guided tours: Tues, 19 March 2013, 6.30 p.m., Sun, 12 May 2013, 3 p.m.
Art Lunch: Thurs, 18 April 2013, 12 noon

Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen
Davidstrasse 40 - CH-9000 St. Gallen
Opening hours
Tuesday to Friday from 12 noon to 6 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed every Monday, New Year’s Day, Good Friday, August 1st, New Year’s Eve.
Easter Monday and Whitmonday open.
Admission
Regular: CHF 7.00
Students with ID: CHF 2.00
Free admission: Members of the Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, members of the Eintrittsverbund, Raiffeisen card, Swiss Museum Pass, members ICOM and IKT, members VMS (Verband der Museen der Schweiz, Association of Switzerland's Museums), school classes from the canton St. Gallen, children in company of an adult

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