Jo Baer
dal 19/9/2013 al 8/11/2013
Segnalato da
19/9/2013
Jo Baer
Galerie Barbara Thumm, Berlin
'In the land of the giants' consists of a series of six paintings, which were developed between 2009 and 2013. This cycle of works is based on her life-long interest in history and science, finishing the last painting.
We are very proud and pleased to present the exhibition In the land of the giants - which was first shown at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam - in
the gallery in Berlin. The exhibition was held in conjunction with the
Ludwig Museum in Cologne, which showed paintings and drawings since the
1960s.
In the land of the giants presents a new series of paintings and works on
paper by Jo Baer (b. Seattle, 1929), one of the most renowned contemporary
artists today. Since the fifties she has followed a radical path, was one
of the groundbreaking forces of the New York Minimalism of the sixties to
which she turned her back in the early seventies and moved on to rural
Irland where she developed what she called her radical figuration.
For many years the reception of Baers work focused on the radical break in
her work, which was articulated in the famous article I am no longer an
abstract artist in Artforum in 1983. Recently the reading of Baers oeuvre
has shifted towards an understanding of the continuation of themes and
links between the different bodies of works. The recent exhibition at the
Ludwig Museum impressively proofed the interconnections and references in
Baers oeuvre.
IN THE LAND OF THE GIANTS consists of a series of six paintings, which
were developed between 2009 and 2013. This cycle of works is based on her
life-long interest in history and science, finishing the last painting,
Royal Families (Curves, Points and Little Ones), in January 2013.
The paintings in the exhibition betray a connection to the Minimalist
work. The artist sees these works as abstract art with images, alluding to
their spatial quality. The two earliest paintings of the series, Dawn
(Lines and Destinations), 2009/2011 and Dusk (Bands and End Points), 2012
present large empty spaces, which the artist intended as a recollection of
her abstract work. Just as the early paintings addressed the physical
characteristics of painting and the discrete properties of colour, light
and form, the recent works embody many of the same essential qualities.
The new cycle depicts imagery of the various Neolithic monuments that can
be found in the remote rural areas of Ireland. While living and working in
the Irish countryside between 1975 and 1982, Baer encountered the ancient
monoliths and burial sites associated with the Neolithic Hurlstone. In
2011 she returned to the region on a fieldwork trip to revisit the
prehistoric sites that still intrigued her. The resulting body of work
traces her interest in the genealogy of prehistoric periods, mapping human
convergences, and timelines of thought and memory. The compositions are in
large part defined by the form, scale and arrangement of monumental
stones.
Opening reception: Friday 20 September, 7-9pm
Galerie Barbara Thumm
Markgrafenstrasse 68 D - 10969 Berlin
Opening hours: tue–sa 11 am to 6 pm
Admission free