Thomas Demand
dal 3/3/2005 al 30/5/2005
Segnalato da
3/3/2005
Thomas Demand
The Museum of Modern Art - MoMA, New York
Photographs can seem convincingly real or strangely artificial. The work of German photographer achieves a disquieting balance between the two. Demand begins with a preexisting image culled from the media, usually of a political event, which he translates into a life-size model made of colored paper and cardboard. Combining craftsmanship and conceptualism in equal parts, he pushes the medium of photography toward uncharted frontiers
Solo exhibition
Photographs can seem convincingly real or strangely artificial. The work of German photographer Thomas Demand achieves a disquieting balance between the two. Born in 1964, Demand began as a sculptor and took up photography to record his ephemeral paper constructions. In 1993 he turned the tables, henceforth making constructions for the sole purpose of photographing them. Demand begins with a preexisting image culled from the media, usually of a political event, which he translates into a life-size model made of colored paper and cardboard. His handcrafted facsimiles of architectural spaces and natural environments are built in the image of other images. Thus, his photographs are triply removed from the scenes or objects they purport to depict. Once they have been photographed, the models are destroyed. Demand recently began to make 35mm films, setting his cinematic still images in motion. Combining craftsmanship and conceptualism in equal parts, Demand pushes the medium of photography toward uncharted frontiers. His originality has won him recognition as one of the most innovative artists of his generation. This exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue presenting all of Demand's major works from 1993 to the present.
Organized by Roxana Marcoci, Assistant Curator, Department of Photography.
Programs
On April 14 at 6:00 p.m., a panel discussion will take place at the Museum featuring Ulrich Baer, Associate Professor of German and Comparative Literature, New York University; Wolfgang Becker, Film Director, X Filme Creative Pool, Berlin; Beatriz Colomina, Professor of History and Theory, Princeton University School of Architecture; and the artist. Moderated by Roxana Marcoci.
Tickets ($10, $8 members, $5 students) can be purchased at the information desk in the Museum lobby and the Film and Media desk.
The Goethe-Institut New York will present a conversation between the artist and Roxana Marcoci on April 16 at 3:00 p.m. The Goethe-Institut New York is located at 1014 Fifth Avenue. Tickets are $10, $8 for students with current ID and seniors. Tickets can be reserved by calling 212/439-8700 and can be picked up at the Goethe-Institut the day of the event. Tickets can also be purchased on the day of the event.
The exhibition is made possible by Angelo, Gordon & Co.
The exhibition is supported by Mimi and Peter Haas, Ninah and Michael Lynne, and The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art. Additional funding is provided by The Contemporary Arts Council and The Junior Associates of The Museum of Modern Art.
A comprehensive publication presents Demand's major works from 1993 to 2004. Ms. Marcoci provides an insightful analysis of the sources, methods, and themes of the artist's striking and provocative imagery. Jeffrey Eugenides, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Middlesex, contributes a comic homage that is also an illuminating appreciation of Demand's art.
The accompanying publication is made possible by Anna Marie and Robert F. Shapiro.
Image: Thomas Demand. Room (Zimmer). 1996. Chromogenic color print. 67 3/4" x 7' 7 3/8" (172 x 232 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of the Nina W. Werblow Charitable Trust. ©2005 Thomas Demand
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