History of Garden Theory
History of Garden Theory
Casey Kaplan is pleased to announce the first solo exhibition of Henning
Bohl in the United States. Hovering between figuration and abstraction,
minimalism and the decorative, Henning Bohl deconstructs the meaning of
found objects by systematically creating new way(s) to represent and
understand them. The artist's upcoming exhibition "History of Garden Theory"
presents mixed-media works in an installation of landscapes, fences, ceramic
frogs and lanterns that create a metaphorical garden in the gallery space.
Bohl weaves a net of references from sources including (art) history, old
books, magazines and illustrations to create a thematic field that combines
diverse subjects using different materials. In a new series, Bohl creates
unique collage on canvas artworks using the words from the title of a found
book, History of Garden Theory. After determining that there are twenty-four
possible combinations that the four words "History" "Of" "Garden" "Theory"
can be arranged, Bohl set upon a system of deconstructing the book¹s title
by shifting the words, thus creating new meanings and different variations
of the original.
Bohl is interested in playing with the mechanics of Modernism while
deconstructing order and meaning. He replaces cool, machine-like precision
with handicraft, which can be seen in the aforementioned Garden Theory
series where the typography that appears on each canvas is created by using
folded photocopied paper of faux wood grain and colored tape. The gallery
installation becomes a multi-layered storytelling device where each work is
a constant reassessment of the way images are made and how ideas become
objects.
In 2000-04, Henning Bohl studied with Thomas Byarle and Michael Krebber at
the Städelschule Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany. In 2005 the artist
had a solo exhibition at the Kunstverein, Braunschweig, Braunschweig,
Germany; was included in "Street: behind the Cliché," at the Witte de With
Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; and the 4th Berlin
Biennial for Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany. Bohl has additionally had
solo exhibitions at Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Köln, Germany in 2006 and
Galerie Karin Guenther, Hamburg, Germany in 2004.
Opening: september 6 2007
Casey Kaplan
525 West 21 St Street - New York
Free Admission