In its sixth year, the fair presents itself with 59 galleries und 309 artists from all over the world and with a compelling perspective on 21st century art. Following an approved concept, the event applies itself to the interaction of well-established and new positions. Characterized by an exciting interplay between openness and intimacy, it invites to discover a whole new angle of view, suprising new positions and new works of well-known artists.
The Fair's Concept for Contemporary Art Is a
Hit This year new Asian markets are at the centre of the sixth ART.FAIR
21: From 2 to 5 October four galleries from Taiwan and six galleries from
Korea will be presented among 59 other exhibitors. This fair for current
art has become a must for friends and lovers of contemporary art visiting
the 'Kunstherbst' in the Rhineland. 30,000 visitors attended the ART.FAIR
21 last year. The public's constantly growing interest and last year's
record sales underline the fair's successful concept: a lively and
exciting combination of well-known and young galleries, and renowned
artists and newcomers. This year the advisory board and the fair's
management encouraged exhibitors to stage solo presentations.
Consequently
one man shows have developed as an individual presentation format. In some
cases, works will be shown in very large exhibiting areas thus breaking up
the customary rhythm of serial booths in favour of an open and dynamic
picture. On the whole, the reserved booths' sizes show the gallerists`
great satisfaction with the fair's concept – over fifty percent measure
between 150m² and 70m². After a thorough selection by the admissions
committee, ART.FAIR 21 will present 59 galleries from 9 countries and 3
continents out of over 280 applicants. A top-rate interdisciplinary event
programme consisting of music/video, performance and dance/theatre will
add to the already vibrant spirit which makes ART.FAIR 21 a lucrative and
up-to-date market place for 21st century art. ART.FAIR 21 PREVIEW 2008
(a selection) Established Approaches Names such as Tony Cragg and
Gerhard Richter, whose most recent works from 2008 will be on display at
the Terminus booth (Munich), belong to the greats of contemporary art.
Current works of the last three years by John Chamberlain will make this
gallery's booth a magnet once again. As always, the mixture of renowned
and young artists presented by Terminus fits in with the concept of
ART.FAIR 21.
Fergus Greer is a well-known portrait photographer who works
both in London and Los Angeles. He portrays important celebrities,
artists, actors, and politicians, such as Damien Hirst, Hugh Grant, Julie
Chiristie and Margaret Thatcher. His photographs are collected among
others by the National Portrait Gallery in London. Susanne Albrecht
(Munich) will be presenting Fergus Greer's work together with current
works by Jus Juchtmans. The Flemish artist Jan Fabre is responsible for
even giving dead flies and run over dogs appropriate places in museums.
Whether in the field of performance or sculpture, or as a director or
choreographer, Jan Fabre is one of the trend-setters in contemporary art.
The Italian gallery Berengo Studio 1989 from Venice will be showing
'Schitjtende vredesduiven en ratten van de lucht (model for the Louvre) at
the ART.FAIR 21. This work from 2008 consists of stone, Murano glass and
ink. The de Lee Gallery from Korea will add contemporary art highlights
to the fair by presenting old masters of Pop Art such as Tom Wesselmann,
Damien Hirst and Sigmar Polke. Geuer & Breckner from Düsseldorf
will be showing aquarelles by Norbert Bisky and current works by
Günther Főrg and A.R. Penck.
Max'Projects-SixfriedrichliaUngar from Munich will present Peter
Zimmermann and others. Newcomers Dirk Brőmmel, the artist
introduced by Albert Baumgarten (Freiburg), turns the digitally clipped
motifs in his works into essential protagonists. The series shows an
entire compendium of ships on the Rhine as seen from above. The
perspective explains his method: Dirk Brőmmel's photographs are
shot from bridges. Once again the Kurdish artist Erdogan Bulut, pupil of
Per Kirkeby and Thomas Bayrle, will dominate the booth of galerie k9
(Hanover) with his large paintings. Lovers and collectors of his paintings
will be amazed by his brand new photographic works. What defines man?
These kinds of existential questions concern the young artist from
Düsseldorf, Yvonne van Acht. In 2006 she took part in the
ART.FAIR's special exhibition as a finalist of the Gesellschafter
ART.AWARD. It was her first opportunity to test her wings in the art
market. This year Yvonne van Acht will be presented by Geuer & Breckner
(Munich). Unusual examples of digital art, for instance by Gero Gries,
will be on display at the booth of the Berlin based gallery for digital
art, [DAM]. This artist sees computer-assisted image production as a
continuation of painting with other methods. His pictures seem
photorealistic. However, it would impossible to create them
photographically. Margret Eicher offers a contrast to this approach.
The
artist is best known for her large tapestries. She produces works which
combine contemporary themes and traditional media thus creating a
dialogue. The works by the Spanish artist Salustiano Garcia stand out
because of his colourful and unusual portraits. His risky format of
choice, the round, classic tondo shape, his idiosyncratic approach to
colouring and the elegance of the models contribute to create a dramatic
atmosphere which draws the observer to his pictures. The Munich based
Galerie von Braunbehrens will supply the perfect venue. As always their
booth will be one of the main attractions at the fair. Young Perspectives
artKitchen (Amsterdam, Netherlands) shows Hugo Kaagman The international
artist Hugo Kaagman is a key figure in the Netherlands when dealing with
Stencil – art. Crespi (Milan, Italy) shows Lisi Raskin This artist
creates complex installations which conjure up post-atomic visions. They
give a shape to the tensions, dangers and fears inspired by the real and
imaginary threats which affect mankind today. Wolfgang Gmyrek
(Düsseldorf, Germany) shows Katja Pfeiffer Katja Pfeiffer's
room-filling installations consist of painted MDF boards which are
staggered in order to create a fascinating illusionary area in the style
of a 19th century diorama. Jőrg Heitsch (Munich, Germany) shows
Georg Küttinger Georg Küttinger creates a fictitious
picture from separate photographs of a landscape. Different perspectives
merge, overlap and create something new. The stunning result: we are
looking at one and the same landscape but we see many different angles,
impressions and visions.
McCaig-Welles & Rosenthal (San
Francisco/Brooklyn, USA) show Eric Joyner Joyner's works are influenced
by pop culture and traditional technique. His paintings are defined by
exuberant and strong brush strokes which underline the gravity in his
works. Strychnin (Berlin, London, New York) shows David Hochbaum David
Hochbaum's pictures have many layers: the figurative approach of 19th
century photography and the methods of medieval alchemists are blended not
only physically but also historically . But this is a 20th century
cubist's vision. Barbara von Stechow (Frankfurt Germany) shows Justine
Otto and Rudd Cameron Justine's Otto's paintings are defined by
adolescents whose direct and serious expressions reveal their emotions.
Justine Otto is a graduate of the Frankfurt Städelschule where she
studied under Peter Angermann and Michael Krebber. The Berlin based
British artist Cameron Rudd captures scenes with a video camera and turns
them into painted snapshots. These pictures of nightly hotspots, public
meeting points and current events resemble blurry film stills.SOLO The
Cologne based Galerie Teapot will focus on the artist Thomas Grundmann in
a one man show. His 'Simpelst Collages' which are painted in oil, create a
flurrying impression. By combining only two elements, he creates a totally
new and complex world of meaning thus inviting us to think about our
iconography. Burkhard Eikelmann from Düsseldorf will present the
newcomer Nathan Ritterpusch in a solo show. He belongs to a new generation
of New York artists who make use of a variety of media and sources of
inspiration. The motifs alternate between science fiction, fairytales and
personal experiences.
The booth of Jos Art from Amsterdam is entirely
dedicated Benjamin Nachtwey. Nachtwey sees his pictures as a kind of
memorial work because the motifs are frequently based on subjective
experiences. Each topic requires a specific style of painting: the city
calls for other formal solutions than the thematic complex petrol stations
or green landscapes. SPECIAL Korean Art Inspires Fresh Impetus. 'Made in
Taiwan' Becomes a Seal of Approval The Korean artist Seo, whose work can
be seen at the booth of Michael Schultz (Berlin, Germany), not only
reflects a confrontation with the German, but also with the European art
tradition. Allusions to works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Caspar David
Friedrich are discernable. However, her 'contour' is of Korean origin. It
structures, outlines and forms landscapes and human bodies. She uses up to
10,000 pieces of paper in her pictures thus creating a remarkable level of
structure and depth. Dynasty Art Gallery (Taipeh, Taiwan) shows Lai
Pei-Yu is an excerpt from 'City-Series'. These pictures were copied and
converted into dots. The dots' constellation gives the work the appearance
of a 'zipped file' of Taipeh. Grand Siècle (Taipeh, Taiwan) shows Su
Meng-Hung In 2003 the artist created the 'Kai Dao Di Mi' series by using
flowers and birds of the Ming and the Ching Dynasty from the National
Palace Museum Collection. Since then he has developed a language which
represents a dialogue between classic tradition and modern concepts. PK
Gallery – (Seoul, Korea) shows Kim Kye Wan
Opening oct. 2, 2008
Expo XXI
Gladbacher Wall 5 - Colonia