Ian Wallace
dal 17/10/2008 al 10/1/2009
Segnalato da
17/10/2008
Ian Wallace
Kunstverein fur die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Dusseldorf
The exhibition sets out to draw a line from narrative, theatrical and cinematic aspects to the combined deployment of strategies in the history of 20th century art in his works from the mid-80s. Refusing the shortcomings of opposition and mere self-reflexive mediality, Wallace' work explores the poetics of imagery in close relation to reality as manifested in public and social life.
Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen in Dusseldorf presents,
together with Witte de With, Center for Contemporary Art in Rotterdam
and Kunsthalle Zurich, a solo exhibition in three chapters of the
seminal oeuvre of Canadian artist Ian Wallace (*1943).
Providing a broad insight into Wallace’ work, the parallel solo
exhibitions in Rotterdam, Zurich and Dusseldorf will each focus on
specific aspects. Instead of a chronological retrospective a thematic
approach that places his diverse and fascinating oeuvre and his
actuality in a European context stands in the foreground.
Alongside Jeff Wall, Rodney Graham and Ken Lum Ian Wallace (*1943) is
among the protagonists of conceptual photography from Vancouver. As
professor at the University of British Columbia he taught amongst others
Jeff Wall. While his works are in the collections of leading museums in
Canada and the USA, he is yet little known in Europe. The starting point
of his work is in abstract painting evocative of Minimal Art. But from
the late 1960s on it is the medium of photography that largely affects
his artistic practice. Therewith connected are profound issues of the
status of the image, its representational function, its political and
social implications and its shift in meaning when in an art context.
At the Kunstverein in Dusseldorf, the construction of imagery is to be
in the focal point. The exhibition sets out to draw a line from
narrative, theatrical and cinematic aspects to the combined deployment
of strategies in the history of 20th century art in his works from the
mid-80s.
The ten-part panorama Lookout (1979), one of the key works in the
exhibition, combines considerations of construction of imagery with a
cinematic construction of reality. Wallace collaged seperately
photographed people into fifteen metres of b/w landscape photographs,
re-photographed the composition and finally coloured it by hand. The
photograph is not documentation but construction. Alongside the My
Heroes in the Street-series, which conceptually expands the genre of
street photography, we will present works from the so-called
Mondrian-series, that reflects on classical themes in Piet Mondrians
oeuvre. Therefore in Dusseldorf are mainly those works in the centre of
attention which exemplify the transition from painting to photography
and question the function of the image as well as its pictorial
character.
Refusing the shortcomings of opposition and mere self-reflexive
mediality, Wallace’ work explores the poetics of imagery in close
relation to ’reality’ as manifested in public and social life.
Photographs, pure (abstract) painting and staging converge into a
differenciated approach of representation, developing a hybrid practice
between painting and photography.
In addition to the exhibition itself, Witte de With, Rotterdam,
Kunsthalle Zurich and Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen will
jointly publish an extensive monograph. Featuring high quality visual
material, internationally acclaimed theoreticians will discuss the
artistic practice of Ian Wallace from different, mainly philosophical
and art-historical perspectives.
Exhibition dates Witte de With, Rotterdam: 8 November 2008 – 8 February 2009
Exhibition dates Kunsthalle Zurich: 15 November 2008 – 11 January 2009
Opening Saturday, 18 October, 5 pm
Kunstverein fur die Rheinlande und Westfalen
Grabbeplatz 4 - Dusseldorf