Thomas Galler
dal 3/9/2013 al 11/10/2013
Segnalato da
3/9/2013
Thomas Galler
Hauser Gallery, Zurich
The Sunset Series - Bright Star. In his picture set Galler juggles expertly with the products of the media age, creating new contextual settings by making invisible the core topics i.e., the war in Afghanistan and in Iraq.
HAUSERGALLERY is delighted to announce the exhibition "The Sunset Series - Bright Star" by Thomas Galler in its gallery and likes to invite you to the opening on Wednesday, 4 September 2013 from 18:00 - 21:00.
"There is nothing quieter than a loaded canon.” - Heinrich Heine
In his picture set, “The Sunset Series”, Thomas Galler juggles expertly with the products of the media age, creating new contextual settings by making invisible the core topics i.e., the war in Afghanistan and in Iraq. The chosen topics are snapshots of sunsets that throw up questions about longings, beauty, joy and time. The fact that the images are known to have been taken by soldiers, lends this aspect another weighting more reminiscent of the feeling of “calm before a storm” or “every day could be your last”. Despite the abstinence of war and time the images remain important documentary evidence both for world history and the history of every individual.
Galler’s work series “Bright Star” presents a collection of images depicting a formation of Egyptian and U.S. fighter jets flying over the pyramids of Gizeh. The conflict between Egypt and Israel, and the Camp David Peace Agreement are cited as the historical context. By way of stark contrast Thomas Galler had the subjects printed on postcards and distributed in Cairo. Placing jets deployed in military action in a touristic setting attests to the artist’s ironic treatment of forms of representation, but also calls into question societal norms and their controlling by the media presence.
Both bodies of work involve a shifting of meanings by altering the context or creating new ones. And by experimenting with reproduction and placing in new contexts Galler lets the observer explore new perspectives. This and his moving the topic of war into the context of art is simultaneously experienced as irritating and fascinating. Galler avails himself of a socially occassioned, thought-provoking voyeurism, which can prompt a new way of observing and exploring issues.
Text: Graziella Kuhn
Thomas Galler (*1970) lives and works in Zürich. 1995-98 he studied Visual Arts at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Several residency stints took him variously to New York, the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris and Cairo. 2009 he received the Manor Kunstpreis. The resulting publication “Walking through Baghdad with a Buster Keaton Face” was featured in the exhibition "Die schönsten Schweizer Bücher” (The Most Beautifull Swiss Books), and 2010 received gold from the Stiftung Buchkunst Leipzig. His works have been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions including Aargauer Kunsthaus, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Kunsthaus Zürich, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Kunstmuseum Bern, Centre Culturel Suisse Paris, C/O Berlin, MNAC National Museum of Contemporary Art Bucharest, Museum of Bat Yam Tel Aviv and Museum on the Seam Jerusalem.
For further informations and images, please contact the gallery at Tel. +41 79 405 67 04 or info@hausergallery.ch.
Opening: Wednesday, 4 September 2013, 18:00 - 21.00
Hauser Gallery
Pflanzschulstrasse 17 - Zurich
Opening hours: Wed - Fri 14:00 - 18:00, Sat 13:00 - 16:00