MIRAGES LII
May is interwoven with major and important exhibitions-institutions historical or emerging. But the scepter is always held by La Biennale di Venezia, the oldest and most important institution in the history of Contemporary Art. Entitled “May You Live In Interesting Times” the 58th International Art Exhibition will take place from May 11 to November 24, 2019 (Pre-opening on 8-10 May), we will make a lot of references to La Biennale di Venezia in May.
While in the parallel events that run during the same period in Venice, of great interest is the major retrospective “Jannis Kounellis” at the Fondazione Prada dedicated to the artist following his death in 2017 and curated by Germano Celant. Developed in collaboration with Archivio Kounellis, the project brings together more 60 works from 1959 to 2015, from both Italian and international museums , as well as from important Private Collections all over the world. The eretrospective explores the artistic and exhibition history of Jannis Kounelli, establishing a dialogue between his works and the 18th Century spaces of Ca’ Corner della Regina.
The osloBIENNALEN First Edition 2019–2024, sets out to explore the unusual contexts and questions deriving from art in public space through an evolving five-year program, with participants invited to work with the city, public space and the public sphere. This expanding program will evolve and grow, adding and announcing new projects and participants as the biennial moves forward in time.
LISTE Art Fair Basel: is one of the most interesting Art Fairs, as a not-for-profit-oriented fair, LISTE (unlike any other fair) has consistently advocated for the promotion of young galleries with primarily emerging, as yet little known artists, since its founding in 1996. This month our magazine will focus on LISTE’s Solo Presentations.
Great Museums:
From the exhibitions that are running this month, at the International Museums we will present you the most important like:
Foam: In light of the 20-year anniversary of the Art Collection Deutsche Börse, Foam presents “Changing Views-20 Years of Art Collection Deutsche Börse”, an extensive range of works from one of the most important corporate Collections of contemporary photography. The Collection comprises approximately 1,800 works from over 120 international photographers, including iconic names such as Diane Arbus, Walker Evans, Bernd & Hilla Becher, Rineke Dijkstra, Dana Lixenberg, younger photographers like Tobias Zielony and Mike Brodie, and hidden gems like Gerd Danigel or Gabriele and Helmut Nothhelfer. The exhibition consists of four back-to-back presentations that record positions on some key themes of the collection, with works from different photographers.
Fondation Cartier: Over the course of a year, the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain team set out to meet with young artists from all over Europe, beyond the borders of the European Union. The ambitious research project “Metamorphosis. Art in Europe Now” brought the team to 29 countries, discovering over 200 artists. Born between 1980 and 1994, the artist came of age after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and together demonstrate the extraordinary dynamism of the continent’s artistic scene. Most of them have studied or live in a country other than where they were born, showing the very real mobility that exists within the European cultural space. For the vast majority, this is their first exhibition in an international institution.
LAMCA presents two very interesting exhibitions: “Frank Stella: Selections from the Permanent Collection”, that features a selection of works from LACMA’s Permanent Collection, many of which have not been on public view in over 30 years, that represent significant developments in the artist’s oeuvre. From an example of his groundbreaking “Black Paintings” of the late 1950s to his recent monumental sculpture, the works on view present a glimpse into the rich trajectory of Stella’s career. Also marking Isaac Julien’s first major presentation in Los Angeles, “Playtime” is a captivating critique of the influence of capital in the art world. It stars James Franco, Maggie Cheung, Colin Salmon, and auctioneer Simon de Pury, among others. The seemingly disparate narratives of five vignettes demonstrate the various levels at which the flow of money has an affect on the production, dealing, and collecting of contemporary art, and the lives impacted by the system.
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao: Looking at the fascinating complexity of the artist’s oeuvre, “Lucio Fontana. On the Threshold” comprehends a large selection of paintings, sculptures in bronze and ceramic, drawings, and “ambienti”, created by Fontana between 1931 and 1968.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden: The exhibition “Rirkrit Tiravanija: Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow, and Green”, will transform the Museum’s galleries into a communal dining space in which visitors will be served curry and invited to share a meal together. The installation includes a large-scale mural, drawn on the walls over the course of the exhibition, which references protests against Thai government policies.
Efi Michalarou
Good Month (!)
1/5/19