05 Sep 2008

ART.FAIR 21 at Cologne, Germany

ART.FAIR 21 CALLS THE TUNE

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 Förg and A.R. Penck.

Max'Projects-SixfriedrichliaUngar from Munich will present Peter Zimmermann and others.

Newcomers

Dirk Brömmel, 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 Brömmel'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.

Jörg 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

<City-Taipeh> 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