15 Sep 2008

Opening of KAI 10 Raum für Kunst in Düsseldorf / Germany

KAI 10 Raum für Kunst (Space for Art) - a private, non-commercial institution for the promotion of contemporary art will open its doors with the exhibition NO ILLUSIONS on 20th September 2008 in Düsseldorf / Germany. Founded by the non-profit Arthena Foundation, KAI 10 will produce three to four exhibitions annually, offering international artists a platform for the presentation and discussion of their works.

NO ILLUSIONS, the inaugural exhibition at KAI 10 will feature six selected individual contemporary artists: Björn Dahlem, Thomas Helbig, Manfred Pernice, Marjetica Potrc, Franz West, Heimo Zobernig. On one hand, their work represents a dialogue between the older and younger generation, and on the other hand, it resists the trends employed to successfully market superficial appearances. No Illusions takes a stand against the tendency of some of today's art to favor illusionism and sensationalism, demonstrating that there are still critical antitheses in today's art. Although the works on display are thematically different, there are places where they intersect. Some works are three-dimensional constructs which recall buildings or scale models. However, the apparently close relation to architecture or design is deceptive, since different concepts for three-dimensional structures are linked to social, philosophical, and political programs. Another group of works is related to figural representation. Here, too, meaning is not depleted in the reproduction of figures. Rather, they are artistic artifacts created from fragmenting existing 'materials of civilization' and the ruins of the formal language of modernism. The frequently recurring roles of irony and jocularity in these works should not be underestimated.

As a private, independent institution, KAI 10 is building an active space committed to conveying contemporary art's new ideas and ways of thinking to the public in Düsseldorf and beyond. Although the focus is on the newest, most current art, the KAI 10 program will also include better-known, established artists. This will provide opportunities to identify where the works intersect thematically, as well as the differences between generations. In addition, aesthetic commonalities and differences between the cultural discourses - for instance, in design and architecture - will also be explored.

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