05 Oct 2010

'Brand New You're Retro' at Galerie Andreas Huber

'Brand New You're Retro'

with Matthias Dornfeld, Lone Haugaard Madsen, Scott Olson, Michael Part, Dan Rees, Florian Schmidt, and Tobias Zielony

September 18 - November 6, 2010


'Brand New You're Retro' is the title of the first show in Andreas Huber gallery's new exhibition space in Schleifmühlgasse. Is this an ironic comment on the new location? Not only. Rather, with this phrase the exhibition points out a trend, which is noticeable in numerous artist positions today. New and old blend in contemporary work in manifold ways, the relation between past, present and future is discussed elaborately, and a topic in art. 'Brand New You're Retro' demonstrates how in 2010 long-known forms and minor clichés can be revitalized.

The series 'Short Stories' by Dan Rees (born in 1982) for instance is developed exclusively with found material: eight book covers of Albert Camus' 'The Fall' published by Penguin Books, diverse photographic footage and cut-out letters from newspapers with which Dan Rees sticks his name on top of the author's. Rees does not distance himself from so-called originals, neither from the canon and classics of world literature nor from visual arts. On the contrary: He applies their works, adopts their style. What we are presented is a game of references, recourses and repetitions. With great curiosity Rees questions the meaning of authorship and signature, particularly within the context of conceptual art. And asks: how does the perception of a (his) work shift – then, today and tomorrow?

Also Florian Schmidt's works are developed by reuse and recycling of existent materials. He sews pieces of canvas together, paints over old layers of paint, manipulates and transforms pictures to sculptures and back again. Schmidt relates classic abstract vocabulary and expressive style to practical realisation, to the reality of objectivity, and transfers this to a haptic-processual materiality.

'Brand New You're Retro' presents dedicated dialogues between historic and contemporary art, between individual stories and social topics, and not least between different media and materials. 'I take a small piece and make it breathe', Tricky states in the song 'Brand New You're Retro', released in 1995. Within the framework of this exhibition the phrase seems to be gaining in importance.


Galerie Andreas Huber
NEW ADDRESS:
Schleifmühlgasse 6-8 / 2nd floor
1040 Vienna
Austria