AUTUMN OF MODERNISM II
Gwenneth Boelens, Piet Dieleman, gerlach en koop, Martijn Hendriks, Rob Johannesma, Katja Mater, Marc Nagtzaam, Falke Pisano, Roma Publications, Petra Stavast, Batia Suter, Remco Torenbosch, Bas Van Den Hurk, Sara Van Der Heide, Martijn in ’t Veld
7 September – 28 October 2012
The title of the exhibition "Autumn of Modernism" was inspired by "Herfsttij der Middeleeuwen" (Autumn of the Middle Ages), Johan Huizinga’s classic book published in 1919, a study of the forms of life, thought, and art at the end of the Middle Ages. The book shows that the artists of that period achieved their groundbreaking successes precisely because they drew on the past. This gave them a better grasp of the changes occurring all around them. It is fascinating to see that artists of different eras often respond to social upheaval in the same way, by turning to the past. We find this tendency among the artists participating in this exhibition, and it was also visible among artists of the 1960s and 70s, who were likewise grappling with major social transformations. The group exhibition "Autumn of Modernism II" illustrates how fifteen artists are responding to the social changes of our day, such as the present economic crisis. The explosion of news outlets and ways of consuming the news has made our society very focused on the now, and we sometimes forget to consider the future or the past. Artists try to step out of the present by consulting sources from the past and using them in their art, thus attempting to build bridges to the future.
Guest curator: Lorenzo Benedetti, SBMK/De Vleeshal, Middelburg
PUBLICATION
Autumn of Modernism
Exhibition catalogue
Published by De Vleeshal, Middelburg
Introduction by Lorenzo Benedetti, contributions by the artists
Design by Roger Willems and Louis Lüthi
Dutch / English / German (insert, Temporary Gallery, Cologne)
Roma Publications, 2012
PROGRAMME
4 October 2012
Lorenzo Benedetti and Gwenneth Boelens: Hand-Wall
Lorenzo Benedetti and Regina Barunke: Autumn of Modernism
PRESS MATERIAL
Funding and Support
Mondriaan Fonds
Kunststiftung NRW
NRW KULTURsekretariat
Kulturamt der Stadt Köln
RheinEnergie Stiftung Kultur
Hotel Chelsea
Images
1-5 — exhibition view
Photo: Simon Vogel
