Aglaia Konrad participe à l’exposition « The city that doesn’t exist » au Ludwig Forum à Aix la Chapelle. Elle y montre le cycle photographique de ses « Desert Cities ». Du 21 septembre au 20 janvier 2013.
Cela commence par la dureté minérale du sable. Souvent le ciel est vide, parfois, juste un peu bleuté. Le soleil n’invite ici à aucune fantaisie, aucun divertissement, aucun loisir. Là, entre le désert omniprésent et le ciel absent, se dressent des cubes de béton dont les noms voudraient faire rêver : Dreamland, Utopia, Palm Hills, Beverly Hills, New Cairo. Une terminologie dont l’ironie, in fine, trahit le cynisme des sociétés immobilières ayant acheté des morceaux de désert à l’Etat égyptien dans les années quatrevingt dix. La forme du Caire est dorénavant celle des mégacités propre à l’ère postmoderne. La ville est éclatée et morcelée, l’espace fragmenté sépare plutôt qu’il ne réunit. Comme ailleurs, le centre a été transformé en paradis pour touristes – les « idiots du voyage » comme l’écrit l’anthropologue JeanDidier Urbain – avec shopping et cirque patrimonial et « muséal » de circonstance. Les lieux de résidence, quant à eux, ont été rejetés au loin, sur les marches désertiques et connectés par le réseau autoroutier. L’agglomération cairote rassemble ainsi 15 millions de personnes. A travers une série de photographies de villes comme Le Caire ou Alexandrie, Aglaia Konrad s’intéresse à l’application des principes “moderniste” au développement de l’architecture en milieu désertique, et aux dialogues improbables qui apparaissent entre modèles importés et vernaculaires, constructions et environnements naturels, désert et habitations, modernité et tradition.
Le Communiqué du Ludwig Forum :
The city that does not exist’ leads the visitor to places that question their own existence. Technical and social changes create spaces of their own, worlds in between, rooms where the boundaries between fact and fiction are blurred, spaces of protest. Especially photographers but also film and video artists show these places of which the reality and probability is questioned in and by the image itself. Though these spaces seem familiar to us we are time and again surprised and fascinated how remote they actually are.
Artists of the exhibition:
Kader Attia, Stefan Canham/Rufina Wu, Nadia El Fani, Annette Kelm, Aglaia Konrad, Till Krause, Michael Krumm, Armin Linke, Daniel Maier-Reimer, Paolo Pellegrin, Michael Schmidt, Wilhelm Schürmann, Maya Schweizer, Lidwien van de Ven, Clemens von Wedemeyer, Annette Wehrmann, Maja Weyermann, Tobias Zielony, David Zink Yi.Die Ausstellung « Die Stadt, die es nicht gibt – Bilder globaler Räume » führt den Besucher zu Orten, die Fragen nach ihrer eigenen Existenz aufwerfen. Technische wie auch gesellschaftliche Veränderungsprozesse gebären eigene Räume, Welten des Dazwischen, Räume in denen Fakten und Fiktionen verschwimmen, Orte des Aufbegehrens. Vor allem Fotografen aber auch Film- und Videokünstler zeigen diese Schauplätze, deren Wirklichkeit und Wahrscheinlichkeit im und mit dem Bild angetastet werden. Wir glauben diese Orte zu kennen und sind doch immer wieder von ihrer Ferne im realen wie im übertragenen Sinne überrascht und fasziniert.
Künstler der Ausstellung:
Kader Attia, Stefan Canham/Rufina Wu, Nadia El Fani, Annette Kelm, Aglaia Konrad, Till Krause, Michael Krumm, Armin Linke, Daniel Maier-Reimer, Paolo Pellegrin, Michael Schmidt, Wilhelm Schürmann, Maya Schweizer, Lidwien van de Ven, Clemens von Wedemeyer, Annette Wehrmann, Maja Weyermann, Tobias Zielony, David Zink Yi
Suchan Kinoshita participe à l’exposition inaugurale du Stedelijk museum rénové à Amsterdam. Inauguration ce 22 septembre.
Celebrating the return of the Stedelijk Museum as the focal point of Amsterdam’s contemporary art scene, « Beyond Imagination », the first temporary exhibition at the new Stedelijk, is a tribute to the art that is made in Amsterdam and the Netherlands. In the tradition of the « Municipal Art Acquisitions », this exhibition gives an international perspective on Dutch art today. « Beyond Imagination » will include new projects and commissioned works by 20 artists, Dutch nationals as well as those born elsewhere, all of who are active today in the Netherlands.
In organizing this year’s exhibition, Stedelijk curator Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen and guest curator Kathrin Jentjens (former director of the Kölnischer Kunstverein) asked artists to consider the ways in which boundaries are now blurred between reality and imagination, authenticity and role-playing, especially in relation to developments in politics, finance and media. A total of 657 artists proposed responses to this theme. A jury comprising the curators and three other members (Frédérique Bergholtz, Koen Brams and Melvin Moti) made the final selection of 20 artists. By featuring many works of a hybrid, process-based, performative character, »Beyond Imagination » will also contribute to the continuing discourse about contemporary collection practice; midway through the exhibition, the museum will purchase a number of these works, with acquisition funds provided by the Municipality of Amsterdam.
The majority of the artists selected for « Beyond Imagination » are in their twenties and thirties. The youngest was born in 1988 and the oldest in 1932. Their countries of origin are the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, the United Kingdom and the United States, but all either trained in the Netherlands or have participated in residency programs at Dutch institutions such as the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten and De Ateliers in Amsterdam and the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht. The artists are James Beckett, Eric Bell and Kristoffer Frick, Rossella Biscotti, Eglé Budvytyté, Jeremiah Day, Christian Friedrich, Sara van der Heide, Suchan Kinoshita, Susanne Kriemann, Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, Snejanka Mihaylova, Rory Pilgrim, Falke Pisano, Julika Rudelius, Fiona Tan, Jennifer Tee, Jan van Toorn, Vincent Vulsma and Andros Zins-Browne.
Also on view for the opening will be a temporary exhibition organized by Ann Goldstein with Stedelijk curators Leontine Coelewij and Bart Rutten in the largest gallery in the Stedelijk’s new building, which is also the largest column-free, open-plan gallery in the Netherlands. The exhibition will feature sizable works and installations from the permanent collection by Carl Andre, Rodney Graham, Joan Jonas, John Knight, Barbara Kruger, Melvin Moti and Diana Thater, among others.
LOCUS SOLUS DOMESTICUS est une interprétation contemporaine de certains éléments de Locus Solus (1914) de Raymond Roussel. Le livre est le compte rendu d’une visite guidée du parc entourant la villa du scientifique Martial Canterel. A Locus Solus, le nom de la propriété, Canterel a rassemblé toute une série d’oeuvres extraordinaires, apparemment sans rapport de contenu, mais plutôt en se basant sur l’idée que ces oeuvres sont un exemple phénoménal d’épreuves quasi impossibles. Chacune des épreuves est le résultat d’une procédure qui est présentée aux visiteurs du parcours comme un procédé.
Dans tous les cas le procédé est de nature exceptionnelle et le résultat en est l’aboutissement. Tout dans l’esprit de Canterel, l’Institut de Carton a choisi des oeuvres artistiques où le rôle du procédé, la perception et le résultat parfois fort extraordinaire sont d’une importance primordiale.
L’exposition met l’accent sur l’expérience sensorielle du parcours à faire le long des oeuvres choisies. Ainsi la visite de l’exposition se fera uniquement sous forme de visite guidée. Les guides sont recrutés parmi les artistes participants ou seront spécialement invités pour l’occasion. Toute information sur le programme, les heures d’ouverture et visites guidées sera affichée sur le site de A.VE.NU.DE.JET.TE INSTITUT DE CARTON vzw: http://avenudejette.blogspot.com/
Une publication (dossier #3), au tirage limité de 50 exemplaires et au prix de 80€, documentera exhaustivement toutes les oeuvres exposées.
LOCUS SOLUS DOMESTICUS is a contemporary interpretation of elements of the book Locus Solus (1914) by Raymond Roussel. The book tells the story of a guided tour at the country estate Locus Solus. At the estate the scientist Martial Canterel has assembled a large number of extraordinary works, apparently not content related to each other, but rather united by the idea that each work is a phénoménal example of a nearly impossible task. These tasks are all the result of some procedure, which is presented to the visitors as a process. In each case the process is extraordinary, which is reflected in the result.
In the spirit of Canterel, the Institut de Carton has chosen works of art in which the role of the procedure, the perception and the often highly extraordinary result are an important factor.
In the show special attention will be paid to the sensory experience of the route through the works. Therefore the exhibition can only be visited in guided tours. The guides will be selected among the participating artists or will be specially invited.
All information regarding the programme, opening hours and guided tours will be available on the website of A.VE.NU.DE.JET.TE INSTITUT DE CARTON vzw: http://avenudejette.blogspot.com/
A comprehensive publication (dossier #3), in a limited edition of 50 and at a price of 80€, will document the works on show.
Exhibition: September 22 – December 22 2012
Opening: Saturday September 22 16:00 – 20:00 h.
The exhibition can only be visited in guided tours.
Dans le cadre du Festival KANAL, à Bruxelles, ce week-end des 15 et 16 septembre, en coproduction avec le Wiels, Honoré d’O propose : Reporter
Imaginez un homme immobile sur un passage piéton. Dans sa main il tient un fil de pêche qui le relie au ciel, sans doute pour recevoir un message des régions inconnues. Comme d’habitude, Honoré d’O étire une observation visuelle jusqu’en dehors du cadre matériel et des certitudes objectives. L’humour situationniste renforce l’énigme.
description: a man standing still at the footpath holding a fish string in his hand, the string leads to the sky
ingredients: nylon string, air, person, patience, contact.dimensions: footpath along the canal, distance in imagination, absolute proximity
informations : www.festivalKanal. be
Le Communiqué de la Haus der Kulturen der Welt :
In to the heart of Berlin’s government district, where decisions on the future of Europe are being negotiated, stands the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, formerly the Kongresshalle (congress hall): an architectural icon and relic of post-war modernity. The building and its history provide the point of departure for Between Walls and Windows. Architektur und Ideologie.
Only this autumn, from the 1st to 30th of September, the architectural monument, understood as an ideologically determined sculpture, will be returned to its original condition. With free admission and access from north, south, east or west, the exhibition promises new insights and perspectives on form, function, and history.
The project places the local history of the former congress hall in a new global context and casts a spotlight on the Haus der Kulturen der Welt as a sculpture. Curator Valerie Smith, head of the department of visual arts, film, and digital media, presents ten new site-specific productions by international renowned artists and architects, which turn the interior and outdoor spaces of the building into stages that question all that « architecture » can be.
The 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize winner, Wang Shu, together with his wife and partner Lu Wenyu, will use for their Tile Theatre approximately 60,000 traditionally manufactured Chinese roof tiles recycled from their work for the 10th Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2006, thus creating an inhabitable pavilion on the roof of HKW. On the occasion of a visit by Kim Il-Sung to Indonesia in 1965 the former Indonesian President, Achmed Sukarno, presented his state guest with a specially hybridized orchid variety, which he insisted on naming « Kimilsungia. » Since then, the tradition of dedicating orchids to heads of state and political dignitaries has extended far beyond North Korea. At the main entrance of HKW, Arno Brandlhuber represents us to orchids as the transmogrification of power. Nowhere is ideology and architecture so closely linked than in embassy buildings. Terence Gower presents his research on US foreign policy as seen through architecture set in the stylized 1950s lounge interior of HKW.
In 1974, at the outbreak of the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, the 4 Estações Hotel in Maputo, Mozambique, was nearing completion. After remaining vacant and unfinished for 33 years the building was demolished in 2007 in order to make room for the US embassy. Ângela Ferreira follows the traces of destruction and reconstruction of ideologically motivated foreign policy both in Africa and beyond. The architect Hugh A. Stubbins saw his Kongresshalle, with the auditorium as its centerpiece, as the embodiment of freedom of speech and opinion. The theme of Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle installation is the influence of acoustic and spatial staging on the power of the spoken word. Immaterial structures also make a building into what it is. Marko Sančanin has improvised a ‘crypt’ of memories, of discarded or forgotten relics relating to the former Kongresshalle, arranged around an architectural drawing of the roof construction on a hidden wall of the HKW.
Eran Schaerf examines the constitution of the mass media and the space produced by it. The borders between fact and fiction, sender and receiver, user and author, become blurred questioning the production of space by means of language. From the roof terrace of the HKW there is a view of the Reichstag and the Kanzleramt (Chancellery). These two massive symbols of political power loom up as if they were cruiseliners on the brink of collision. The HKW roof kiosk drifts between them like a life raft. Here Studio Miessen creates an informal place of assembly. The kiosk changes from a hermetic vitrine to a walk-in display case. In the cloakroom the internationally operating architecture group, Supersudaca (sudaca: Spanish insult for Latin American immigrants) will stage a parody of Credit Rating Agencies, their influence on market dynamics and real estate investments taking up the cause of greater social justice.
Another way of approaching architecture and ideology is represented by the Initiative Weltkulturerbe Doppeltes Berlin (Initiative World Cultural Heritage Double Berlin), which aims to have the architectural ‘competitions’ of the once divided Berlin listed as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. The congress halls in the Tiergarten (Haus der Kulturen der Welt) and at Alexanderplatz (BCC) are prime examples of dualling architectures: between 1945 and 1989, state, residential and cultural buildings were constructed in the divided Berlin to reflect the ideology of the respective systems.
The extensive accompanying program explores the dimensions of architecture as an instrument in the history of architecture, philosophy, and politics and includes speakers and experts such as, Louisa Hutton & Matthias Sauerbruch, Ashkan Sepahvand, Joanna Warsza, and Karin Sander.
The program includes Tours de Babel, multilingual tours as well as guided tours by architect and designer Van Bo Le-Mentzel, curator Valerie Smith, and art historian Steffen de Rudder.
Fm-Scenario – Where Palms Stand – Mask – Delay
Eran Schaerf’s project examines the constitution of the mass media and the space produced by it. The project offers users an Internet archive (fm-scenario.net) containing audio modules such as listener calls, features, and news, where they can compile stories. One such compilation will form the initial scenario for Schaerf’s installation. Located in the interpreter booths of the main conference room, an architecture which reflects translation processes, the borders between fact and fiction, sender and receiver, user and author, become blurred questioning the production of space by means of language.
Eran Schaerf (*1962 in Israel) is a Berlin-based artist with an academic background in architecture, urban planning and photography. His practice focuses on architectures of discourse in the intersection of fashion, mass media, language and the built environment. It interweaves historical and contemporary political narratives in print, in space, on air, and – often in collaboration with the author and philosopher Eva Meyer – in film. His work has been shown widely in exhibitions such as the 54th Venice Biennale (2011), Skulptur Projekte Münster (2007), and Manifesta 2 in Luxemburg (1998).
fm-scenario – where palms stand – mask – delay is a project in the framework of fm-scenario – The Listener’s Voice, a project of a production e. V., Berlin and Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation / Dept. Radio Play and Media Arts in cooperation with Hartware MedienKunstVerein, Dortmund; Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin; Les Complices*, Zurich; the Museum für Konkrete Kunst, Ingolstadt and the ZKM | Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe. This project has been made possible by the generous support of the German Federal Cultural Foundation, 2012-2014
Between Walls and Windows
Architektur und Ideologie
Exhibition, Talks, Conference
September 1 – September 30, 2012
Après la ACC Galerie de Weimar, c’est la Halle 14 de Leipzig qui accueille l’exposition « Über den Dilettantismus | On Dilettantism », conçue par Frank Motz. Elenni Kamma y participe et y montre l’installation « En Parergo I (a bywork for Weimar) », 2012, conçue pour l’occasion.
The meaning of “dilettante” has undergone significant change over the centuries. Originally it described an untrained artist, a lover of the fine arts or a scientific amateur, who passionately, albeit inexpertly, pursued an interest for pleasure (from the Latin delectare = to please). Nowadays, its meaning is far less flattering, namely that of a “layperson” or – even worse – a clumsy boor.
However, the arts would not be as rife with ideas and discoveries if it were not for these amateurish, unstudied and autodidactic contributions. One need only to think of concrete poetry and music, Dada, punk and the Fluxus movement. This exhibition invites artists to play with the idea of dilettantism or dabble in a field in which they possess no expertise whatsoever. The curators hope to illustrate the possibilities and liberties of dilettantish approaches, especially when it comes to gaining new insights and experiences or unusual perspectives.
The event series Dilettante-Stadl will invite researchers, artists and art collectors, e.g. the collector Harald Falckenberg and the artist Mark Dion, who regard dilettantism as a central working method.Artistic director: Frank Motz, Artists: Bernard Akoi-Jackson (GH), Hagen Betzwieser (GER), Ian Bourn (UK), Jeannette Chavez (CU), Mark Dion (US), Anna Gierster (GER), Kel Glaister (AU), Karl-Hans Janke (GER), Eleni Kamma (GR), Adam Knight (UK), Simone Bogner (GER), Paul Etienne Lincoln (UK), Laure Prouvost (FR), Rory Macbeth (UK), Per Olaf Schmidt (GER), Peter Haakon Thompson (US), Thomas Tudoux (FR), Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas (LT/US) and others
Leipzig, Halle 14, 15 Sept. – 9 Dec. 2012
Eleni Kamma, En Parergo I (a bywork for Weimar), 2012
En Parergo I (a bywork for Weimar) displays reproductions of images linked to the history of paper folding and at the same time invites people to actively participate in the folding experience themselves. It consists of a table around which people may gather and fold paper, as well as a board placed on the wall opposite the table. The board is entirely covered by origami post-it paper blocks that serve both as a visual installation, as folding material and as carriers of information. On the opening night and once a week during the exhibition, there will be paper-folding gatherings.
Although En Parergo I (a bywork for Weimar) follows the discussion of amateurism versus professionalism through a close look into educational systems and the activity of folding, it has no intention of being didactic. The knowledge of paper folding belongs to everyone and to no one at the same time. Its origin arouses much speculation, touching questions of authorship that extend national borders. The activity of folding is at the same time a spatial as well as sculptural act. The form of the installation will develop and take shape according to the desire of the visitors to take out papers from the board, fold them and transform them into ephemeral sculptures during the exhibition. En Parergo I (a bywork for Weimar) is an attempt to put on the table questions that concern notions of community, sharing and common place. Perhaps the traces and left overs from this activity may provide us with some answers.
Eleni Kammas künstlerische Praxis dreht sich um Leerstellen und Widersprüche innerhalb kultureller Geschichtsschreibungen. Indem sie selbst auf Klassifizierungen, Taxonomien und bestimmte Darstellungsmuster zurückgreift, beleuchtet sie die Rolle von Klischees und Stereotypen bei der Ausbildung von Sinn und historischem Bewusstsein. Neuere Arbeiten fokussieren auf die Koexistenz von Wort und Bild und erzeugen neue Bedeutungen, indem sie diese scheinbar kollabieren lassen. Mit «En Parergo I (a bywork for Weimar)» präsentiert Kamma einen visuellen Kosmos, der mit der Geschichte des Papierfaltens verbunden ist und lädt die Besucher ein, sich selbst in dieser Kunst zu versuchen. Deren Ursprünge sind vielfach mit Spekulationen verbunden, wobei Fragen der Autorschaft über nationale Grenzen hinaus berührt werden. Der 1989 in Bayern gegründete Verein «Origami Deutschland» verfolgt eine Bildungstradition, die bis in die Zeit des Schuldpädagogen Friedrich Fröbel (1782 – 1852) reicht. Dieser führte Origami als Teil eines ganzheitlichen Lernens ein und wurde u. a. zur -Inspirationsquelle für die Bauhausbewegung. Zwischen ephemerer Installation, Informations- und Ausbildungsstätte greift Kammas Projekt das Thema «Dilettantismus versus Professionalität» auf. Die Tätigkeit des Faltens sei gleichermaßen ein räumlicher wie skulpturaler Akt, so wird sich die Installation aus dem Umgang der Besucher mit dem angebotenen Material heraus entwickeln und kontinuierlich ihre Form verändern
Aglaia Konrad est l’invitée de 40mCubes, lieu de création contemporain situé à Rennes.
Dans le cadre des Ateliers de Rennes – biennale d’art contemporain, dont cette troisième édition a été confiée à la commissaire d’exposition Anne Bonnin, Aglaia Konrad présentera sa trilogie « Concrete & Samples », suite de trois films réalisés en 2009 -2010, consacrés à l’église de la Sainte Trinité de Vienne, bâtie par Wotruba, au « Blockhaus » de Nevers, érigé par Parent et Virilio ainsi qu’aux carrières de Carrare. On renverra le lecteur à l’excellent texte que Katerina Gregos a consacré à ces trois films, un essai publié dans Mousse Magazine.
Le choix de ces trois œuvres s’accorde avec l’esprit qu’Anne Bonnin désire inspirer à cette troisième biennale rennoise. Intitulée « Les prairies », celle-ci s’attachera plus particulièrement à l’esprit des commencements, à la figure de la conquête, à celle du pionnier qui anime l’histoire d’une modernité plurielle, à l’image de la prairie, poétique du commencement, cliché cinémascopique qui appartient aussi au monde construit.
Aglaia Konrad, Concrete & Samples I Wotruba Wien, film 16mm transféré sur DVD, couleur, 4:3, sans son, Belgique, 2009, 13′37″.
Le Communiqué de 40mCubes :
Aglaia Konrad, Concrete & Samples I, II & III, 2009-2010. Dans le cadre des Ateliers de Rennes – Biennale d’art contemporain.
Concrete & Samples I, II et III est une série de films d’Aglaia Konrad consacrée à deux architectures et un site naturel largement modifié par l’Homme.
Le premier volet de la trilogie explore l’église de la Sainte Trinité, à Vienne. Créé par le sculpteur Fritz Wotruba, le bâtiment ressemble à une sculpture abstraite monumentale, à un arrangement cubiste de 152 blocs de béton disposés de façon asymétrique.
Concrete & Samples II Blockhaus présente l’Église Sainte-Bernadette-du-Banlay de Nevers, conçue par Claude Parent et Paul Virilio. Monolithique, énigmatique, elle apparaît comme un bunker en béton brut. Construite selon une idée utopique, l’espace intérieur présente deux rampes obliques qui créent une dynamique spatiale.
Dernier film de la trilogie, Concrete & Samples III Carrara montre la célèbre carrière de marbre du même nom. Ce paysage toujours en évolution paraît avoir été sculpté, semble comporter des architectures temporaires et fait de nombreuses références à l’histoire de l’art.
Les trois films ont comme point commun de ne comporter aucun commentaire tout en proposant un regard subjectif sur ces architectures et sur ce site, comme si la caméra se substituait au regard d’un visiteur, en l’occurrence celui de l’artiste… C’est donc son point de vue, au sens propre et figuré, qui nous fait découvrir les lieux et crée un lien entre les films. Aglaia Konrad choisit de rassembler dans une même série ces trois sites – architectures modernes en béton brut et site naturel d’extraction d’un matériau noble et traditionnel de la sculpture, et de les considérer en tant que sculptures à part entière.
Aglaia Konrad, Concrete & Samples II Blockhaus, film 16mm transféré sur DVD, couleur, 4:3, sans son, Belgique, 2009, 9′50″.
Aglaia Konrad, Concrete & Samples III Carrara, film 16mm transféré sur Bluray, couleur, 4:3, sans son, Belgique/Autriche, 2010, 19′.
Exposition accessible du 14 septembre au 8 décembre
Les films sont également visibles à la galerie. Sur demande.
Eleni Kamma est lauréate du Prix de l’Art Jeune, récemment fondé par le NAK, Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, prix récompensant un artiste résidant dans l’Euregio Rhin Meuse. Le prix consiste en une bourse et une exposition au NAK soutenue par une publication. Cette exposition aura lieu du 28 octobre au 25 novembre. Eleni Kamma réévaluera à cette occasion le travail réalisé lors de sa résidence à la Villa Romana à Florence.
Le Communiqué
The NAK. Neuer Aachener Kunstverein is pleased to announce that Maastrict-based artist Eleni Kamma is the first winner of the PREIS FÜR JUNGE KUNST PRIIJS VOOR JONGE KUNST PRIX DE L’ART JEUNE. In addition to a cash prize of 3.000,- Euro, the artist will present her work in a solo exhibition at the NAK. Neuer Aachener Kunstverein in October 2012. The exhibition will be accompanied by a publication.
The PREIS FÜR JUNGE KUNST was awarded for the very first time in 2012 by the NAK. Neuer Aachener Kunstverein and STAWAG, Stadtwerke Aachen AG and is made possible through the generous support of STAWAG. The prize is given to artists under forty years old and who were born, educated, or live and work in the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion. STAWAG Executive Board Director Dr. Christian Becker explains the energy concern’s decision to sponsor the prize as follows: “Promoting young talent is a central focus of STAWAG’s community involvement. I am delighted that we can offer young and upcoming artists a chance to develop their work through the NAK art prize and contribute in this way to ensuring that Aachen remains a source of inspiration for innovative ideas.”
The jury consisting of Dr. Martin Schmidl, artist, Berlin and Aachen, Lisette Smits, curator, MARRES Center for Contemporary Culture, Maastricht, Dirk Snauwaert, director WIELS Contemporary Art Center, Brussels, Astrid Wege, curator and publicist, Cologne, and Dorothea Jendricke, director, NAK. Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, Aachen, selected Kamma from more than one hundred applications received from the three countries of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, for the following reason:
“Athens-born of Cypriot origin Eleni Kamma (*1973) focuses on the inherent gaps and contradictions within existing cultural narratives and structures. In her books, drawings, videos and installations she investigates possibilities for a future architecture that rejects binary oppositional systems of thought and accepts rather than tolerates “other” positions. Her interest lies in narrative representations of transformation.
Issues of memory, authenticity and identity take centre stage in Kamma’s artistic practice. It often takes the form of real objects or stories that are constituted as stereotypes through omission of their actual history. By revisiting systems of classification and strategies of description and taxonomy, Kamma examines the relation of the cliché, the banal and the stereotype, to the formation of history and the production of meaning.
Kamma’s work captivated the jury not only through the broad range of the media used and the wealth and diversity of its references, but also through its subtle reflection on space and the “appearance” of an object that suggests an in-between space.
With Kamma, the prize is awarded to an artist who maintains close ties to all three countries of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine. Currently living in Maastricht, she not only plays an active and integral part in the regional art scene but her international connections allow her to maintain a high profile within the international art field, providing visibility and evidence of the vitality of the regional art scene of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine.”
Eleni Kamma (*1973) was a Fellow Researcher at the Jan Van Eyck Academie in Maastricht in 2008-09. Moreover she is represented by Galerie Nadja Vilenne in Liège. In 2010, Kamma was an artist in resident at the WIELS Contemporary Art Centre in Brussels, and, in early 2011, she participated in the IASPIS Residency Program in Stockholm. In the same year, Eleni Kamma was also a guest artist at Villa Romana in Florence. Her works have been presented previously in Aachen in conjunction with the exhibition of the Liège-based SPACE Collection at the Atelierhaus Aachen e.V.
L’Agenda d’automne d’Eleni Kamma :
NAK Neuer Aachener Kunstverein (solo)
Preis für Junge Kunst Prijs voor Jonge Kunst Prix de l’Art Jeune
27 October – 25 November 2012
NAK Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, Aachen, Germany
www.neueraachenerkunstverein.de
L’ Observatoire – Maison Grégoire (solo)
04 October– 03 November 2012
Curated by Emmanuel Lambion
Maison Grégoire, Brussels
www.maisongregoire.be
On Dilettantism (Group exhibition)
15 September – 18 November 2012
Curator: Frank Motz
HALLE 14, Leipzig
www.halle14.org
