2017 is going to rest. With the 57th Biennale in Venice, the 14th Documenta in Kassel - and for the first time in Athens, too, the 5th Skulptur Projekte Münster, the Canakkale Art Walk in Osnabrück - only to mention a few of 2017's mega events - it has been the super art year.
Again, I've put together a chart with the countdown of the ten exhibitions that impressed me the most this year:
because they challenged my brain,
because they please my eyes,
because they made me laugh,
because they touched my heart.
#10:
"I'm a Problem"
mounted by Ersan Mondtag
at the MMK2 Museum für Moderne Kunst (Frankfurt/Germany)
from September 23, 2017 — February 18, 2018
Based on the legend that Maria Callas supposedly swallowed a tapeworm to stay slim, theatre director and set designer Ersan Mondtag put together a collection of works dealing with ideals, harms and defects of the human body. The exhibition's centerpiece and golden thread is a model of....Maria Callas' gut.
(Photo: Stefan Maurer/MMK)
(Photo: Stefan Maurer/MMK)
#9:
"AFRICA. Raccontare un mondo"
at Pac - Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea (Milan/Italy)
from June 27, 2017 to September 11, 2017
ZNobody would curate an exhibition on 'European art' - it would be considered far too diverse. Funny enough, the African continent, although being home to cultures as least as diverse as Europe or let alone the Americas, is often perceived as one - rather a country than a continent.
However, this exhibition, showing pieces from 33 African artists - some of whom have already participated in the Biennale or gained world fame like e. g. Chéri Samba or LGBT-activist Zanele Muholi - shows how fresh, diverse, creative art from Africa can be.
However, this exhibition, showing pieces from 33 African artists - some of whom have already participated in the Biennale or gained world fame like e. g. Chéri Samba or LGBT-activist Zanele Muholi - shows how fresh, diverse, creative art from Africa can be.
#8:
"Glasstress 2017"
at the Palazzo Franchetti (Venice/Italy)
from May 11, 2017
to November 26, 2017
Accompanying every Biennale, this exhibition of various glass object is taking place and impresses me every time with its modern, artistic pieces - far away from cheesy figurines or vases. This year, even the art scene's big names like Ai Wei Wei and Erwin Wurm chipped in; chipped...pun intended.
# 7:
"OBJECTION"
by Michal Cole and Ekin Onat
at the Pavilion of Humanity (Venice/Italy)
from May 10, 2017
to November 26 2017
It's amazing that next to all the spectacular exhibitions and shows on the occasion of this year's Biennale it was this hidden feminist show at a secluded palazzo surprised - hence impressed - me the most.
# 6:
"Personal Structures. Open Borders"
at Palazzo Mora, Palazzo Bembo
and Giardini Marinaressa (Venice/Italy)
from May 13, 2017 to November 26, 2017
Yet another classic taking place during every Biennale in Venice at at least three different venues and presenting original, daring artists from all over the world. At every Biennale, most of the works that impress me quite deeply are exhibited at the "Personal Structures" sites. Exemplarily, I picked this work by Sohn Paa from South Korea: After having been 'only' a painter, Sohn Paa is now constructing beautiful objects from acupuncture needles - millions of acupuncture needles! His pieces look great from far - and blow you away when you take a closer look.
# 5:
"INSTALLATIONEN"
at Deichtorhallen (Hamburg/Germany)
from June 1, 2017 to September 24, 2017
One of world's leading video artists, Bill Viola from South Beach/California, sent his wonderful art films to Hamburg and transformed the Deichtorhallen gallery into a baroque cathedral. My all time favorite Viola-piece is this caravaggesque chiaroscuro "The Quintet of the Astonished" (2000)
(Photo: © Felix Krebs/Deichtorhallen Hamburg)
(Photo: © Felix Krebs/Deichtorhallen Hamburg)
This gentleman does not check your ticket. He's an usher at the fantastic exhibition "Duet with Artist. Participation as Artistic Principle". As you enter, he asks politely your name - only to announce your entry very plainly audible to the other visitors of this great exhibition.
A tad bit embarrassing, but also very fun.
Pierre Huyghe: "Role Announcer"
A tad bit embarrassing, but also very fun.
Pierre Huyghe: "Role Announcer"
#4:
"Duet with Artist.
Participation as Artistic Principle"
at 21er Haus (Vienna, Austria)
from September 27, 2017 to February 4, 2018
I love participating in art works: As soon as the audience is invited to engage in an art project, I shout "me, me, me!". This exhibition was my oyster!
Here I'm a shop owner, thanx to
Christine Hill: "The Small Business Model"
Here I'm a shop owner, thanx to
Christine Hill: "The Small Business Model"
As always, it was particularly difficult to choose the top three - actually the top four since "Duet with Artist" could have easily made it higher. But I preferred choosing depth and tribute over fun and therefore Erica Diettes and her highly disturbing installation "Relicarios" made third place.
Hans van den Beeck is number two since his installation occupying two floors of the Kunsthalle Wolfsburg sucked me into another world. The thoroughness of his installations and the calculated impact by subtile irregularities in size and perspective are just genius - and made to come alive.
Ilya and Emilia Kabakov at the top - and I even cheated a bit to put them there, since this countdown normally includes only temporary exhibitions and their "Palace of Projects" is a permanent installation at Zeche Zollverein. But the inventiveness, resourcefulness, meticulous implementation of their ideas and designs leaves me no other choice: we have an indisputable winner of 2017!
#3:
"Relicarios"
at the Museo de Antioquia (Medellín/Colombia)
from November 9, 2016 to April 16, 2017
As a reference to the sufference of her people, Colombian photographer Erika Diettes created at the Museo de Antioquia her "Relicarios". From 2011 to 2015, the artist visited families all over Colombia who are mourning their disappeared loved ones, listened to their stories and got a 'relict' that once belonged to the victims. Some relatives even travelled from secluded places just to hand Diettes the treasured objects. Sealing these 'tokens' individually in cubes of rubber tripolymer, Erika Diettes arranged these 'gravestones' into a graveyard of rememberence.
f"The Collector's House"
Note: This is not (!) a black and white picture, this is a room in black and white!
Note: This is not (!) a black and white picture, this is a room in black and white!
#2:
"OUT OF THE ORDINARY"
at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg (Wolfsburg/Germany)
from April 9, 2017
to September 3, 2017
" Table" (built on scale of 1.5 : 1, so that the viewer sees it like a 7 year old child)
The palace - containing 65 absolutely fantastic projects.
Ilya and Emilia Kabakov not only invented all these utopian, always ingenious, mostly hilarious projects, in addition they invented 65 individuals from different backgrounds who supposedly are the real inventors of these works - and they did not simply come up with these people , no furthermore they invented their biographies, as well.
The result is a whole universe of ideas and designs and bricolage.
Ilya and Emilia Kabakov not only invented all these utopian, always ingenious, mostly hilarious projects, in addition they invented 65 individuals from different backgrounds who supposedly are the real inventors of these works - and they did not simply come up with these people , no furthermore they invented their biographies, as well.
The result is a whole universe of ideas and designs and bricolage.
#1:
"The Palace of Projects"
at the Coking Plant
of the Zollverein Essen
since 2001
Description of the project "Punishment of household objects" assuming that mishaps at the house are not always our own fault, but that the objects we are using are to blame. So we send them to a corner where they can be ashamed of themselves.
Dummy of the project - here the "Punishment of household objects"
