Highlight #34: Changeable contemporary art

Various group exhibitions in the U.K., Sweden and Austria

U.K., LONDON <Under the Same Sun: Art from Latin America Today>

10 June ~ 4 September 2016_South London Gallery

Artists from Latin America have gathered to offer insight into the contemporary art scene of the region. From Chile, Costa Rica and Argentina to Cuba, the works of artists from all over the continent show the diversity of artistic responses to the shared realities of Latin America. The exhibition especially focuses on the works of young artists born after 1968, to explore the current situation of the region. Artists from an earlier generation, who experienced the turbulent 1960s and 70s, also participate in the exhibition. They present works that were influenced by economic crisis, repression of governments and social inequality.

Havana and Barcelona-based Cuban artist Wilfredo Prieto’s works involve a sharp sense of humor. One of the displayed works, <Walk>, shows the artist’s first trip outside Cuba in a humorous and satirical way. Bogota-based artist Gabriel Sierra works with the languages of design and architecture. Sierra explores the ideas of community and urbanism. Raimond Chaves and Gilda Mantilla, and Wilson Diaz, also offer insight into the views of Latin America through the works of a broad range of mediums.

Jonathas de Andrade <Posters for the Museum of the Man of the Northeast> 2013

77 chromogenic prints, mounted on acrylic panels, ten inkjet prints, and six photocopies on acetate with overhead projector, overall dimensions variable, chromogenic prints: 72 x 50 x 3 cm each; inkjet prints dimensions vary, acetate sheets 21.6 x 28 cm each, edition 2/5. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Guggenheim UBS MAP Purchase Fund. Installation view: Under the Same Sun: Art from Latin America Today, South London Gallery, June 10 - September 4, 2016. Courtesy: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the South London Gallery. Photo: Andy Stagg
Installation view of <Under the Same Sun: Art from Latin America Today> at South London Gallery, June 10 - September 4, 2016

Courtesy: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the South London Gallery Photo: Andy Stagg
Rafael Ferrer <Artforhum> 1972

Vinyl, overall Dimensions variable. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Guggenheim UBS MAP Purchase Fund. Installation view: Under the Same Sun: Art from Latin America Today, South London Gallery, June 10 - September 4, 2016. Courtesy: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the South London Gallery. Photo: Andy Stagg

Sweden, Goteborg <Surfacing Earth>

11 June ~ 4 September 2016_Röda Sten Konsthall

The earth is going through a rapid environmental change. In line with this, our landscape is also experiencing a transition. The exhibition views the changing landscape in the age of the Anthropocene through the works of six artists.
Today, we live in a world of ever-changing landscapes. The classic boundaries of between culture and nature, urban and rural, interior and exterior and natural and artificial are now dissolving, and new forms of landscapes are emerging. This is all due to the coexistence of humans, technology and nature. Through the works of a broad range of mediums such as painting, sculpture, video and photography, the exhibition views the lives of humans on earth from an aesthetic perspective.

Participating artists from all around the world, from Italy, Norway, to Japan and Denmark, approach the issue from different angles. The audience can view works that interpret the issue poetically, scientifically and even humoristically.
The exhibition considers the earth’s landscapes to reflect the ideology and memory of humans. By exploring the newly formed landscapes, it endeavors to find ways to understand the transition.

Onishi Yasuaki <Reverse of Volume> 2012

Foto Nash Baker
Ursula Biemann & Paulo Tavares <Forest Law>(still)

Austria, Graz <Eine Wanderausstellung>

11 June ~ 7 August 2016_Grazer Kunstverein

Two American artists from different generations, Matt Keegan and Kay Rosen exhibit works that explore the translation of language in space, while portraying the dialogue between them at the same time.
Kay Rosen has been working with words for the past decades. Through paintings, drawings and collages, she examines the possibilities of words-as-image and discovers the unexpected meanings in them. She also challenges how people view and understand words by using grammatical and typographical strategies in her work. Matt Keegan is well known for combining design, photography, text, printmaking and sculpture in his work. He also works with words he picks idiomatic phrases and changes them into art objects. Works produced in such a manner allow the audience to see the materiality of language and leave open-ended possibilities.

The two artists, who approach language in an artistic way, started exchanging their thoughts on language through physical mail from 2009. As suggested by the title of the exhibition, which means "a travelling exhibition" in English, it examines language as an art form through the two artists’ mailings, along with their work. ■ with ARTINPOST

Matt Keegan <It Goes Without Saying> 2011

Steel(exhibition copy) Courtesy the artist and Altman Siegel Gallery S/F Image credits for "Eine Wanderausstellung", Matt Keegan & Kay Rosen
Excerpt from ongoing mail correspondence between Matt Keegan & Kay Rosen, 2009-

Variable media and dimensions Courtesy the artists Image credits for "Eine Wanderausstellung", Matt Keegan & Kay Rosen