Highlight #36: Europe Now

A way art is used, in Germany, Italy and France

Germany, Frankfurt am Main <Georg Baselitz: The Heores>

30 June ~ 23 October 2016_Städel Museum

German artist Georg Baselitz is one of the most influential artists of our time. By emphasizing the equivocal aspects of the postwar period, Baselitz looks into the general issues of society and brings German art to the world. Of his oeuvre, <Heroes> and <New Types> are especially well known. The large-scale exhibition shows over seventy pieces from the artist’s two most powerful workgroups.

In 1965, twenty years after World War II, Baselitz had to work under ideological and political censorship, and even his artistic styles were deemed controversial. The artist, using the images of rattled soldiers and fragile figures, depicted the reality of the time. <Heroes> represented his view on society and marked the beginning of his career as a painter. The figures of <Heroes> and <New Types> are always painted in the dead center of the composition, with enormous bodies and extremely small heads. Those figures and devastated backgrounds speak of the world the artist faces. The exhibition's rhythmical and colorful display enhances the impact of the individual work and allows the viewers to see the true meaning Baselitz’s works convey.

<The Shepherd> 1966

Oil on canvas 162×130cm Museum Frieder Burda, Baden-Baden ⓒ Georg Baselitz 2016 Photo: Jochen Littkemann, Berlin
<With Red Flag> 1965

Oil on canvas 163×131cm Private collection courtesy of Art Agency, Partners ⓒ Georg Baselitz 2016 Photo: Frank Oleski, Koln
<Blocked Painter> 1965

Oil on canvas 162×130cm MKM Museum Kuppersmuhle fur Moderne Kunst, Duisburg, Collection Stroher ⓒ Georg Baselitz 2016 Photo: Archiv Sammlung Stroher

Italy, Rome <Shahzia Sikander: Ecstasy As Sublime, Heart As Vector>

22 June ~ 23 October 2016_Maxxi-Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI Secolo

Over thirty energetic, imaginative pieces of Shahzia Sikander are presented at this exhibition. This offers viewers the opportunity to see her works of various media ranging from drawing to digital animation.
Sikander’s works are based on critical thinking and analysis of history and politics. She focuses on themes such as geopolitical changes, migration, the birth of nations and religions. Her artistic practice questions the ideas of authority and independence as she explores the vague boundaries between fiction and nonfiction, storytelling and historiography.

<Parallax>, a video animation work, greets the visitors at the entrance of the exhibition. This dynamic piece inspired by the artist’s trip to the United Arab Emirates tells the story of the history of maritime trade in the Strait of Hormuz. One can see her signature technique, animated drawings, in this piece. Miniature painting works that are influenced by her Pakistani background, and site-specific installation works are also displayed throughout the exhibition. The audience will be able to see the world expressed in the language the artist speaks.

<I am the exact imitation of the Original> 2013

Courtesy Sikander Studio
<Nemesis> 2003

Video Animazione digitale Courtesy the artist
<Seraph> 2016

Ink on Paper 11×18inches Courtesy the artist

France, Metz <Sensitive Zones>

24 June ~ 23 October 2016_49 Nord 6 Est-Frac Lorraine

There was a time when the atlas was essential for us to find our way. Nowadays, just a few simple clicks on our mobile phones or computers can take us anywhere in the world. Then has our cartographic sensibility disappeared?
The exhibition tackles cartographic sensibility, and invites the audience to take a walk of the mind. The exhibition is joined by 19 featured artists including Justine Blau, Bernard Heidsieck, Yoko Ono, Charles Lopez and Cornelia Parker, who interpret the Western mappa mundi in their own way.

By bringing the audience into imagined or forgotten places, the artists point out that cartographic representation is only a subjective projection in the form of image. Over thirty works that are displayed deconstruct, decenter, recite, reorder and rename the “sensitive zones” of forgotten places. They also approach these zones through tactile, epidermic and imaginary ways and ask the question, “Does a map make the world?” The exhibition also offers an opportunity to see the works of Julie Fartier, the artist-in-residence. The artist attempts to chart a newly expanded horizon through scent. ■ with ARTINPOST

Bernard Heidsieck <Vaduz Les Wallons> 1974

Collection 49 Nord 6 Est-Frac Lorraine, Metz(FR) Courtesy Galerie Natalie Seroussi
Justine Blau <Atlas Bookwork> 2013

Courtesy de l’artiste
Nipan Oranniwesna <City of Ghost> 2012

Collection 49 Nord 6 Est-Frac Lorraine, Metz(FR) Photo: Nipan Oranniwesna Courtesy de l’artiste