Past exhibition

Living in the Material World
Materiality in Contemporary Art
Kaiser Wilhelm Museum

Lara Almarcegui, Michael Beutler, Karla Black, Berta Fischer, Theaster Gates, Ane Mette Hol, Jessica Jackson Hutchins, David Jablonowski, Markus Karstiess, Alicja Kwade, Marie Lund, Oscar Tuazon

What materials does an artist decide on and what are the reasons behind the choice? The Kunstmuseen Krefeld focuses on the many ways materials are em_ployed in contemporary art in its exhibition LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD.
The sixties saw a radical expansion in the concept of art as it began to explore and evaluate a wide variety of materials in novel ways. Then, with the new possibilities of digital technology, concrete material began to lose importance by the late twentieth century. But today materials that are now seen as established classics have returned to the focus, including wood, ceramic, paper, concrete, coal, gold, plastic, polystyrene and textiles, and are being treated in new ways - not least in regard of their processuality and context. Artists are harking back to crafts traditions and industrial means of production, seeking an unconscious link between head and hand, turning their minds to material analysis and the reconstruction of specific locations, and developing fragile, architectural constructions.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue.

Cooperation with Galerie im Taxispalais, Innsbruck (exhibition time 6th December 2014 - 15th February 2015)