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| 27 September 2005 |
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| German Contemporary Artist Günther Uecker Explores Human Suffering in Touring Exhibition |
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| Curated by the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (IFA) and jointly organised in Singapore by the Goethe-Institut and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), Man’s Inhumanity presents works by Günther Uecker, an artist who has left an important mark on the history of German contemporary art. |
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| The artist, born in 1930 in Wendorf, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Germany, is one of the most prominent members of the German art movement, ZERO. He explains that the theme of the exhibition is “life and death”. The works, created between 1992 and 1993, sublimate Germany's racism and violence toward foreigners and the media's unjust coverage of it, while thoughtfully documenting and imagining suffering. |
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| The exhibition includes sculptures, drawings of words, as well as other works that range from finger paintings to mixed media. By utilising materials such as nails, bandages, ashes, a "tree" and sand, Uecker offers his personal reactions and comments on the suffering that men inflict upon men. |
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| Before coming to Singapore, “Man’s Inhumanity” has been staged in other parts of Asia, including the Taipei Fine Arts Museum in Taiwan and the Gallery Hyundai in Seoul, South Korea. |
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| “The artistic community in Singapore appreciates that German art forms one of the great pillars of Modern civilisation. This is reflected in how German Expressionism, as well as the Bauhaus aesthetic, progressively influenced generations of international artists, past, present and we trust, the future. The art of Mr Uecker as you can see for yourself, presents in part that strength of expression, powerful drama and yet, in part deeply soulful, deeply resonant,” says Mr Choo Thiam Siew, President of NAFA. “We are indeed honoured to partner the Goethe-Institut in hosting Mr Uecker’s first exhibition in Singapore.” |
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Günther Uecker , Fire Place, Nails, white distemper, T.V, wood, 135x80x100cm, c. 1992 |
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| His Excellency Mr Andreas Michaelis, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, will grace the exhibition opening as Guest-of-Honour on 4 October 2005 (Tuesday), 6.30pm at NAFA Galleries 1 & 2. The artist will also be present at the opening. |
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| Event Details |
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| Official Opening |
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4 October 2005, 6.30pm |
| Exhibition Dates |
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5 October 2005 - 25 October 2005 |
| Exhibition Hours |
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10am - 7pm (Monday - Saturday); Closed on Sundays & Public Holidays |
| Venue |
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Galleries 1 & 2, NAFA Campus 1, 80 Bencoolen Street, Singapore 189655 |
| Enquiries |
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artgalleries@nafa.edu.sg |
| Admission |
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FREE |
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| About the Artist |
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| Günther Uecker : German painter, sculptor and kinetic artist. He studied painting at the Kunstakademie in Berlin-Weissensse (1949–53), working first in the style of socialist realism. During his period at the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf, he undertook self-imposed repetitive exercises such as archery, and he modelled his first relief-form paintings by hand. In 1957, he made his first relief structures with nails leading to works such as white picture (nails on canvas on wood, 1959; Krefeld, Kaiser-Wilhelm Mus.). He also incorporated corks (e.g. cork picture light medium, 1960; Düsseldorf, Kstmus.) and cardboard tubes set into the surface of the painting. The nailed picture became the antithesis of the painted picture; it allowed Uecker to explore the articulation of light through the shadows created by the nails, the unchanging ritual of hammering and the violation of taboo surfaces. In 1958, he began to work on circular nail formations, leading in 1961 to his rotating nailed illuminated discs. Uecker worked closely with Otto Piene and Heinz Mack in the ZERO group, and is also the brother-in-law of French artist, Yves Klein. |
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