Thursday, 21 April 2011

CUTTERS EDGES / BERLIN




If you happen to be in Berlin over the next month, then why not visit the new Gestalten gallery and the opening exhibition. I have four collage pieces in the show:

CUTTERS EDGES / BERLIN
Contemporary Collage
A Group Exhibition Curated by James Gallagher

Opening Exhibition
29th April - 28th May 2011

Gestalten Space
Sophie-Gips-Höfe
Sophienstraße 21
10178 Berlin

www.gestalten.com/space

Opening Hours
Wednesday to Monday
10:00 - 20:00
Closed Tuesdays


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Cutters Edges
Contemporary Collage
A Group Exhibition Curated by James Gallagher
29 | 04 | — 28 | 05 | 2011

Collage is currently experiencing a new heyday in contemporary art and visual culture. Today’s artists, illustrators, and designers are increasingly drawn to this artistic technique by the challenges of seamlessly melding traditional craftsmanship with skilled computer montage. They are not only composing a wide variety of visual elements, but are also deliberately omitting, deleting, and destroying them.
Though it first gained popularity in the early twentieth century, collage is a true reflection of the world we live in today, and the innovative work now being produced represents a new era for this technique. According to curator James Gallagher, the works in the exhibition “fall into a variety of categories, numerous styles, and countless visions. All of them made from the act of physically or digitally cutting and pasting…resulting in a range of work that encompasses everything from social and political commentaries to personal confessions, not to mention surrealist fantasies composed from real life and from the imaginary.”

Highlights among the selected artists include Sergej Sviatchenko and April Gertler. Ukrainian-born, Danish-based architect and artist Sviatchenko has had numerous solo and group exhibitions across Europe, Canada, and the USA and is one of the leading figures in contemporary collage. Gertler, an American artist based in Berlin, is the founder of Picture Berlin, an artist residence/art academy for artists working with photography.

The exhibition also has contributions from Hisham Akira Bharoocha, a visual artist and musician, who is known for his legendary status as founding member of Lightning Bolt and Black Dice, now working on his solo project Soft Circle.

Paul Burgess, who has worked with Sex Pistols on a number of occasions as a photographer and designer and is also co-author of the book Satellite: Sex Pistols published by Abstract Sounds in 1999; Katherine Streeter, an award winning New York-based illustrator who has had her work published in newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Guardian; and Irish-based artist Stephen Brandes, who represented Ireland at the 2005 Venice Biennale.

James Gallagher, who already curated the CUTTERS series of exhibitions showcasing contemporary collage in Brooklyn in 2009, in Berlin in 2010 and in Cork in 2011, uses collage to investigate human form and personal identity. His art has been shown in galleries around the world and featured in numerous magazines and books.

Gallagher is also co-editor of the recently released Gestalten book Cutting Edges: Contemporary Collage, an inspiring collection of unique recent work created using this technique.

Featured artists: Rubén B (Spain), Michael Bartalos (USA), Melinda Beck (USA), Brian Belott (USA), Hisham Akira Bharoocha (USA), Stephen Brandes (Ireland), Paul Burgess (UK), Dennis Busch (Germany), Hollie Chastain (USA), Alejandro Chavetta (USA), Cless (Spain), Barrett Cook (USA), Liam Crockard (Canada), Valero Doval (Spain), Jesse Draxler (USA), Lukas Feireiss (Germany), Tatiana Echeverri Fernandez (Germany), Erik Foss (USA), James Gallagher (USA), April Gertler (Germany), Jason Glasser (USA/France), Kate Hate (Germany), Sean Hillen (Ireland), Ashkan Honarvar (The Netherlands), Jordin Isip (USA), Eva Lake (USA), Greg Lamarche (USA), Dani Leventhal (USA), Leif Low-beer (USA), Max o Matic (Spain), Jeffrey Meyer (USA), Vincent Pacheco (USA), Melissa Paget, David Plunkert (USA), Garrett Pruter (USA), Kareem Rizk (Australia), Javier Rodriguez (UK), Jenni Rope (Finland), Jason Rosenberg (USA), Valerie Roybal (USA), Joe Ryckebosch (USA), Cay Schroder (The Netherlands), Baby Smith (USA), Kerstin Stephan (Germany), Katherine Streeter (USA), Sergei Sviatchenko (Denmark), Alejandra Villasmil (Venezuela/Chile), David Wallace (USA), Jessica Williams (USA), Oliver Wiegner (Germany), Lulu Wolf (USA), Bill Zindel (USA), and Anthony Zinonos (Germany).