INKY TOY AFFINITAS CURATED BY ANNA-CATHARINA GEBBERS 16 FEBRUARY - 14 APRIL 2007 CEREALART, PHILADELPHIA
HELENE APPEL (London)
NICOLE BIANCHET (Berlin)
ULLA VON BRANDENBURG (Paris)
DAMIEN DEROUBAIX (Berlin/Paris)
LUCILE DESAMORY (Berlin)
MARTE EKNAES (London)
CLAIRE FONTAINE (Paris)
AURÉLIEN FROMENT (Paris)
DAVID GAUS (Paris/Zurich)
ELLEN GRONEMEYER (London)
ALEXANDER HEIM (London)
SOPHIE VON HELLERMANN (London)
UWE HENNEKEN (Berlin)
JULIA HORSTMANN (Berlin)
VOLKER HUELLER (Hamburg)
BETHAN HUWS (Paris)
LISA JUNGHANß (Berlin)
DOROTA JURCZAK (Hamburg)
JANICE KERBEL (London)
ARMIN KRÄMER (Hamburg)
RENÉ LÜCK (Berlin)
ISA MELSHEIMER (Berlin)
LAURENT MONTARON (Paris)
THOMAS RAVENS (Berlin)
NORBERT SCHWONTKOWSKI (Bremen/Hamburg)
ANDREAS SLOMINSKI (Berlin/Hamburg)
ISABELL SPENGLER (Berlin)
KATJA STRUNZ (Berlin)
ALEX TENNIGKEIT (Berlin)
EMILY WARDILL (London)
Curated by Anna-Catharina Gebbers
February 16 – April 14, 2007
Opening: February16, 2007
CEREALART
149 N. 3rd Street • Philadelphia, PA 19106 • T 001.215.627.5060 • F 001.215.627.5061 • www.cerealart.com
The group show INKY TOY AFFINITAS features works on paper by thirty-one artists from Berlin, Hamburg, London, and Paris. Curator Anna-Catharina Gebbers has invited thirteen artists from these cities to participate with their own works and by inviting artists themselves.
This exhibition presents, on one hand, the disparate possibilities of paper works as a playful sketch, as mnemonic, as conceptual work, and moreover as an evidence of intentional perception. On the other hand, the artists will show both their own works as well as that of artists to whom they extended the invitation. These relationships spin a web of intellectual affinities, one which broadens the visual preferences beyond their origins.
Kant first mentions “affinitas” (affinity) in connection with chemical processes in his Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View (1798). The influence of chemistry on the formulation of thoughts during Kant’s later lifetime -- the so called Chemical Age, as Friedrich Schlegel deemed it -- is as well attested to in Goethe’s novel Elective Affinities (1809). Chemical reactions were understood to be a template of analog psychological and intellectual processes. Still today in chemistry the term “affinity” describes a “process of confederation” wherein specific heterogeneous substances, chemical species, or atoms of unlike composition, combine to create new chemical compounds.
The concentration upon artists from four European cities reflects a range of preferences on the part of the curator that delimits the number of potential affinities and associations. And some of the artists could not or did not want to name any “affinities,” while others invited several colleagues to contribute. Most of the works have been produced especially for this exhibition. Two of the artists seem to look for affinities also in Philadelphia: Dorota Jurczak's billboard, which is a homage to Duchamp's "Wanted" will be spread all over the city of Philadelphia. Andreas Slominski, who is known for works which announce him as a trickster and points to the ludic element which runs through his projects, will present two sheets of paper: one with signatures of seven 18-year old girls from Philadelphia, the other one with signatures of seven 18 year old boys from Philadelphia. Both artists' works contain performative, interactive elements and can be read as a comment on the art world. In the end this playful dance--triggered by the concept of the show--represents an elected perception and mutual appreciation.
Anna-Catharina Gebbers is an internationally active curator and writer in Berlin, Germany. She has curated shows for the 3rd Triennial of Photography Hamburg and the 4th Berlin Biennial, and she initiated the exhibition and performance-art project The Three Cities: Berlin, Milan, London. Gebbers is the author of catalogue essays for artists such as Thomas Scheibitz and Thomas Schütte, and her work appears in the magazines Artist and Frieze, among others. She also organises exhibitions, performances and lectures in Berlin through her workspace BIBLIOTHEKSWOHNUNG, www.acgebbers.com
The thirteen artists invited by Anna-Catharina Gebbers and the artists invited by them are:
From Berlin, Germany:
- Nicole Bianchet and Alex Tennigkeit: Damien Deroubaix (Berlin/Paris), Katja Strunz (Berlin), Uwe Henneken (Berlin)
- Lucile Desamory: Isabell Spengler (Berlin)
- Lisa Junghanß (Berlin)
- Isa Melsheimer: Thomas Ravens (Berlin), René Lück (Berlin)
From Hamburg, Germany:
- Dorota Jurczak: Armin Krämer (Hamburg)
- Norbert Schwontkowski: Volker Hueller (Hamburg)
- Andreas Slominski
From London, Great Britain:
- Marte Eknaes: Janice Kerbel (London)
- Alexander Heim: Markus Amm (London), Helene Appel (London), Ellen Gronemeyer (London), Sophie von Hellermann (London), Emily Wardill (London)
From Paris, France:
- Ulla von Brandenburg: Laurent Montaron (Paris), Julia Horstmann (Berlin), Aurélien Froment (Paris)
- Claire Fontaine (Paris/Rom)
- Bethan Huws: David Gaus (Paris/Zurich)