LEIPZIG COLUMN CONTEMPORARY NO 88, 2006 P. 20-21
In the last two years the art scene in Leipzig has undergone a dramatic transformation. In 2004 both public institutions initiated expansions - the modern art museum, Museum Bildende Künste (MdBK) opening a large new building and the contemporary art museum, Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst (GfZK) construction a second, 1100 metre-square pavilion with flexible structures that allow the space to mutate depending on the character of each exhibition. The results have been remerkable, facilitating the flurry of debate around the Leipzig art scene. On the other hand, almost every not-for-profit space has closed down and the majority of the commercial galleries, their numbers fuelled by the media frenzy around the Leipzig Painters, have taken the lead of Eigen + Art and moved to a former cotton mill. Certainly some of the Leipzig painters are more deserving of the attention than others, one of these being Julia Schmidt, the recipient of the bi-annual Sachen LB art prize, who recently had a solo show at Casey Kaplan in New York and has a forthcomming exhibition at MdBK. However, it is interesting to note that Dogenhaus, one of the first galleries to show the school, are doing so less and less, and this year their exhibitions have been almost solely devoted to artists working with photography and installation.The 'gallery - epicentre' in the cotton factory is not only gaining international attention, but is also attracting international dealers too. First to move in was Brooklyn based Pierogi