Izaak Zwartjes - Schicksal der Gegenwart

Opening reception:
Friday, June 21, 2013, 7 pm

Duration of the exhibition:
June 22 - July 27, 2013
Tuesday - Saturday, 12 - 7 pm

In August, please contact the gallery for an appointment to see the show.

We are pleased to announce the first solo exhibition in Germany of Dutch artist Izaak Zwartjes.

Izaak Zwartjes' exhibition title 'Schicksal der Gegenwart' references the children's fantasy film 'Erik or the Small Book of Insects' (2004) which is based on the eponymous novel (1941) by Godfried Bomans. Under a spell, the protagonist Erik is shrunk to the size of insects and enters a world of insects called Wollewei to gather information about this world disguised as a bookworm. One of the insects carries a philosophical book entitled Schicksal der Gegenwart (The Fortune of Presence).

For Izaak Zwartjes, two elements of the film are of fundamental importance: firstly, his disappearance into another world – his complete immersion into the realization of his artistic work – and secondly, the philosophical dimension – his examination of prevailing socio-philosophical themes. In his quest to explore the twilight zone between art and everyday life, Zwartjes playfully focuses on the possibilities of a spiritual knowledge of the world. The entanglement of modernity, mythology, and religion generates sculptures and space installations that appear magical, bizarre, and notwithstanding their concrete materiality intangible. The carefully selected components of these 'mythological environments' consist of destroyed, ruinous, or useless objects and materials such as wood, metal, and rags. The integration of more abstracted stele-like sculptures puts the scale and portentous nature of a finely spun mythological landscape with its figurative sculptures such as 'The Rape of Dithyrambos' or 'Untitled (Crucifixion)' into perspective.

On the one hand, ‘Schicksal der Gegenwart' can be read as a manifestation of a subjective, mythological expedition of the artist and, on the other hand, as a space for a collection of objects and materials which challenges us to reflect on individual and collective identity, on the constitution of humanity, and on the role of each individual in society.

Izaak Zwartjes (b. 1974, Leiden, The Netherlands; lives and works in Leiden) studied at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, from 2003 to 2008. In 2009, he exhibited a monumental space installation at the Cobra Museum, Amstelveen. In 2013, his installation 'Basic Construction III' was awarded with the Frans de Wit-prize.
Solo exhibitions (selection): Crossing the Threshold, Upstream Gallery, Amsterdam, 2013; Izaak Zwartjes: Basic Construction: Horsepower Opus 18 G Major, Odapark, Venray, 2011/2012; Brave New Worlds, Horizonverticaal, Haarlem, 2011; Rudiments of Territory, Upstream Gallery, Amsterdam, 2010; Exodus, Cobra Museum, Amstelveen, 2009; Apocalyptic Landscapes, Upstream Gallery, Amsterdam, 2008.
Izaak Zwartjes is represented by numerous international collections, among others the collections of Hugo und Carla Brown, Martin Margulies, and Jan Van Stigt.

Galerie Emmanuel Post was established in a studio house in Leipzig in 2004. In 2011, the gallery relocated to Berlin-Charlottenburg.

The gallery presents trend-setting contemporary art: Painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, installation, film.

GALERIE EMMANUEL POST
Grolmanstr. 46
10623 Berlin

+49.30.21460830
+49.176.24518058
ep@emmanuelpost.com
www.emmanuelpost.com

This release was published on openPR.