He combines film and music, architecture, performance and sculpture in a dynamic way. His works bear witness to a more profound observation of reality and reflect a philosophical analysis of the present world.
Curator Matthias Ulrich
From July 9, 2015, Schirn Kun
sthalle Frankfurt dedicates its entire exhibition space, inside and
out, to the impressive work of American
multimedia
-
artist Doug Aitken. It is not only the most
comprehensive solo presentation of Aitken's work in Germany and beyond, but also an exhibitio
n
transcending spatial boundaries: Elaborate film installations across entire rooms and selected
sculptures in the interior, as well as a site
-
specific sound installation in the exterior space of the
Schirn, present a survey of the major stages in his crea
tive work. Born in 1968 in Redondo Beach,
California, Aitken transcends boundaries with his award
-
winning work. He combines film and
music, architecture, performance and sculpture in a dynamic way. For more than 20 years, he has
been creating works of art
of fascinating audiovisual intensity and suggestive
-
seductive power.
Aitken belongs to a generation of artists who have reassessed and decisively influenced the way
we look at
art
: His works bear witness to a more profound observation of reality and reflec
t a
philosophical analysis of the present world. In his projects, Aitken has re
-
formulated the
exhibition
model
to worldwide attention.
B
e it with the
presentation
of his work on the exterior facades of
museums, including
“sleepwalkers” at
the Museum of Mo
dern Art (MoMA) in New York
,
or the
staging of unparalleled happenings
, such as “Station to Station”,
a
4,000 mile
train journey from
New York to San Francisco.
The Schirn will present A
itken's kaleidoscopic universe i
n more than 1400 square meters of
ex
hibition space. “SONG 1” (2012
/2015
), “Black Mirror” (2011), “migration (empire)” (2008) and
“diamond sea” (1997) will be shown in atmospheric spaces with corresponding sculptures, such as
“Sunset
(black and white)
” (2011) and “Listening” (2011). “Sonic Fo
untain
II
” (2013
/2015
) will
transform the public and freely accessible Rotunda of the Schirn into an acoustic
-
spherical space.
Doug
Aitken takes
the viewer
s
of his work
on a synesthetic journey around the world and to their
inner self
–
in a maelstrom of e
xpressive and rhythmically structured images. He poses existential
questions, but does not provide easy answers. Instead, the artist expresses an almost ingenious
enthusiasm for humanity and communal interaction. His themes continuously revolve around
huma
n civilization: the alienation of the individual and
isolation in the mass;
man's relationship
with nature and technology
;
and
technology’s
coexistence
with nature
as well as human
relationships per se.
“For more than two decades, the works by American artist Doug Aitken have expand
ed
our
possibilities of perception.
For Schirn Kunsthalle
Frankfurt
,
Doug Aitken, for the first time, casts a
retrospective look at his influential
oeuvre
, resulting in a parcours that renders the architecture of
the building invisible while connecting the different works to form a coherent spatial unit”, says
Max Hollein,
Director of Schirn Kunsthalle.
Curator Matthias Ulrich about the artist: “In addition to overcoming spatial boundaries, movement
and velocity form
two
main motifs that Doug Aitken
time and again
takes up in his elaborate,
thoughtful and perfect work. He
explores our global and steadily accelerated present. His works
challenge our immediate experience, which begins with sensual perception and ends in activity.
We never find ourselves in front of Doug Aitken’s works, but rather, within them.”
The exhibit
ion
journey
starts in the exterior space. In the Schirn
-
Rotunda, there is
Sonic
Fountain II
,
a site
-
specific
extended version of the work from 2013. It marks the beginning of
the
exhibition
, and, at the same time, provides
its
soundtrack. Water drips and
spurts into a basin
formed from sand and gravel, filled with milky liquid.
It is a
musical composition of liquid noises
that is compacted acoustically by the vessel
-
shaped architecture of the Rotunda.
The exhibition “Doug Aitken” is
supported
by the
Gem
einnützige
Kulturfonds Frankfurt
RheinMain
as part of its
new temporary
focus theme
“Transit” (2015
–
2017).
The exhibition is accompanied by an e
xtensive supporting program,
including
a
presentation
of “Station to Station” during the exhibition at th
e Schirn as well as a
SCHIRN AT NIG
HT on September 12, 2015 from 7
p.m.
–
with the premiere of a recomposition of
“I Only Have Eyes For You” by musicia
ns of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, two live
performances and the presentation of the film “Station to Station”.
CATALOG
Doug Aitken. Edited by Matthias Ulrich and Max Hollein. Foreword by Max Hollein,
essays by Joseph Akel, Dominic Eichler, Jörg Heiser, Martin Herbert, April Lamm, Katya Tylevich
and Matthias Ulrich. German/Eng
lish Edition
Image: Black Mirror, 2011 Courtesy the artist; 303 Gallery, New York; Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich; Victoria Miro Gallery, London; Regen Projects, Los Angeles Film Still © Doug Aitken
Press contact:
Axel Braun - Head of Press/Public Relations: T +49 (0)69 299882153 / F +49 (0)69 299882240 / presse@schirn.de
Opening on July 8, 2015 at 7 p.m.
in the presence of Doug Aitken with a large summer festival, including a musical live act by
Burnt Friedmann and Jaki Liebezeit.
SCHIRN KUNSTHALLE FRANKFURT
Römerberg, 60311 Frankfurt
Hours:
TUESDAY, FRIDAY–SUNDAY 10 AM–7 PM
WEDNESDAY + THURSDAY 10 AM–10 PM
Admission:
€ 10, concessions €8, family ticket € 18;
free of charge for children under eight years