Thursday, October 29, 2009

Frankfurter Kunstverein : NOTIONS OF THE ARTIST



PARTICIPATING ARTISTS: Marc Aschenbrenner, Wim Delvoye, Stephan Dillemuth, Michael Franz, Paule Hammer, Manuela Kasemir, Andreas Wegner.

The exhibition "Notions of the Artist" at the Frankfurter Kunstverein explores the social roles that artists play in the minds of the public. Seven contemporary artistic positions bring to light socio-cultural expectations with which artists are confronted. The "artist" can be understood as an object of projection. Whether he is regarded as a freethinker or an eccentric, as a genius or sceptic, as a teacher or mediator, as an inventor, entertainer, pop star, or as an entrepreneur depends on each particular context and cultural milieu. Nevertheless, these varying notions of what such a role can contain have one common denominator, which is that artists and their activities enjoy a unique status. Their exploits are considered to be manifestations of freedom of the subject through which society can assess its capacity for tolerance and self-critique. Simultaneously, there is a long artistic tradition in which social actions become direct material of artistic production.

"Notions of the Artist" displays diverse approaches of the way art and being an artist is thought to be. These perceptions can be addressed through ideas pertaining to the challenging of authorship, to self-exposure, self-questioning or appropriation. The exhibition presents works by Marc Aschenbrenner, Wim Delvoye, Stephan Dillemuth, Michael Franz, Paule Hammer, Manuela Kasemir and Andreas Wegner, which can all be read in the context of role awareness. They investigate the understanding of the artist in a critical or ironic manner, while further questioning its social framework.

No comments: