JANNIS KOUNELLIS
2012-12-17Renowned for his pivotal role in the development of the Arte Povera movement in the 1960s, over the last 50 years Kounellis has continued to rede”ne artistic practice through his original use of materials.
His works, which might be seen as a combination of painting, collage, installation, ‘environments’, performance and theatre, are made using everyday materials such as soil, coal, stones, hessian sacks, “re, live animals, bed frames and doorways, as well as objets trouvés. These are imbued with dramatic power, stimulating memory and a sense of history, as well as the reality of our present day experience, to express the underlying tensions within contemporary society, and the multiplicity and fragmentation of its language.
During the 21st century, Kounellis has developed an increasingly architectural vocabulary, typified by the labyrinth he constructed in the main hall of Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie for his 2008 retrospective. Working in dialogue with the Mies van der Rohe designed building, the structure served as a complete environment in which to exhibit examples of his earlier works. His exhibition at Blain|Southern has been created in a similar vein, with the sculptural installation responding to the gallery’s vast, post-industrial space.
Exhibition runs through to January 26th, 2013
Blain|Southern Berlin
Potsdamer Straße 77–87
10785
Berlin
