#ArtGuide – Top #4 exhibitions to see in Zurich this February

Rodney Graham's collection of "Untitled" works (all executed in 2016) on view at Hauser&Wirth Zurich (picture courtesy of the artist and Hauser&Wirth)

#1   Rodney Graham at Hauser & Wirth

Until 11 March 2017

Rodney Graham on the night of the opening at Hauser&Wirth
Dinner Break (Salisbury Steak), 2017 (picture courtesy of the artist and Hauser&Wirth)

Since the 1980s, Vancouver-based artist Rodney Graham has been wearing many hats and experimented with a wide range of medias and roles: actor, performer, producer, historian, writer, poet, sound engineer and musician. His practice encompasses photography, painting, sculpture, film, video and music.

For his exhibition Media Studies at Hauser & Wirth Zürich, Graham presents a new series of his signature photographic lightbox works – elaborate, allegorical and witty compositions focusing on his use of the self-portrait to explore scenarios from our collective cultural memory. In addition, two new collage series that reference Graham’s artistic personae and career as musician are displayed for the first time.

Oh boy! What is not to love about this show? Breathtakingly beautiful!

Hauser & Wirth
Limmatstrasse 270
8005 Zürich

#2  Donald Sultan at Andres Thalmann Gallery

Until 1 April 2017

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Red Poppies Oct 11 2016, 2016  (pic courtesy of the artist and Galerie Andres Thalmann)
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Aqua Button Flower June 3 2015, 2015  (pic courtesy of the artist and Galerie Andres Thalmann)

Evoking sportswear and activity, the exhibition title Button Down Modernism implies the wide range of associations that have rendered Donald Sultan’s work so complex and compelling.

Sultan’s interest in flower paintings resides in the fact that, as he has said, flowers are ‘intertwined with both the language of the human sensibility and the language of art.’ In idiomatic expressions such as ‘rosy-cheeked’ or ‘fresh as a daisy’, as well as ‘pushing up the daisies’, flowers symbolise beauty, youth and vigour, as well as transience and death. Although primarily classified as still lifes, Sultan maintains that his works (despite their representational objects — flowers, lemons, eggs, buttons) are first and foremost abstract.

On the night of the vernissage, I had the honour of interviewing the artist. The video of our conversation will be out soon!

Galerie Andres Thalmann
Talstrasse 66
8001 Zürich

#3  Annie Leibovitz at ewz-Unterwerk

Until 19 February 2017

Misty Copeland, New York City, 2015 © Annie Leibovitz from WOMEN: New Portraits
Misty Copeland, New York City, 2015
© Annie Leibovitz from WOMEN: New Portraits
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Annie Leibovitz at the preview of the show in Zurich

After Trump’s election, anything related to women comes as a kind of sensitive subject. From the hashtag #FreeMelania to the Women’s March on Washington, nothing is more contemporary than women and their rights — therefore this exhibition comes at a very good point in time. Annie Leibovitz’s most enduringly popular series of photographs ‘WOMEN’ was published back in 1999. The new exhibition WOMEN: New Portraits, commissioned by Swiss bank UBS, reflects the changes in the roles of women today. In addition to the new photographs, the exhibition includes work from the original series as well as other photographs taken since.

Perks that come with this show? It is open every day, it is completely free of charge and you will find the most motivated crew working there — including me! 🙂

ewz-Unterwerk Selnau
Selnaustrasse 25
8001 Zurich

#4  SupaKitch at Kolly Gallery

Until 18 February 2017

SupaKitch at Kolly Gallery (pic courtesy of the gallery)
SupaKitch at Kolly Gallery (pic courtesy of the gallery)
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SupaKitch and I – the night of the vernissage at Kolly Gallery

Growing up with mangas and hip-hop culture, passionate about art and music since his childhood, SupaKitch found in the Street a large choice of mediums and sources of inspiration that flourish in his work. His first graffiti dates back to 1990. Since then, the French-born artist has had the chance to experiment with a wide variety of mediums (including tattoos).

A fashion-lover at heart, SupaKitch has founded with Koralie, his partner in life and biz (sorry Girrrrls!!!), their clothing collection Metroplastique, and won the prize of “Young Entrepreneur of Fashion” with it in 2005.

On the Wave Home will showcase his brand new body of work — a solo show at Kolly Gallery that promises to blow your mind with its new dark hues and symbols.

Kolly Gallery
Seefeldstrasse 56
8008 Zurich

 

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