PIA FRIES / MATTHIAS ZINN
Ambigu - Contemporary Painting Between Abstraction and Narration
Opening: June 4, 2010
June 5 through September 12, 2010
Kunstmuseum St. Gallen
Ambigu (French: [ãbigy]) according to the French dictionary means as much as „undecided, ambiguous“. The painting of the 20th century however stood for decisive artistic positions that allowed for no compromise. The development of painting was roughly defined by the opposition between figurative and abstract traditions while the latter became something like a trademark of the modernist movement and finally led to the often quoted death of painting. It was the postmodern movement that put an end to any ideas of an avant-garde in modernist art and opened up new potentials to contemporary painting by means of the often quoted “anything goes”. The revision of modernist ideas found an expression in the revival of historic imagery, it did however lead to the hybrid and as such ambiguous artistic languages that are so typical of contemporary painting. It was this latter approach that was prepared by the two pioneers Mary Heilmann and Raoul De Keyser. In their groundbreaking work different traditions within modernist painting are reunited, the abstract language is loaded with meaning and references to the outside world. Often misunderstood at the beginning of their careers their pioneering work had a tremendous effect on a younger generation of painters and has prepared the ground for hybrid approaches in contemporary painting. The exhibition Ambigu – Contemporary Painting Between Abstraction and Narration confronts major paintings by Raoul De Keyser and Mary Heilmann with works by younger artists such as Pia Fries, Shila Khatami, Rebecca Morris, Xavier Noiret-Thomé, Giacomo Santiago Rogado, Alejandra Seeber. Monique van Genderen and Matthias Zinn who in manifold ways refer to their groundbreaking work. With Ambigu – Contemporary Painting Between Abstraction and Narration the Kunstmuseum St.Gallen continues its tradition of painting exhibitions and its in-depth discussion of aspects of contemporary painting while at the same time celebrating painting’s incomparable sensuality.
Konrad Bitterli
Curator
Artists in the exhibition
Raoul De Keyser, B
Mary Heilmann, USA
Pia Fries, CH/D
Shila Khatami, D
Rebecca Morris, USA
Xavier Noiret-Thomé, B
Giacomo Santiago Rogado, CH
Alejandra Seeber, ARG/USA
Monique van Genderen, USA
Matthias Zinn, D