ME John Bock, Eberhard Havekost, Alicja Kwade, Mark Leckey, Nam June Paik, Pamela Rosenkranz, Rosemarie Trockel, Erwin Wurm, Sarah Lucas, Vito Acconci, Jonathan Monk, Josh Smith, Jack Pierson, Thorsten Brinkmann
The Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt is presenting self-portraits by contemporary artists in the thematic exhibition “ME”. The show features forty international positions in painting, photography, video, sculpture, and performance art, including works by artists such as John Bock, Eberhard Havekost, Alicja Kwade, Mark Leckey, Nam June Paik, Pamela Rosenkranz, Rosemarie Trockel, and Erwin Wurm.
Exhibition ME
Artists John Bock, Eberhard Havekost, Alicja Kwade, Mark Leckey, Nam June Paik, Pamela Rosenkranz, Rosemarie Trockel, Erwin Wurm, Sarah Lucas, Vito Acconci, Jonathan Monk, Josh Smith, Jack Pierson, Thorsten Brinkmann
Venue Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt
What does one expect from a picture that is supposed to be a self-portrait? Strictly speaking, the ingredients are clear-cut. They have been tried and tested for centuries. Artists explore their faces in the mirror and render this experience in a portrait. The modern era spawned countless self-portraitists from whom nothing less than naked self-affirmation was to be expected in their exploration of their self. And today? Artists no longer show their faces to the viewer. They leave self-revelation behind, retreat from view, pursue less direct approaches—and distance themselves from their own self. We often only know that these are self-portraits because the titles tell us so: Imi Knoebel presents a collection of utensils as a “Selbstporträt mit Pappkarton”, and Gabriel Kuri a combination of insulating material and a shell. Abraham Cruzvillegas renders personal documents unreadable by overpainting them and calls it a “blind self-portrait,” while instead of portraits, Ryan Gander shows the palettes he allegedly used to paint them. Günther Förg portrays himself descending a stairway without a head, Wolfgang Tillmans shows only his knee, Pawel Althamer nothing but his clothes.