Isa Genzken

New York

David Zwirner gallery on 519 West 19th Street is now exhibiting its third Isa Genzken exhibition since she joined the gallery in 2004. The show is revealing both 2 and 3-D artworks, mostly focusing on Genzken’s emblematic human assemblage figures. With a career covering more than four decades, Genzken’s inspirations are plentiful and cover subjects such as the media, design, architecture, consumerism and materialism, all present through her human sculptures.

The ‘Schauspieler’ (Actors) series is the key subject of the show. After a first appearance at her MoMA retrospective and an ongoing exhibition at the MMK Frankfurt, this series is once again on view. Evolving with the sculpture medium, Genzken is pushing it to its limit through the mannequins that constitute the sculpture base that she then dresses and transfigures. They often wear the artist’s garments and accessories combined with impromptu headpieces, paint or items. Alone, or in a group, these figures explore the social conventions. Being a main theme of Genzken’s production and inspiration the social aspect is as well present through ‘Soziale Fassaden’ (Social Façades), a series developing since 2002 on. It deals with the metaphor of layers of social status through the real layering of material in order to build façades and thus buildings. Again, media, urbanity and modernism are a common thread for this conceptual series.

Schauspieler II, 1, 2014. Woman mannequin on metal stand, red leather pants and jacket, brown wig, plastic flower wreath, belt, striped turtleneck, spray paint, and water pipe on floor, 72 x 32 x 15 inches (182.9 x 81.3 x 38.1 cm

David Zwirner

September 16 – October 31, 2015

519 West 19th Street
New York, NY 10011
USA

Calendar