Philipp Keel
Fender II, 2017
Imbue print on Baryta paper
Sheet 164 x 126 cm
Picture: 151 x 114 cm
Picture: 151 x 114 cm
Edition of 5 plus 2 artist's proofs
We are proud to present sixteen artists who explore the motif of the ocean, each with a different aesthetic approach.
CASPER FAASSEN // BASTIAAN WOUDT // THIRZA SCHAAP // PAUL CUPIDO // ILONA LANGBROEK // JEFFREY CONLEY // PHILIPP KEEL // AMY FRIEND // ALBARRÁN CABRERA // SANDRO DIENER // THOMAS HOEPKER // MARTIN BOGREN // WERNER BISCHOF // KACPER KOWALSKI // RENATO D'AGOSTIN // RACHEL THOMSON
For thousands of years, people of all civilizations have been intrigued by the ocean and have pictured it in a diversity of artistic forms. The ocean is the source of life on earth and symbolic of the unbounded spectrum of animate being. The infinite movement of these masses of water also symbolizes stability. Conversely, the oceans may also stand for formlessness and chaos and, in the interpretation of dreams, for the collective and personal unconscious.
The works of Amy Friend (CA), Martin Bogren (SE), Philipp Keel (CH), Jeffrey Conley (US), Sandro Diener (CH), Kacper Kowalski (PL), Renato D'Agostin (IT), Rachel Thomson (UK), Werner Bischof (CH) and Casper Faassen (NL) are showcased for the first time at Bildhalle Amsterdam.
We will also step back in time by displaying iconic photos of Magnum photographers Werner Bischof (CH) and Thomas Hoepker (DE/US). Thirza Schaap (NL) will confront us with an ugly reality through her ground breaking series Plastic Ocean. Paul Cupido (NL) will surprise us with his new pigment prints on Japanese Kozo paper and the artist duo Albarrán Cabrera (ES) will enchant us with their poetic pigment prints on gold leaf. Bastiaan Woudt (NL) will return to Willemsparkweg and dazzle with a powerful image of his series Mukono and Ilona Langbroek (NL) has created new art that will take our breaths away.
"To me, curating a group exhibition is like composing music. Silent, quiet pictures alternate with crescendos. Small gems are recitatifs complementing the arias of large formats. Works in colour form duets with b/w photography. Both music and pictures are essentially without words; they speak for themselves and with great eloquence, a quality that is shared by the diversity of artists that we represent. A well-curated group exhibition unites that diversity, distilling it into the DNA of Bildhalle and communicating it to visitors. The word "ocean" instantly conjures the infinite. Overwhelmingly vast, it is limited only by the horizon, the horizon line that plays such a crucial role in art, both separating and uniting earth and sky, dreams and reality, near and far, the sublime and the everyday."
