Heimo Zobernig
Artist
The work of Heimo Zobernig (b. 1958, Mauthen, Austria) spans an array of media, from architectural intervention and installation, through performance, film and video, to sculpture and painting. His practice across all these forms is connected by an interrogation of the formal language of modernism, at its most familiar in the tropes of the monochrome and the grid, yet also concerned with Constructivism, colour theory and geometric abstraction. His riffs on these themes spill out from his paintings into sculptures, videos and room installations. Zobernig fundamentally subverts the high modernist ideal of the monochrome, compromising its aesthetic purity with the introduction of elements of the decorative, the functional, or the lightly comic.
An education in set design invested the artist with an interest in architecture and display: elements of mise-en-scène run throughout his practice, informing the way in which he installs and exhibits his multi-faceted oeuvre. He frequently uses fabric curtains or light to create monochromatic environments within which his works are installed. His playful and inquisitive sculptures, often minimal, expand this monochromatic field. Such subversive approaches to traditional gallery architecture and the unconventional use of space serves to underline Zobernig’s fascination with the framing of his art, both physically and conceptually, generating a performative quality that questions pre-existing art historical and ideological concerns.
[Simon Lee Gallery]
Heimo Zobernig
Artist
The work of Heimo Zobernig (b. 1958, Mauthen, Austria) spans an array of media, from architectural intervention and installation, through performance, film and video, to sculpture and painting. His practice across all these forms is connected by an interrogation of the formal language of modernism, at its most familiar in the tropes of the monochrome and the grid, yet also concerned with Constructivism, colour theory and geometric abstraction. His riffs on these themes spill out from his paintings into sculptures, videos and room installations. Zobernig fundamentally subverts the high modernist ideal of the monochrome, compromising its aesthetic purity with the introduction of elements of the decorative, the functional, or the lightly comic.
An education in set design invested the artist with an interest in architecture and display: elements of mise-en-scène run throughout his practice, informing the way in which he installs and exhibits his multi-faceted oeuvre. He frequently uses fabric curtains or light to create monochromatic environments within which his works are installed. His playful and inquisitive sculptures, often minimal, expand this monochromatic field. Such subversive approaches to traditional gallery architecture and the unconventional use of space serves to underline Zobernig’s fascination with the framing of his art, both physically and conceptually, generating a performative quality that questions pre-existing art historical and ideological concerns.
[Simon Lee Gallery]
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Navigating NorthOct 7, 2022 – Apr 2, 2023Showcasing the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation Collection, Navigating North investigates links between the north and south. The themes of the exhibition – landscape, northern nature, and geographical and cultural crossroads – point towards how we are constantly navigating change. (more…)
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Frank Bowling’s AmericasOct 22, 2022 – Apr 9, 2023“Modernism belonged to me also.” So resolved British Guiana-born artist Frank Bowling in 1966, when he moved from London to New York City, impelled by ambition to make his mark on modern painting. (more…)
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Fred SandbackLong-term viewUsing subtle methods and an economy of materials, Fred Sandback’s work creates striking perceptual effects in response to the surrounding architecture. (more…)
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Notations on TimeJan 18 – May 20, 2023Notations on Time is a group exhibition that explores the philosophical and political dimensions of time through the works of 20 contemporary artists from South Asia and its diaspora. (more…)
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Our 5th Year AnniversaryARTPIL / Prescription .132Here we are again, this time, rounding out our fifth year with over 3,000 Articles and Profiles in our growing archive and nearly 3 million visits strong. A very exciting journey it has been, indeed. With our fifth year anniversary Prescription, we continue to move forward. (more…)
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Ingrid Wiener, Martin RothFeb 10 – May 21, 2023Two artists, two generations. Two first major retrospectives that complement each other in their conceptual approaches. One weaves what she sees, draws and writes what she dreams, takes photos from the plane and is famous for her cuisine. The other, a generation younger, starts with painting, expands into space, creates landscapes (more…)
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Allan SekulaPHOTOGRAPHER / FILMMAKERAllan Sekula was an American photographer, writer, critic and filmmaker. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1951, he lived most of his life in Los Angeles and the surrounding regions of southern California. (more…)
