June 4, 2024
Every month, Berlin Art Link shines a spotlight on international exhibitions and events with our Worldwide Hit List. We want to highlight artists, galleries, museums and new projects touching on a variety of topics, employing multiple media and featuring diverse subjects. Below are some of the stand-outs that we’ve selected for the month of June.
Barbican
Francis Alÿs: ‘Ricochets’
Exhibition: June 27–Sept. 1, 2024
barbican.org.uk
Silk St, Barbican, London EC2Y 8DS, UK, click here for map
This summer, the Barbican is showcasing one of Francis Alÿs’s cornerstone projects across multi-screen installations for the first time in the UK: the mesmerizing video series ‘Children’s Games.’ The Belgian artist has spent much of the past two decades recording worldwide customs of play, in a cross of art, ethnography and travelog reminiscent of Chris Marker. The titles of Alÿs’s films alone awaken a curiosity for this archival practice: we learn of the video’s indexical number (‘Children’s Game #16’) along with the name of the game that the video depicts (‘Hopscotch’). From Mexico to Hong Kong, from Afghanistan to the Congo, these cinematic shorts offer a considerate look at the randomness and specificity that attend the childhood imagination. Through Alÿs’s lens, we see the way that kids come up with intricate legislation for the most haphazard activities. Have a look at the video about the Flemish game ‘Slakken,’ or snail-racing. The kids each place a specially painted snail at the center of a chalk circle and madly cheer their chosen candidate to the finish line. The draw of Alÿs’s video series is not that children are more anarchic than us. On the contrary: they’re better at inventing the rules.
Francis Alÿs: ‘Children’s Game #38: Ellsakat, Azilal, Morocco,’ 2023, in collaboration with Ivan Boccara, Julien Devaux and Félix Blume
Kunsthaus Bregenz
Anne Imhof: ‘Wish You Were Gay’
Exhibition: June 8–Sept. 22, 2024
kunsthaus-bregenz.at
Karl-Tizian-Platz, 6900 Bregenz, Austria, click here for map
‘Wish You Were Gay’ is the splendidly rebarbative title of Anne Imhof’s summer exhibition at Kunsthaus Bregenz. How can a phrase that is word for word almost exactly the same as Pink Floyd’s smash hit ‘Wish You Were Here’ mean something so outrageously at odds with its original context? In Imhof’s voice, the plaintive lyrics of the het-rock power ballad resonate like a dry statement of fact: “Sure, I’d prefer you were gay, but on the whole I’m rather indifferent.” Imhof’s artwork burst onto the international scene with similarly wily appropriation. At the 2017 Venice Biennale, her performance piece ‘Faust’ reimagined Goethe’s take on the crisis of Enlightenment thought as a performance noir about contemporary alienation, brutality and resistance. Beyond performance art, the show at Kunsthaus Bregenz promises an expanded look at Imhof’s multi-media practice, featuring bas-reliefs, large scale oil paintings, sculptures, stage elements and stadium lighting. Of particular interest is Imhof’s display of new video works: these draw on archival footage to depict the underground subcultures that fostered Imhof’s growth as an artist.
Anne Imhof: ‘EMO,’ 2023, installation view, Sprüth Magers, Los Angeles // Photo by Robert Wedemeyer, courtesy of the artist and Sprüth Magers, © Anne Imhof
Astrup Fearnley Museet
Cauleen Smith: ‘The Deep West Assembly’
Exhibition: June 14–Sept. 15, 2024
afmuseet.no
Strandpromenaden 2, 0252 Oslo, Norway, click here for map
The solo exhibition of Cauleen Smith at the Astrup Fearnley Museet in Oslo serves as an occasion for the premier of the American artist’s latest film, ‘The Deep West Assembly.’ This film situates the geology of the American South not only as a repository of minerals, lava caves, calderas and salt domes, but also of Black and Indigenous forms of knowledge, cultural traditions and relations to the land. In addition, the exhibition includes a large-scale video installation in the museum’s double-height space, as well as works stemming from Smith’s multidisciplinary practice, such as textile banners, drawings and a recent sculpture series of large hand-poured candles. In a continuity with Smith’s oeuvre, ‘The Deep West Assembly’ aims at generating new future-focused experiences of Black social life.
Cauleen Smith: ‘your past made my future,’ 2022, cloth, acrylic, satin, paper, sequins, velvet, synthetic suede, and gold anodized aluminium rod. 173 x 137 cm // Courtesy of the artist and Morán Morán
The Hunterian
Cathy Wilkes
Exhibition: June 7–Sept. 29, 2024
gla.ac.uk/hunterian
University of Glasgow, 82 Hillhead St, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK, click here for map
Cathy Wilkes’s exhibition at the Hunterian Art Gallery displays new painting and sculpture that engages with the Northern Irish artist’s childhood experience of the Troubles. Many critics have pointed out the way that Wilkes’s sculptures make use of the trappings of domesticity, and her figures indeed wear clothes that bear the traces of menial labor, such as oversized smocks, bonnets and aprons that draw attention to their functional nature through a muted color palette. But what goes missing in this theoretical account of Wilkes’s sculptures is just how haunting they are, how much pain they seem to have absorbed. With their blank gaze and zombie-like posture, these figures look as though they’re concentrated on something that has long since disappeared. Supported by the Imperial War Museums’ Legacy Fund, the exhibition at the Hunterian continues to build on Wilkes’ interest in using the materials of everyday domestic life to consider subjective experiences of social violence that rarely arrive in fully formed words and images.
Cathy Wilkes: ‘Untitled,’ 2022-2023 // Courtesy of the artist and the Modern Institute/ Toby Webster Ltd., Glasgow Photo Patrick Jameson
James Barnor 95
Festival: May 29-Aug. 30, 2024
beyondthereturngh.com
Various Venues, Ghana
The James Barnor 95 Festival is a celebration of cultural heritage and artistic innovation, paying homage to the iconic Ghanian-British photographer, James Barnor, who will turn 95 on June 6th. One of Ghana’s foremost documentarians, his career, which began in the 1940s as a police photographer and evolved through his work with the Daily Graphic and Drum Magazine, encapsulates six decades of Ghanaian history. His photos chronicle life before Ghana’s Independence, capture pan-African leaders and document the cultural dynamism of Ghana and London as it became a multicultural metropolis. The festival is more than a retrospective of the artist’s work; it serves as an opportunity for discourse between his historical archive and Ghana’s vibrant contemporary arts scene. Organized by James Barnor and Clémentine de la Féronnière Gallery, the festival will take place in different venues and art spaces across Ghana. Opening on June 1st, the Institute Museum of Ghana presents ‘BOLD,’ an exhibition dedicated to the remarkable contributions of James Barnor and the evocative works of contemporary artist Dela Anyah. ‘BOLD’ focuses on the women who graced Barnor’s photographs—celebrating their beauty, resilience and the philosophies driving women’s empowerment, alongside Anyah’s works, which are constructed from recycled tyres, represents the extension of the lifecycle of plastic waste and embodies the journeys and dreams of the people who once used them. The festival will also feature a wider program exhibitions and events across Accra and Tamale, and serve as a celebratory occasion for the artist to return to his homeland.
Sick Hagemeyer shop assistant,
c. 1970 // © James Barnor, courtesy galerie Clémentine de la Féronnière
White Cube Seoul
Marguerite Humeau: ‘DUST’
Exhibition: June 7–Aug. 17, 2024
whitecube.com
6, Dosan-daero 45-gil, Seoul, South Korea, click here for map
White Cube Seoul presents Marguerite Humeau‘s first solo exhibition in Asia, featuring sculptures, photography and works on paper. The works on view in ‘DUST’ draw from Humeau’s 2023 installation ‘Orisons,’ an expansive 160-acre land artwork situated within a fallow crop circle in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, the world’s largest alpine valley. Originally produced by the Black Cube Nomadic Art Museum, ‘Orisons’ consisted of kinetic and interactive sculptures, through which Humeau sensitively incorporates the surrounding environment into the work itself. With ‘DUST,’ Humeau presents this new series of intricate sculptures of varying materials, as well as photographs of the site and works on paper, revealing the invisible forces that animate the landscape.
Marguerite Humeau: ‘Orisons,’ 2023, curated and produced by Black Cube, A Nomadic Art Museum // Photo by Julia Andréone and Florine Bonaventure
MCA Chicago
‘Arthur Jafa: Works from the MCA Collection’
Exhibition: June 1, 2024–Mar. 2, 2025
mcachicago.org
220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, USA, click here for map
The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago presents a survey of artist and filmmaker Arthur Jafa’s work from the MCA’s collection, spanning the last ten years. Organized by René Morales, former James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator, and Jack Schneider, Assistant Curator, ‘Arthur Jafa: Works from the MCA Collection’ considers the artist’s work through his video, sculpture, and photography. In his words, Jafa’s multidisciplinary practice examines “the full complexity, specificity, beauty, and potentiality of what Black folks have made and continue to make out of the bleak existential circumstance we’ve attended to over the past several hundred years.” Using found images, music, montage and collage Jafa constructs a layered and complex perspective in his works. The exhibition will include a selection of his video work including ‘APEX’ (2013), ‘The Message is Death’ (2016), and ‘The White Album’ (2018), accompanied by some sculptural and photographic work that highlight the artist’s interest in blurring the lines between the popular, personal and political.
Arthur Jafa: ‘Mickey Mouse was a Scorpio,’ 2017, chromogenic print mounted on aluminum, 52 x 83 in (132.1 x 210.8 cm), collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Gift of Marilyn and Larry Fields, 2023.61 // Photo by Fredrik Nilsen
SCAI The Bathhouse
Mariko Mori: ‘Kojiki’
Exhibition: June 8-July 27, 2024
scaithebathhouse.com
Kashiwayu-Ato, 6-1-23 Yanaka, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0001 Japan, click here for map
Mariko Mori shapes the invisible world around us through extensive research in archeology, modern physics and Buddhist somatism. Since achieving international acclaim in the mid-1990s, the multidisciplinary artist has extended her artistic inquiries into a more philosophical realm, exploring the possibilities of undefined dimensions of human consciousness. ‘Kojiki,’ Mori’s upcoming exhibition at SCAI The Bathhouse in Tokyo, features an installation inspired by Japanese mythic chronicles of the Age of the Gods, alongside works from her new project that premiers this June at Palazzo Corner della Ca’ Grande in Venice. The central theme of the exhibition is contained in the large disk-shaped photographic painting, ‘Genesis X’ (2023), which depicts metaphysical images drawn from the mythic chronicle about the creation of the world. Within this exhibition, Mori’s exploration of the human consciousness and spirituality conjures a site reminiscent of a future ritual.
Mariko Mori: ‘Genesis X,’ 2023 // Courtesy SCAI The Bathhouse, Tokyo
Australian Centre for Contemporary Art
Group Show: ‘Future Remains’
Exhibition: June 29-Sept. 1, 2024
acca.melbourne
111 Sturt St, Southbank VIC 3006, Australia, click here for map
Opening at the end of June, the fourth edition of ‘Future Remains: The 2024 Macfarlane Commissions’ will showcase seven emerging to mid-career artists from across Australia whose work reclaims and reframes material, cultural and ideological inheritances. Kim Ah Sam, Andy Butler, Teelah George, Alexandra Peters, Nicholas Smith, Joel Sherwood Spring and Salote Tawale will present major new works that examine how stories from the past can shape and impact present and future realities. Curated by Dr. Shelley McSpedden, the exhibition will engage a broad range of historical reference points, from familial narratives and artistic lineages to archival work and official collections. The exhibition will invite audiences to contemplate the benefits and difficulties of inherited knowledge while facilitating a dialogue about their role in the future.
Nicholas Smith: ‘Body II,’ 2023, burnished terracotta, beeswax; bed, foam, floristry ribbons // Courtesy of the artist, photo by Anna Kučera
Walker Art Center
‘This Must Be the Place: Inside the Walker’s Collection’
Exhibition: June 20, 2024–Apr. 29, 2029
walkerart.org
725 Vineland Pl, Minneapolis, MN 55403, USA, click here for map
‘This Must Be the Place’ is a major new group exhibition that explores the many meanings and ideas of “home” through a selection of works from the Walker’s collections of more than 16,000 objects. Spanning three galleries, the show includes modern art icons and influential contemporary artists, with spotlight sections that give emphasis to core ideas of community, the urban environment and the natural landscape. ‘Kith and Kin’ section focuses on friends, family and community, featuring recent acquisitions by Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Jennifer Packer. ‘The City’ examines urban environments and public spaces, while ‘The Land’ delves into natural landscapes and forms of settlement. Additionally, “interlude” spaces and spotlight core aspects of the collection, including key works such as Franz Marc’s ‘The Large Blue Horses’ (1911) and Edward Hopper’s ‘Office at Night ‘(1940). The exhibition will remain on view through April 29, 2029, with works periodically rotated to capture new juxtapositions, highlight new acquisitions and share new ideas.
Njideka Akunyili Crosby: ‘The Beautyful Ones’ Series #8, 2018, acrylic, color pencil, transfers on paper, 59 7/8 x 42 ½ inches // T. B. Walker Acquisition Fund, 2021, Courtesy Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, photo by Cameron Wittig
