KW WINTER PROGRAM 2015 João Maria Gusmão + Pedro Paiva

KW WINTER PROGRAM 2015
João Maria Gusmão + Pedro Paiva
PAPAGAIO
Solo exhibition
Curated by Ellen Blumenstein and Vicente Todolí
Venue: KW BASIS
Michael Müller
WHO’S SPEAKING?
Solo exhibition
Venue: 1+2
29.11.15–24.1.16
Press preview: Friday, 27.11.15, 9.30 h
Opening: Saturday, 28.11.15, 17–22 h
PRESS KIT
Content
João Maria Gusmão + Pedro Paiva: PAPAGAIO
-
Press information
Exhibition plan and list of works
Wall text
Biography João Maria Gusmão + Pedro Paiva
Publication: TEORIA EXTRATERRESTRE
Michael Müller: WHO’S SPEAKING?
-
Press information
List of works
Wall text
Biography Michael Müller
KW edition: SIGNATUR (2015) by Michael Müller
As of: 26.11.15/subject to change
Press Contact
Henriette Sölter
T +49 30 2434 59-42
[email protected]
KW Institute for Contemporary Art
Auguststr. 69
10117 Berlin
Germany
www.kw-berlin.de
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PRESS RELEASE
João Maria Gusmão + Pedro Paiva
PAPAGAIO
Solo exhibition
Curated by Ellen Blumenstein and Vicente Todolí
29.11.15–24.1.16
Venue: KW BASIS
Press preview: Friday, 27.11.15, 9.30 h
Opening: Saturday, 28.11.15, 17–22 h
Curator’s tour with Ellen Blumenstein, Thursday, 7.1.16 and 21.1.16, at 18 h,
registration at [email protected]
The Portuguese artist duo João Maria Gusmão + Pedro Paiva, well known for their
conceptual and poetic analyses of reality, present PAPAGAIO, their largest retrospectively
conceived solo exhibition in Berlin to date. The site-specific film installation brings together
over twenty short 16 mm films, taken from three central work series produced in the past ten
years.
The exhibition architecture that rhythmizes the space visually and acoustically brings the
individual works into dialog, and emphasizes the equally sensory and structural qualities of
the duo’s oeuvre. Each film follows the same formal guidelines: presented in slow motion,
silent, and looped, the camera focuses on its object of observation from a fixed distance and
angle. Precisely one single motif, sequence of movement, or activity is recorded at a time.
The subject is always positioned at a pressure point between perception and reality; the
motifs are drawn from found or staged everyday, biological, physical, or chemical
phenomena such as a fish’s gasp for air on dry land, or an egg frying. Proceeding from a
deliberately staged moment of confusion, the individual films challenge our usual perspective
on a specific situation, while the installation as a whole acts to shift our view of the world.
With PAPAGAIO, Gusmão + Paiva consciously reveal their way of working; the duo depicts
its fascination with the mysticism of everyday life from an analytical distance and protocols
the genesis of knowledge. In its variety, the complex artistic installation thus makes
philosophical questions of existence immediately accessible. KW Institute for Contemporary
Art is therefore particularly pleased to be presenting this show to a wide Berlin audience for
the first time. The exhibition was co-produced with the Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan and the
Camden Arts Centre in London.
João Maria Gusmão (born in 1979 in Lisbon) and Pedro Paiva (born in 1977 in Lisbon) have
been working together since 2001, and have realized numerous institutional solo exhibitions,
for example at MUSAC – Museo de Arte Contemporâneo de Castilla y León (León, ES,
2007), Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art (San Francisco, US, 2008), Ikon Gallery
(Birmingham, GB, 2010), Kunsthalle Düsseldorf (Düsseldorf, DE, 2011), Frac Île-de-France,
Le Plateau, (Paris, 2011), and Kölnischer Kunstverein (Cologne, DE, 2015). They have also
taken part in group exhibitions around the world, including the Bienal de São Paulo (São
Paulo, BR, 2006), the Portuguese Pavilion at the 53rd Biennale di Venezia (Venice, IT, 2009)
and THE ENCYCLOPEDIC PALACE, the general exhibition at the 55th Biennale di Venezia
(Venice, IT, 2013).
PAPAGAIO is accompanied by a publication, two curator’s tours, and weekly introduction
tours every Thursday at 18 h.
PAPAGAIO is funded by Fürstenberg Zeitgenössisch, and the Embassy of Portugal /
Camões – Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua.
With special thanks to Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf.
The cultural programs of KW Institute for Contemporary Art are made possible with the
support of the Governing Mayor of Berlin – Senate Chancellery – Cultural Affairs.
Opening hours
Wed–Mon 12–19 h, Thu 12–21 h, Tue closed
Admission
6 €, reduced 4 € (includes admission to all exhibitions at KW)
Thursday evening ticket: 4 € (18–21 h, includes introduction at 18 h)
EXHIBITION PLAN AND LIST OF WORKS
BASEMENT
COWFISH, 2011
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’25’’
P13
P1
Produced by Museo Marino Marini,
Florence. In collaboration with Lamu Palm
Oil Factory, Kenya
FRIED EGG, 2008
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’37’’
GLOSSOLALIA (“GOOD
MORNING”), 2014
16mm film, color, no sound, 7’10’’
Produced by Fondazione
HangarBicocca, Milan
P2
PAPAGAIO (DJAMBI), 2014
16mm film, color, no sound, 43’
Produced by Fondazione
HangarBicocca, Milan
TRIANGLES AND SQUARES, 2013
16mm film, color, no sound, 1’25’’
P5
METEORITIC, 2008
16mm film, color, no sound, 6’49’’
Produced by Serralves Foundation, Porto
P6
P14
DRAGONBALL, 2014
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’31’’
Produced by Fondazione
HangarBicocca, Milan
P15
HEAT RAY, 2010
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’27’’
POGOBAR
FALLING TREES, 2014
16mm film, color, no sound, 8’55’’
P16
P3
Produced by Fondazione
HangarBicocca, Milan
DONKEY, 2011
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’00’’
EYE ECLIPSE, 2007
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’40’’
P7
Produced by Museo Marino Marini,
Florence. In collaboration with Lamu Palm
Oil Factory, Kenya
EXPERIMENT ON THE EFFLUVIUM,
2009
16mm film, color, no sound, 10’43’’
P17
Official Portuguese Representation of 53rd
Venice Biennale, DGARTES, Ministry of
Culture, Portugal
VENTRILOQUISM, 2009
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’45’’
Produced by ZDB, Lisbon
Thanks to: MUSAC, Leon
THE SHADOW MAN, 2006–07
16mm film, color, no sound, 1’40’’
Co-produced by ZDB, Lisbon and Luanda
Triennial, Angola
Thanks to: DGARTES, Ministry of Culture,
Portugal and MUSAC, Leon
SOLAR, THE BLINDMAN EATING A
PAPAYA, 2011
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’35’’
Produced by Frac Île-de-France/Le Plateau,
Paris. In collaboration with Lamu Palm Oil
Factory, Kenya
THE HUMAN TORCH, 2007
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’23’’
Produced by ZDB, Lisbon
Thanks to: Inhotim Cultural Center, Minas
Gerais
P8
WHEELS, 2011
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’33’’
Co-produced by São Tomé and Príncipe
Biennale and Frac Île-de-France/
Le Plateau, Paris
PIPE, 2014
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’29’’
Produced by Fondazione
HangarBicocca, Milan
TAXIDRIVER, 2014
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’38’’
Official Portuguese Representation of 53rd
Venice Biennale, DGARTES, Ministry of
Culture, Portugal
P18
A DAY WITHOUT FILMING, 2014
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’23’’
Produced by Fondazione
HangarBicocca, Milan
P19
3 SUNS, 2009
16mm film, color, no sound, 0’50’’
Official Portuguese Representation of 53rd
Venice Biennale, DGARTES, Ministry of
Culture, Portugal
HALL
P9
P4
TURTLE, 2011
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’40’’
CO1
Produced by Frac Île-de-France/
Le Plateau, Paris
CAMERA INSIDE CAMERA, 2010
Camera obscura installation
THE SOUP, 2009
35mm film, color, no sound, 3’35’’
Official Portuguese Representation of 53rd
Venice Biennale, DGARTES, Ministry of
Culture, Portugal
Thanks to: Jardim Zoológico de Lisboa
HAIRY STONE, 2009
35mm film, color, no sound, 1’19’’
Official Portuguese Representation of 53rd
Venice Biennale, DGARTES, Ministry of
Culture, Portugal
MOTORCYCLE, BIKE AND HUMAN
DOTS, 2014
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’18’’
Produced by Fondazione
HangarBicocca, Milan
P10
PLACING THE FISHEYE, 2012
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’30’’
Produced by Kunsthaus Glarus
P11
POT SMALLER THAN POT, 2010
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’25’’
P12
THE INITIATE, 2008
16mm film, color, no sound, 2’39’’
CO2
MOTION OF ASTRONOMICAL
BODIES, 2010
Camera obscura installation
All works:
Courtesy the artists and
Galeria Fortes Vilaça, São Paulo;
Galeria Graça Brandão, Lisbon;
Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf;
ZERO..., Milan
WALL TEXT
This exhibition brings together over twenty 16mm short films and two camerae obscurae, all
produced over the last ten years. These works are presented within a site-specific
installation, complemented by the titular film PAPAGAIO (DJAMBI).
Since 2001, Gusmão + Paiva have continually produced new experimental arrangements
that are poised on the verge between the visible world and its withdrawal, questioning the
borders between the concepts of the human and the inhuman. Translating paradoxes
through cinematic media, the artists defamiliarize the visitors from her/his quotidian gaze and
produce a “time machine” experiment: the films slow down reality until they reveal the
different qualities within the visible.
The sometimes found, sometimes mounted settings are shot accordingly to strict formal
rules: the camera stays within a fixed distance and angle from its subject, and focuses each
time on precisely one motif, one sequence of movement, or one activity; all films operate
purely visual.
PAPAGAIO (DJAMBI), which translates as parrot, uses a different composition principle: the
new 43-minute film was shot last year on the central African island of São Tomé and depicts
a local voodoo ritual invocating the deceased forefathers. The camera is passed along from
the artists to the participants, who are in trance and possessed by the spirits of the dead. The
approach to time shifts from infinite repetition to a vastly stretched moment. The film thus
stages an encounter with the realm of the dead to account for what cannot be experienced
by the living.
PAPAGAIO was co-produced with Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan and Camber Arts Centre in
London. Curated by Ellen Blumenstein and Vicente Todolí.
BIOGRAPHY
João Maria Gusmão (born in 1979 in Lisbon) and Pedro Paiva (born in 1977 in Lisbon)
live and work in Lisbon.
Solo exhibitions
2016 Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau, CH
Haus der Kunst, Munich, DE
2015 PAPAGIO, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin
Galeria Juana de Aizpuru, Madrid
THE MISSING HIPPOPOTAMUS, Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, DE
ONE MONTH WITHOUT FILMING, Redcat, Los Angeles, US
PAPAGAIO, Camden Arts Centre, London
2014 PAPAGAIO, Hangar Bicocca, Milan, IT
2013 ONÇA GEOMÉTRICA, ZERO…, Milan, IT
O PROBLEMA DE MOLYNEUX, Galeria Fortes Vilaça, São Paulo, BR
THIRD MAN ARGUMENT, Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf, DE
MAÇÃ E DARWIN, MACACO DE NEWTON, Galeria Fonseca Macedo, Ponta
Delgada, Azores, PT
2012 VOLTAIR’S ARMPIT, Objectif Exhibitions, Antwerp, BE
TRILEMMA: OVER A GHOSTLY CONCEPTION, Fri Art – Centre d’art de
Fribourg/Kunsthalle Freiburg, Fribourg, CH
THOSE ANIMALS THAT, AT A DISTANCE, RESEMBLE FLIES, Kunsthaus
Glarus, Glarus, CH
SINCE YOU HAVE EATEN THE HORSE, YOU CAN TRAVEL TO ROME BY
DONKEY: ON DWARF PHILOSOPHY, Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo
10.000 COISAS, Galeria ZDB, Lisbon
2011 THERE’S NOTHING MORE TO TELL BECAUSE THIS IS SMALL, AS IS EVERY
FECUNDATION, Museo Marino Marini, Florence, IT
... AS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE, AND ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT,
NOT BEING ANYTHING IN THEMSELVES, WILL BECOME EVERYTHING IN
THE RESULTS, Fondazione Brodbeck, Catania, IT
ALIEN THEORY, frac île-de-france, le plateau, Paris
TEM GWEF TEM GWEF DR RR RR, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, DE
“DESINIT IN PISCEM”, MORE PRECISELY ENDING IN FISHTAIL, IMO Projects,
Copenhagen
A BRIEF HISTORY OF SLOWNESS AND VERTIGO, Galeria Graça Brandão,
Lisbon
2010 HAND SMALLER THAN HAND, Galerie Kamm, Berlin
THE FOOT REMOVES THE SOCK WHICH TAKES OFF THE SHOE WHICH
LEAVES THE FOOTPRINT..., Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf, DE
Index, Stockholm
ON THE MOVEMENT OF THE FRIED EGG AND OTHER ASTRONOMICAL
BODIES, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK
ANALOGY, THE DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD, ZERO…, Milan, IT
2009 EXPERIMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS ON DIFFERENT KINDS OF AIR,
Portuguese Pavilion at the 53rd Venice Biennale, Venice, IT
ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF THINGS, Kunstverein Hannover, Hanover, DE
MAGNETIC RESONANCE ON ABISSOLOGIC EXPERIMENTS, Mercer Union –
Centre For Contemporary Visual Art, Toronto, CA
2008 METEORÍTICA, Galeria Fortes Vilaça, São Paulo, BR
METEORÍTICA, Galeria Graça Brandão, Lisbon
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
ARTICULAÇÕES, Minas de Salgema, Loulé, PT
HYDRAULICS OF SOLIDS, Adam Art Gallery, Victoria University of Wellington,
Wellington, NZ
PASSENGERS 1.7, CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco,
US
HORIZONTE DE ACONTECIMIENTOS, Matadero, Madrid
ABISSOLOGIA, Cordoaria Nacional/Galeria ZDB, Lisbon
CREVASSE, Laboratório 987, Museu de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León,
Castilla y León, ES
EFLÚVIO MAGNÉTICO (SÍNTESE), Teatro Municipal da Guarda, Guarda, CH
EFLÚVIO MAGNÉTICO (2ª. PARTE), Galeria ZDB, Lisbon
INTRUSÃO: THE RED SQUARE, The National Museum of Contemporary Art –
Museu do Chiado, Lisbon
MATÉRIA IMPARTICULADA, Galeria Graça Brandão, Porto, PT
EFLÚVIO MAGNÉTICO: O NOME DO FENÓMENO, Galeria ZDB, Lisbon
O OURO DOS IDIOTAS, PROJECTO IN.TRANSIT, Artes em Partes, Porto, PT
AIR LIQUIDE, Galeria Ara, Lisbon
Group exhibitions
2015 VER (RE)VELAR. USOS Y REPRESENTACIONES DE LO
INEXPLICABLE, MUSAC, León, FR
AU SUD D’AUJOURD'HUI, Centre Calouste Gulbenkian, Paris
EPPUR SI MUOVE – ART AND TECHNIQUE, Mudam, Luxembourg, in
collaboration with the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris
RAY FOTOGRAFIEPROJEKTE FRANKFURT/RHEIN MAIN, MMK Museum für
Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, DE
À POIL!, Benesisstraße 8-12, Cologne, DE
ÜBERSCHÖNHEIT, Salzburger Kunstverein, Salzburg, AT
BARE WUNDER, Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf, DE
FRAC ILE-DE-FRANCE COLLECTION, Mamco, Musée d’art moderne et
contemporain, Geneva, CH
BEAUTIFUL MONSTERS, Gladstone Gallery, New York, US
ALIMENTÁRIO: CONSTRUÇÃO DO PATRIMÔNIO ALIMENTAR
BRASILEIRO, Oca, São Paulo, BR
2014 KIBOU NO GENRI, Kunisaki Art Festival, Kunisaki, JP
ANTHROPOCÈNE MONUMENT, Les Abattoirs FRAC Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse,
FR
ART UNLIMITED, Art Basel, Basel
PROPAGANDA FÜR DIE WIRKLICHKEIT, Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen, DE
PHOTO WEEKEND 2014, Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf, DE
2013 FILM AS SCULPTURE, WIELS, Contemporary Art Centre, Brussels
THE ENCYCLOPEDIC PALACE, 55th Venice Biennale, Venice, IT
FUTURE GENERATION ART PRIZE @ VENICE, 55th Venice Biennale, Venice,
IT
NOUVELLES IMPRESSIONS DE RAYMOND ROUSSEL, Palais de Tokyo, Paris
IT IS ONLY A STATE OF MIND, nGbK – neue Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst,
Berlin
1966-79, IAC, Institut d’art contemporain, Villeurbanne, FR
ZWEITER STREICH, Fürstenberg Zeitgenössisch, Donaueschingen, DE
2012 THE CASTLE IN THE AIR. SÉANCE OF IMAGINATION, ZAMEK Culture Center,
Poznan, PL
S. F. (ART, SCIENCE & FICTION), MAC’s, Grand Hornu, BE
2011
2010
2009
2008
21 ARTISTS SHORTLISTED FOR THE FUTURE GENERATION ART PRIZE
2012, PinchukArtCentre, Kiev
TEM CALMA O TEU PAÍS ESTÁ A DESAPARECER, Galeria ZDB, Lisbon
IN THE HOLOCENE, MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, US
WHEN ATTITUDES BECAME FORM BECOME ATTITUDES, CCA Wattis
Institute, San Francisco, US
GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE, New Museum, New York, US
SUPERPOWER: AFRICA IN SCIENCE FICTION, Arnolfi Gallery, Bristol, UK
COLLECTING COLLECTIONS AND CONCEPTS, Fábrica Asa, Guimarães, PT
ARTE PORTUGUESA DO SÉCULO XX 1960 – 2010, National Museum of
Contemporary Art – Museu do Chiado, Lisbon
VI Bienal de Arte e Cultura de São Tomé e Príncipe, Lisbon; São Tomé, ST
OCTOPUS 11: THE MATTER OF AIR, Gertrude contemporary art spaces,
Melbourne, AU
KUNST UND PHILOSOPHIE, nGbK – neue Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst,
Berlin
THE ART OF NARRATION CHANGES WITH TIME, Sprüth Magers, Berlin
EXPERIMENTAL STATION, CA2M, Madrid
EXPOSIÇÃO PERMANENTE DO MUSEU COLECÇÃO BERARDO (1960-2010),
Museu Colecção Berardo, Lisbon
STAGING THE ARCHIVE, MACE – Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Elvas,
Elvas, EE
THE LAST FIRST DECADE, Ellipse Foundation, Alcoitão, PT
RESPONSIVE SUBJECT, MUZee, Ostende, DE
10,000 LIVES, 8th Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju, KR
LEOPARDS IN THE TEMPLE, Sculpture Center, New York, US
THE INHABITANTS, Vilma Gold Gallery, London
FAX, Plug In ICA, Winnipeg, CA; The Drawing Center, New York, US;
Contemporary Museum Baltimore, Baltimore, US; Plug In ICA, Winnipeg, CA;
Dowd Gallery, State University of New York, College at Cortland, Cortland, New
York, US; Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City; Burnaby Art Gallery, Burnaby,
CA; Para/Site Art Space, Hong Kong, CN; Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, US
MAGIC SHOW, The Hayward Gallery, London; QUAD, Derby, UK; Pump House
Gallery, London; Chapter, Cardiff, UK; Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery,
Carlisle, UK; Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool, UK
MONUMENT FOR TRANSFORMATION, City Gallery Prague, Prague
CORPO, DENSIDADE E LIMITES, Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Elvas,
Elvas, EE
OPTIONS & FUTURES, Fundação PLMJ, Lisbon
FEITORIAS, Museu de Arte Contemporânea do Funchal, Funchal, PT
Manifesta 7 – European Biennial of Contemporary Art, Rovereto, IT
RENDEZ-VOUS NOWHERE, Centro Cultural Montehermoso, Vitoria-Gasteiz, ES
PART OF THE PROCESS 3, Galleria Zero, Milan, IT
MÚLTIPLAS DIRECÇÕES, ARTE PORTUGUESA DE 1850 ATÉ À
ACTUALIDADE, Museu do Chiado – Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea,
Lisbon
PARANGOLÉ: FRAGMENTOS DESDE LOS 90 EN BRASIL, PORTUGAL Y
ESPAÑA, Patio Herreriano – Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Español, Valladolid,
ES
O PRESENTE: UMA DIMENSÃO INFINITA, Museu Colecção Berardo, Lisbon
L’ART CONTEMPORAIN EN EUROPE, Domaine Pommery, Reims, FR
FABLES DU DOUTE / TALES OF DISBELIEF, La Galerie – Centre d’art
contemporain, Noisy le Sec, Paris
2007 PORTUGAL AGORA – À PROPOS DES LIEUX D’ORIGINE, Musée d’Art
Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxembourg
COLECÇÃO ANTÓNIO CACHOLA: ALGUMAS PAISAGENS, Museu de Arte
Contemporânea de Elvas, Elvas, EE
TIEMPO AL TIEMPO / TAKING TIME, Museo de Arte Contemporánea de Vigo,
Vigo, ES
PASSENGERS, CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco, US
VI Bienal De Mercosul, Porto Alegre, PT
SOBREPOSIÇÕES, The National Museum of Contemporary Art – Museu do Chiado,
Lisbon
IX Prémio União Latina, Culturgest, Lisbon
EDIT! FOTOGRAFIA E FILME NA COLECÇÃO ELLIPSE, Centro de Artes
Visuais, Coimbra, PT
INTRO, Espace photographique Contretype, Brussels
I Trienal de Luanda, Luanda, AO
2006 XXVII BIENAL DE SÃO PAULO, São Paulo, BR
LABERINTO DE MUSEOS, Instituto Cervantes, Beijing
OPEN HOUSE, Ellipse Foundation, Centro Cultural de Cascais, Cascais, PT
EMPIRISMOS, Museu da Imagem e do Som, São Paulo, BR; Espaço Cultural
Contemporâneo, Brasília
25 FRAMES POR SEGUNDO: VÍDEOS DA COLECÇÃO FUNDAÇÃO PLMJ,
Cinema São Jorge, Lisbon
RETRATOS E FIGURAS NA COLECÇÃO DO MUSEU DO CHIADO, The National
Museum of Contemporary Art – Museu do Chiado, Lisbon
CONSTELAÇÕES AFECTIVAS II – PARTES I E II, Galeria Graça Brandão,
Lisbon
OPTIONS & FUTURES #2, Galeria Arte Contempo, Lisbon
2005 MAR ATLÂNTICO – PORTUGUESE VIDEO ART, FVNM Screening Room 1307,
Chicago, US
PORTUGUESE SCREEN VIDEOART, loop.05, Barcelona; Museu do Chiado –
Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea, Lisbon
TOXIC, O DISCURSO DO EXCESSO, Fundição de Oeiras, Oeiras, PT
EMPIRISMOS / LISBOAPHOTO, Palácio da Ajuda, Lisbon
DEL ZERO AL 2005 – PERSPECTIVAS DEL ARTE EN PORTUGAL, Fundación
Marcelino Botín, Santander, ES
2004 DRAFTING DECEIT (SPECIAL SCREENING), Apexart, New York, US
PRÉMIO EDP NOVOS ARTISTAS, Centro Cultural de Belém, Lisbon
RENCONTRE INTERNATIONALE DE LIEUX DE CULTURE INDÉPENDANTS,
Bizart, Shanghai, CN
VIDEO ZONE 2, The Centre for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv, IL
RE-PRODUTORES DE SENTIDO, SESC Rio, Rio de Janeiro, BR
QUARTEL – ARTE, TRABALHO E REVOLUÇÃO, PêSSEGOpráSEMANA, Porto,
PT
CIDADE ILUMINADA, Galeria ZDB, Lisbon
2003 HOW HUMAN: LIFE IN THE POST-GENOME ERA, International Center of
Photography, New York, US
VENEER / FOLHEADO, Catalyst Arts, Belfast, IE
OS MEUS CROMOS DA ARTE CONTEMPORÂNEA, Bienal de Foz Côa,
Moncorvo, PT
2002 DEPARAMNÉSIA (PARTE 3), Tercenas do Marquês / Galeria ZDB, Lisbon
DEPARAMNÉSIA (PARTE 2), Tercenas do Marquês / Galeria ZDB, Lisbon
DEPARAMNÉSIA (PARTE 1), Tercenas do Marquês / Galeria ZDB, Lisbon
2001 INMEMORY, Galeria ZDB, Lisbon
PUBLICATION
João Maria Gusmão + Pedro Paiva
TEORIA EXTRATERRESTRE
Mousse Publishing
256 pages
English (with Italian and French booklets)
Hardcover, 19 x 29.7 cm
ISBN 978-8867491339
Price: € 35 / Press price: € 25
With texts by Mattia Denisse, Luigi Fassi, Chris Fitzpatrick, Xavier Franceschi, Massimiliano
Gioni, João Maria Gusmão, Katia Mazzucco, Philippe-Alain Michaud, Olivier Michelon, Alice
Motard, Pedro Paiva, Gonçalo Pena, João Ribas, Alberto Salvadori, Antonio Scoccimarro,
and Marcus Steinweg.
For almost 15 years now, the two Portuguese artists João Maria Gusmão + Pedro Paiva
have been constructing an imaginative journey through films, photographs, installations, and
sculptures that encapsulate philosophical, existential, and conceptual issues.
Produced in conclusion to a series of exhibitions – which began in 2011 with ALIEN
THEORY at Frac Île-de-France/ Le Plateau in Paris, by way of Museo Marino Marini in
Florence in 2011, too, and ended with PAPAGAIO, 2014–15 (premiering at HangarBicocca in
Milan, then moving on to the Camden Arts Centre in London, and to KW Institute for
Contemporary Art) – TEORIA EXTRATERRESTRE is the most complete monograph to date
on João Maria Gusmão + Pedro Paiva, condensing nearly four years of work and thought
that have been compiled into a film cosmogony by the artists themselves. This book has
been published also on the occasion of a seminar organized by Fondazione Donnaregina per
le Arti Contemporanee/Museo Madre, Naples.
PRESS RELEASE Michael Müller
WHO’S SPEAKING?
Solo exhibition
29.11.15–24.1.16
Venue: 1+2
Press preview: Friday, 27.11.15, 9.30 h
Opening: Saturday, 28.11.15, 17–22 h
Artist’s tour through the exhibition: Thursday, 3.12.15, 18 h (admission included in exhibition
ticket, registration at [email protected])
INSIDE – INSIGHT, talk between Michael Müller and Ellen Blumenstein: Thursday, 21.1.16, 19 h
Screening of ICH–OPER in the exhibition: every Thursday, 19 h
In continually changing formations cutting across all artistic genres, Michael Müller examines
processes of composition and translation in visual art. Proceeding from the drawing medium
and its specific strategies for visual invention at the boundary between line and form, idea
and depiction, Müller transfers this tension from surface into space – and puts it to work as
an installation. WHO’S SPEAKING? brings together works from recent years with
specifically-developed new productions, which use various ways for investigating the
question of artistic authorship.
From Müller’s perspective, “who is speaking?” also means “what is being said?” and “why?”
But also “who is listening?” The exhibited works return time and again to the issue of how an
artist becomes visible in his work. Each single piece stands at a pressure point between the
application or transformation of historical and contemporary artistic codes, and the artist’s
personal obsessions.
For WHO’S SPEAKING? Müller has conceived new versions of two figures – Hermes and
Hermaphroditos – who weave a web of references and connections between the individual
works, and accompany the viewer throughout the exhibition. As the voice in a new sound
installation, the protagonist of a video, or as a figurative sculpture that reverses the
relationship between work and viewer, these two figures from Greek mythology appear in
both expected and unexpected places, and link the content of the exhibition’s two floors
formally.
Michael Müller (* 1970 in Ingelheim) lives and works in Berlin. His work has been shown at
Des Moines Art Center, US (2014); Kunsthalle zu Kiel, DE (2010); National Gallery of New
Delhi, IN (2009); CGAC in Santiago de Compostela, ES (2008); and Kunstverein Hannover,
DE (2003). From 2013 to 2016 the gallery Thomas Schulte shows an exhibition cycle,
consisting of eighteen shows by Michael Müller. WHO’S SPEAKING? is his first institutional
solo exhibition.
The exhibition is funded by Michael Heins (Herzogenrath), Geraldine Michalke, Ángel and
Clara Nieto, Stephan Oehmen, Peppermint Holding GmbH, Schering Stiftung, Romina Polley.
The catalog is funded by NATIONAL-BANK AG.
The cultural programs of KW Institute for Contemporary Art are made possible with the
support of the Governing Mayor of Berlin – Senate Chancellery – Cultural Affairs.
Opening hours
Wed–Mon 12–19 h, Thu 12–21 h, Tue closed
Admission
6 €, reduced 4 € (includes admission to all exhibitions at KW)
Thursday evening ticket: 4 € (18–21 h, includes introduction at 18 h)
WERKLISTE / LIST OF WORKS
ICH BIN EINE ZEICHNUNG (PORTRAIT
DES KÜNSTLERS ALS HERMES), 2015
I Am a Drawing – Portrait of the Artist as
Hermes
Bleistift auf Papier / Pencil on paper
53 x 41 cm
Courtesy Michael Müller und / and
Aanant & Zoo
SELBSTBILDNIS, 2015
Self Portrait
2-teilige Arbeit / 2-part work:
SCHAM (Teil 1)
Shame (part 1)
Bleistift auf Papier / Pencil on paper
89 x 84 cm
Courtesy Michael Müller
SETZUNG (Teil 2)
Positing (part 2)
Marmor Bianco Carrara, Farbe /
Bianco Carrara marble, paint
190 x 160 cm
Courtesy Michael Müller
ORAL (MANGOMILCH UND SÜSSER
RAUCH), 2013
Oral (Mangomilk and Sweet Smoke)
Farbiges Plexiglas, Zigarettenstummel,
Klebeband, Pappbecher, Glas / Colored
plexiglass, cigarette ends, tape, paper cup,
glass
40 x 15 x 15 cm
Courtesy Michael Müller und / and
Aanant & Zoo
MACH DICH SELBST (DO IT YOURSELF),
2015
Do It Yourself (Mach dich selbst)
Video, 30:30 Min., Loop / Video, 30:30 min.,
loop
Courtesy Michael Müller und / and
Aanant & Zoo
FÜR ALL JENE, DIE DER FORM UND NICHT
DEM INHALT VERTRAUEN, 2015
For all Those, Who Trust in Form and Not in
Content
Gold, Graupappe / Gold, grey cardboard
50,5 x 50,5 cm
Courtesy Michael Müller
ANGST, 2009
Fear
Bleistift auf Papier / Pencil on paper
42 x 59,5 cm
Courtesy Privatsammlung / Private Collection
HERMES, 2015
Fotografie auf Alu-Dibond / Photography on
alu-dibond
ca. 240 x 170 cm
Courtesy Michael Müller
HERMAPHRODITOS, 2015
Textildruck, Leuchtkasten / Textile printing,
light box
240 x 180 x 10 cm
Courtesy Michael Müller
HERMES & HERMAPHRODITOS, 2015
Video und Ton, 5 Min., Loop / Video and
sound, 5 min., loop
240 x 180 x 10 cm
Courtesy Michael Müller
BEYOND THE WHITE CUBE (ZEIGEN),
2015
Jenseits des White Cube (To Show)
Kunst- und Schaumstoff, Puzzleteile, Lampe,
historische Figur und 3D-gedruckter Arm /
Plastic and foam, puzzle pieces, lamp,
historical figure and 3D printed arm
Größe variabel / Dimensions variable
Courtesy Michael Müller
WER SPRICHT? (DIE STIMMEN), 2015
Who Speaks? (The Voices)
Audiostück / Audio piece
Musik / Music: Therese Strasser und / and
Julius Middendorf
Stimme / Voice: Kate Strong
Sopran / Soprano: Bibiana Morr
Countertenor: Adam Schilling
10 Sockel mit Lautsprechern / 10 pedestals
with loudspeakers
Größe variabel / Dimensions variable
Courtesy Michael Müller
Musik / Music: Thom Willems
Stimme / Voice: Kate Strong
Radio: 63 x 22,5 x 31 cm, Servierwagen aus
Edelstahl / Trolley, stainless steel:
86 x 56 x 95 cm
Courtesy Michael Müller und / and Galerie
Thomas Schulte
REINMACHEN (TO ERASE MYSELF IN ONE
HOUR), 2010
Cleaning (mich in einer Stunde auslöschen
Bleistift, Acryl, Silikonfarbe auf Leinwand /
Pencil, acrylic, silicone paint on canvas
BEING ABSTRACT UNDER HYPNOSIS,
189 x 239 cm
2007
Courtesy Michael Müller und / and Aanant
Der Versuch, unter Hypnose abstrakt zu sein
& Zoo
5-teilige Arbeit / 5-part work
Video und Ton (105 Min., Loop), Bleistift auf
XI. GESANG (AT THE BACKSIDE OF A
Papier / Video and sound (105 min., loop),
GAS STATION IN THE PLAIN OF LETHE),
pencil on paper
2010/11
Je / Each 40 x 50 cm
XI. Chant (auf der Rückseite einer Tankstelle
Courtesy Michael Müller und / and
in der Tiefebene von Lethe)
Aanant & Zoo
Keramik, Farbe, verschiedene Leuchtmittel,
Steuerteil / Ceramic, color, different
K4 SCHRIFTBLÄTTER, 1995–2005
illuminants, control unit
K4 Worksheets
Größe variabel / Dimensions variable
Bleistift, Filzstift, Füller, Tinte und
Courtesy Michael Müller und / and Galerie
Faserschreiber auf kariertem Papier / Pencil,
Thomas Schulte
felt-tip pen, pen, ink and fiber pen on squared
paper
SCHWEIGEN, 2013
Größe variabel / Dimensions variable
To Be Silent
Courtesy Michael Müller und / and Galerie
5-teilige Arbeit / 5-part work
Thomas Schulte
Courtesy Privatsammlung /
Private Collection:
PORTRAIT EINES FLUSSES, 1998–2003
Portrait of a River
X
Bleistift auf Papier / Pencil on paper
Bleistift auf Papier / Pencil on paper
148 x 882 cm
36,2 x 28,1 cm
Courtesy Michael Müller und / and
Aanant & Zoo
HARPOCRATES, PHILOSOPHUS,
SILENTII DEUS
NIEDERLEGEN (AUS „HEFTE ZUM
Bleistift auf Papier / Pencil on paper
PERSÖNLICHEN GEBRAUCH“), 2011
49 x 37 cm
To Lay Down (From “Notebooks for Personal
Use”)
UNBEKANNTE SKLAVIN
Bleistift und Acryl auf Aluminium / Pencil and
Unknown Slave
acrylic on aluminum
Bleistift, Radiergummi auf Papier /
Je / Each 235 x 150 cm
Pencil, eraser on paper
Courtesy Privatsammlung / Private Collection
49 x 37 cm
WELTEMPFÄNGER: ICH-OPER, 2010/2011
Shortwave Receiver: Me-Opera
GEORGE MALLORY (18. JUNI 1886 – 77 x 150 x 90 cm
8. JUNI 1925)
Courtesy Michael Müller und / and Galerie
George Mallory (June 18th 1886 –
Thomas Schulte
June 8th 1925)
Bleistift auf Papier / Pencil on paper
GLEICHNIS, 2015
39 x 28 cm
Parable
Stahl, Styropor, Lack, Polyester / Steel,
OTA BENGA (CA. 1881/84 – 20.
styrofoam, lacquer, polyester
MÄRZ 1916)
540 x 120 x 100 cm
Ota Benga (ca. 1881/84 – March 20th Courtesy Michael Müller
1916)
Bleistift auf Graupappe / Pencil on grey
cardboard
36,1 x 28 cm
TAGESWERK, 2015
A Day’s Work
Keramik / Ceramic
56 x 240 x 120 cm
Courtesy Michael Müller und / and Galerie
Thomas Schulte
ZWEITE NERVÖSE NACHT, 1991–2008
Second Nervous Night
20-teiliger Arbeitszyklus, verschiedene
Materialien auf unterschiedlichem Papier,
glasierter Ton, 13 eingeschweißte Decken,
Quarzsand, Stahl und Ton / 20-part work,
mixed media on different paper, glazed clay,
13 blankets in white plastic film, arenaceous
quartz, steal and sound
Maße variabel / Dimensions variable
Courtesy Sammlung Bergmeier / Bergmeier
Collection
FÜNF MONDE, 2015
Five Moons
5 Diaprojektoren und Haushaltsleiter / 5 slide
projectors and household ladder
102 x 45 x 75 cm
Courtesy Michael Müller und / and Galerie
Thomas Schulte
SCHAM DES KASTRATEN, 2015
Shame of the Castrato
C-Prints
Je / Each 61 x 42 cm
Courtesy Michael Müller
DISPOSITIONEN, 2015
Acryl, Spanngurte und Matratzen / Acrylic,
tension belts and mattresses
WALL TEXT The artworks brought together in this exhibition address the creation and translation
processes of visual arts from various perspectives. In changing constellations Michael Müller
visualizes the difficulty to meet the expectations and demands regarding the role of the artist
today. Implicated into the art-historical narrative, his professional field and public discussion
on the one hand, he is put into the center of attention on the other. This structure thus
encourages narcissistic self-referentiality while overcharging the individual and its options.
Starting from the medium of drawing and its specific strategies for pictorial invention, Müller
contrasts line with form, idea and its representation – and transfers these principles from the
image plane to the space. Two figures from Greek mythology, the Gods’ messenger Hermes
and Hermaphroditos, the bi-gendered son he had with Aphrodite, act as leitmotifs for the
exhibition and at the same time appear as characters in several of the new works.
Michael Müller (born 1970 in Ingelheim, DE) lives in Berlin. His work has been exhibited at
Des Moines Art Center, US (2014); the Kunsthalle zu Kiel, DE (2010); the National Gallery in
New Delhi, IN (2009); at CGAC in Santiago de Compostela, ES (2008); and at Kunstverein
Hannover, DE (2003). In 2010 he co-founded the privately run exhibition space Kunstsaele in
Berlin-Schöneberg. He has been a guest professor at the Universität der Künste in Berlin
since October, 2015. BIOGRAPHY
Michael Müller (born 1970 in Ingelheim am Rhein, DE) lives and works in Berlin.
He teaches at Berlin University of the Arts.
Education
Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, DE, sculpture and art with Magdalena Jetelova
Solo exhibitions
2013–15
18-part exhibition cycle, Galerie Thomas Schulte, Berlin
2011 FALLING OF A CLIFF, with Channa Horwitz, François Ghebaly Gallery, Los
Angeles, US
DAS SCHEITERN DER OBERFLÄCHE, Galerie Thomas Schulte, Berlin
MUSIKSTÜCKE UND FARBEN, Jhaveri Contemporary, Mumbai, IN
2010 WAS WIRD ER DAMIT TUN?, Aanant & Zoo, Berlin
2008 BEFINDLICHKEITEN GEGEN DIE NULLACHSE UND ANDERER
ATMOSPHÄRISCHER DRUCK, Galerie Ursula Walbröl, Düsseldorf, DE
WORKS / WERKE, Chung King Project, Los Angeles, US
CAOUTCHOUC, Mummery & Schnelle, London
2007 WHAT I FOUND BETWEEN ALL THESE WHITE PAGES, COMA, Berlin
2006 U.A. VERSCHWINDEN, COMA, Berlin
2005 1 M² INS SCHWARZ HINEIN, Galerie Ursula Walbröl, Düsseldorf, DE
2004 K4, Galerie Ursula Walbröl, Düsseldorf, DE
2000 STADTPLÄNE UND LANDKARTEN, Arndt & Partner, Berlin
Group exhibitions (selection)
2015 10 X 10, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Berlin
WAITING ROOM, Galerie Ursula Walbröl, Düsseldorf, DE
FIRE AND FORGET. ON VIOLENCE, KW Institute for Contemporary Art,
Berlin
1/1, Brandenburgischer Kunstverein Potsdam, Potsdam, DE
BASAL, Aanant & Zoo, Berlin
2014 ONE PLACE NEXT TO ANOTHER, Winzavod Center for Contemporary Art,
Moscow
FROM SPEAKER TO RECEIVER, Anna K. Meredith Gallery, Des Moines Art
Center, Des Moines, US
L’ART ET LA SANTÉ / KUNST UND GESUNDHEIT, Sanofi, Berlin
THE MISSING – OR: ONE THING NEXT TO ANOTHER, Kunstsaele, Berlin
2013 L’ART ET LA SANTÉ / KUNST UND GESUNDHEIT, Sanofi France, Paris
MIKROTEXTUREN II. HENRI MICHAUX, MICHAEL MÜLLER, Galerie Ursula
Walbröl, Düsseldorf, DE
MATERIAL CONCEPTUALISM. THE COMFORT OF THINGS, Aanant & Zoo,
Berlin
PAINTING FOREVER! KEILRAHMEN, KW Institute for Contemporary Art,
Berlin
SSIIEE TWO, SSIIEE, Berlin
AMSTERDAMER SCHÜTZENGILDE, Kunstsaele, Berlin
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2003
2002
THOUGHT, Galerie Thomas Schulte, Berlin
NUR HIER. SAMMLUNG ZEITGENÖSSISCHER KUNST DER
BUNDESREPUBLIK DEUTSCHLAND, ANKÄUFE VON 2007 BIS 2011,
Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn, DE
NOCH NIE GESEHEN! NEUE SCHENKUNGEN UND ANKÄUFE FÜR DIE
GRAFISCHE SAMMLUNG, Kunstmuseum Bonn, DE
HOW TO MAKE – IDEEN, NOTATIONEN, MATERIALISIERUNG, Kunsthaus
Dresden, DE
FROM THE AGE OF THE POETS, Aanant & Zoo, Berlin
KAS AWARDEE ELSE HEILIGER PREIS 2012, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung,
Berlin
360° – Landart Biennale 2012, Ulaanbaatar
A TEXT IS A THING, Vistamare, Pescara, IT
WORAUS BEMERKENSWERTER WEISE NICHTS HERVORGEHT, Galerie
Ursula Walbröl, Düsseldorf, DE
ABSTRAKTION, Kunstsaele, Berlin
SQUARING THE CIRCLE, IAC Berlin Gallery & Glogau AIR, Berlin
KIRGISTAN 2010, Bishkek Art Center, Bishkek
360° – Landart Biennale 2010, Ulaanbaatar
ZEICHNUNGEN, Kunstsaele, Berlin
EVERYDAY IDEOLOGIES 2, Kunstmuseum Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen,
Magdeburg, DE
DOPPLEREFFEKT. BILDER IN KUNST UND WISSENSCHAFT, Kunsthalle
zu Kiel, Kiel, DE
GROUP SHOW, Francois Ghebaly, Los Angeles, US
SELECTION – EINBLICKE IN DIE SAMMLUNG BIEDERMANN, Museum
Biedermann, Donaueschingen, DE
LO REAL MARAVILLOSO / MARVELOUS REALITY, Lalit Kala Academi, New
Delhi
ZEIGEN, Temporäre Kunsthalle, Berlin
ACCESS ALL AREAS, Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin
THE PAIN GAME, Nosbaum & Reding Art Contemporain, Luxembourg
THE HUMAN STAIN, CGAC – Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea,
Santiago de Compostela, ES
ZERO, Aanant & Zoo, Berlin
JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE TIME, Green on Red Gallery, Dublin
HORROR VACUI, Layr Wuestenhagen Contemporary, Vienna
AGULHAS NEGRAS PROJECT, INSTITUTION?, Saõ Paulo, BR
IN UNSREN HERZEN BRENNT EINE SEHNSUCHT, Susanne Vielmetter,
Berlin
ZAHLEN, BITTE! – MATHEMATIK IN DER KUNST, Syker Vorwerk – Zentrum
für zeitgenössische Kunst, Syke, DE
MISSVERSTÄNDNISSE – STOLPERSTEINE IN DER KOMMUNIKATION,
Museum für Kommunikation, Berlin
MÄNNERFANTASIEN II, COMA, Berlin
MÄNNERFANTASIEN, Chung King Project, Los Angeles, US
A PRODUCT OF FREE WILL, n.b.k. Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Berlin;
Kunstverein Göttingen, DE
MUSIC AND ART, COMA, Berlin
WORKING MODEL, Galerie Ursula Walbröl, Düsseldorf, DE
DIE SEHNSUCHT DES KARTOGRAFEN, Kunstverein Hannover, DE
GROUP SHOW, Arndt & Partner, Berlin KW EDITION
Michael Müller
SIGNATUR, 2015
Silk screen print on slate
2-parts, each 40 x 28 cm
Limited edition of 23
1.200 €
The edition SIGNATUR by Michael Müller follows up on central aspects from his exhibition
WHOʼS SPEAKING? at KW and discusses the longing of critics and viewers for a
recognizable artistic style. The two screen prints on slate plates oppose two variants of
traditional recognition factors by displaying the lettering SIGNATUR PIECE on the first plate,
and the artist's signature on the second. Availabe from December 2015.

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