Die Kräfte hinter den Formen

The forces in the Anthropocene – the imaginative power that lies in visualising natural processes has become topical again, particularly in recent times. The wide-ranging debate as to whether we live primarily in a man-made environment sharpens our awareness of nature and of the forces behind its manifestations, and equally of the effects of our actions on the environment. The exhibition and book „Die Kräfte hinter den Formen“ – a title that goes back to the artist and geologist Per Kirkeby – are devoted to the engagement with matter and processes of form in contemporary art. They bring together works that reflect processes of formation and formative forces in nature, translate them into artistic form and explore their relationship to human beings. What these artistic positions have in common is the interweaving of the urge to research and the will to form. In found objects and new conglomerates the artists work out a geology of our present. They use the history of the earth as a space for thought and imagination in order to open up our understanding of time and our relationship to a constantly changing environment, and they address the consequences of our dealings with nature, with matter and thus, ultimately, with ourselves. Not without a humorous component, they play in doing so with a longing for wholeness, with the urge to want to understand the world, with awe in the face of creation and with belief in our own creative power.

Artists:
Jonathan Bragdon, Nina Canell, Julian Charrière, Olafur Eliasson, Ilana Halperin, Roger Hiorns, Per Kirkeby, Katie Paterson, Giuseppe Penone, Jens Risch & Guests, Hans Schabus, George Steinmann

Exhibitions:
Galerie im Taxispalais Innsbruck, 12/12/2015 – 28/2/2016
Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Museen Haus Lange & Haus Esters, 20/3 – 7/8/2016
Kunstmuseum Thun, 26/8 – 20/11/2016