Isa Genzken

by Diederichsen, Diedrich; Farquharson, Alex; Breitwieser, Sabine; Genzken, Isa

• ISBN13: 9780714844251
• ISBN10: 071484425X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-09-01
• Publisher: Phaidon Press

Summary

The First English-Language Monograph on one of Germany's MostProminent Artists; Chosen to represent Germany in the 2007 VeniceBiennale. Isa Genzken's work encompasses sculpture, collage, film and photography. As one of Germany's leading sculptors to have emerged since the 1980s, herwork stands out for its collaborative appeal - combining references toarchitecture, modernism and art history with the personal.ISA GENZKEN, byAlex Farquhardson, Diedrich Diederichsen and Sabine Breitwieser, is thefirst English-language monograph on this distinctive artist. Genzken is inspired by the accumulation of material culture, particularlyarchitectural - concrete blocks, glass, mirrored sheets and steel.Thecombination of materials in her work is remarkable, drawing together animalheads, fluorescent plastic, spray-painted pinecones, children's umbrellas,kitchen utensils and airplane windows, to name a few.Her work can be bothaesthetically brutal - assemblages of unrelated found objects and artist'smaterials that make up her "Empire/Vampire" series (2003-5) - andstrikingly beautiful, as with her magnificent "New Buildings for Belin"(2003 - small impeccably crafted glass and silicone skyscrapers.One ofher best known and loved works, Rose (1997), is a romantic public sculptureof a single long-stemmed rose made from enameled stainless steel thattowers 26 feet in the air. Genzken has been exhibiting since the 1970s, and her work has appearedthroughout Germany as well as in the 46th (1993), 50th (2003), and theforthcoming 2007 Venice Biennales.She has recently stepped into the USart scene when she was included at the prestigious Carnegie Internationalin Pittsburgh in 2005. Genzken is a figure of increasing relevance to an emerging generation ofartists, as reflected in the interview with Wolfgang Tillmans in theArtist's Writings section.She is a notoriously reclusive figure, whichmakes her interview with Diedrich Diedrichsen of exceptional value.ISAGENZKEN is a fantastic comprehensive and insightful monograph that isperfect for collectors of contemporary art as well as anyone with aninterest in sculpture and the international art scene.

Author Biography

Alex Farquharson is an independent curator and critic based in London. He co-curated the British Art Show 6 (Newcastle, Manchester, Nottingham and Bristol, 2005-6) and is a Tutor on the Curating Contemporary Art MA course at the Royal College of Art in London. His writings have been published widely in catalogues and art journals, including Frieze, Artforum and Art Monthly.

Diedrich Diederichsen is the critic most closely associated with Isa Genzken, and the world expert on her work. Noted for his writings on pop music, theatre, cinema and political issues as well as art, Diederichsen’s texts have appeared in Artforum and Artscribe, among other journals.

Sabine Breitwieser is a noted curator as well as the founding Director of the Generali Foundation, based in Vienna, for which she has established a renowned collection of contemporary art and curated numerous exhibitions, including a 1996 retrospective devoted to the work of Isa Genzken.