CONTEMPORARY ART AT THE TURN OF THE MILLENNIUM: A SELECTION OF WORKS FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION

A collection of contemporary art exploring contemporary horizons of painting, photography, and the intersections between the two. From the poetic Abstract Expressionist inheritance of Jimmie Durham and Bjarne Melgaard to the cool architectural eye of Candida Höfer, the collection bears witness to a carefully curated spectrum of international postmodern imagery. The conceptual camerawork of Thomas Demand sits potently alongside photography translated to painting in the work of Koen van den Broek; the philosophical poise of acclaimed Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco offsets Kyle Thurman’s joyful alchemy of flower pigments. Highlighting the collection’s technological edge, Michael Riedel’s serigraphy investigates the inner workings of a Powerpoint slideshow, capturing the essence of the moment between clicks, while Darren Almond tracks time and space through a photographic performance piece. Similarly process-oriented is the tight sequential minimalism of Nathan Hylden, following strict cinematographic codes. The vibrant worlds of modern image production and reproduction are appraised in vivid variety, unified by a keen sense of pictorial power.

The image of a found object balancing precariously upon a given surface is typical of Gabriel Orozco’s photography. Throughout his oeuvre, the artist has sought to create relationships between otherwise unrelated and seemingly arbitrary concepts. Orozco’s sculptures and photographs disrupt conventional notions of reality, attempting to reveal hidden balance and geometry in the everyday. Melon (1993) is typical of this visual language. The image seeks out the room’s interstitial space and creates a humorous play on the traditional art object by placing a melon ‘centre stage’ in an area that is often overlooked by the room’s inhabitants.