No Such Thing As History: Four Collections and One Artist
29 March–8 August 2014
Espace Louis Vuitton München
Maximilianstraße 2a
80539 München
Germany
Hours: Monday–Friday noon–7pm,
Saturday 10am–6pm
Admission free
T +49 89 55 89 38 100
info_espace [at] de.vuitton.com
www.louisvuitton.de/Espace-Louis-Vuitton
Participating artists: Kai Althoff, Nairy Baghramian, Martin Boyce, Clegg & Guttmann, Mark Dion, Lukas Duwenhögger, Simon Dybbroe Møller, Claire Fontaine, Tue Greenfort, Jonathan Horowitz, Jutta Koether, Michael Kunze, Louise Lawler, Kris Martin, Michaela Meise, Jonathan Monk, Henrik Olesen, Richard Prince, Martha Rosler, Bojan Šarčević, Tino Sehgal, Josef Strau, John Waters and Annette Kelm
Curated by Jens Hoffmann
The Espace Louis Vuitton München is pleased to announce its opening with No Such Thing As History: Four Collections and One Artist, a group exhibition presenting eight new photographs by German artist Annette Kelm and 24 works from four private collections based in Munich: the ICC, Lorenz/Amandine Cornette de Saint Cyr, Mackert and Wiese collections. Following its sister venues in Paris, Tokyo, Venice and Singapore, the Espace in Munich is conceived as an independent art space with a mission to support emerging and established artists develop new work and also contribute to the discourse of contemporary art by presenting new curatorial encounters to the general public.
No Such Thing As History explores the concept of the collection as an archive of art. Like a library, which is an archive of literature, the collection is not only an accumulation of artworks, but also a locus for the creation of meaning and a site for witnessing the developments of art history in the framework of a larger historical canon.
‘In recent years artists have turned to examining (art) history’s authorship and its meaning for today’s world while exploring particularly the questions of what is truly knowable which cannot be experienced first-hand,’ says Jens Hoffmann. ‘They have looked at the fact that much of what we think we know in fact constitutes a record of (art) history that is often a fabrication created to fill a void of not-knowing. History in many ways is simply fiction.’
The exhibition’s narrative is defined by Annette Kelm’s new works, which continue her interest in representing history through an investigation of archives and cultural and social history museums. In those, the artist explores forms of protest developed by the actress, sociologist and activist Hannelore Mabry (1930–2013), who resided in Munich from 1966 until her death last year, and other members of the Neue Frauenbewegung (New Women’s Movement) in Germany. Intentionally deploying a direct and documentary-like style, the photographs depict Körperüberhänge (body cloaks), now based in the archive of Munich’s Institut für Zeitgeschichte (Institute for Contemporary History), which she and other activists wore during demonstrations. These robes and capes were made out of bed sheets and painted with large letters, proclaiming bold political slogans. For Kelm they function as tropes for Mabry’s political agenda and legacy, as well as the student rebellions of the 1960s, which proclaimed women’s rights on an unprecedented scale.
The exhibition provides further context for the Bavarian capital by presenting artworks from the four private art collections. Comprising sculpture, painting and photography, they represent some of the most influential contemporary artists and provide a unique access to many critical works, which investigate and question a traditional understanding of history.
The show is accompanied by a catalogue, with an introduction and texts on the artists by Jens Hoffmann and a conversation between Isabelle Graw and Annette Kelm.
Annette Kelm works exclusively in the medium of photography and her work references historically significant events and sites. She follows seemingly traditional genres such as portraiture, still life, architecture and landscape and uses medium- or large-format cameras. Her work has been shown in museums around the world, including The Museum of Modern Art, New York (2013), Presentation House Gallery, Vancouver (2012), Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn (2011), CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art, San Francisco (2011), Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2009) and Kunsthalle Zürich (2009). She participated in the 12th Istanbul Biennial in 2012 and in the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011. Annette Kelm was born in Stuttgart in 1975 and lives and works in Berlin.
For additional information, please contact:
Anja Kaehny, Director, Espace Louis Vuitton München
a.kaehny [at] de.vuitton.com / T +49 89 55 89 38 350
