Kara Hamilton, Christine Roland with Angie Keefer
Shoes by Steffie Christiaens
30 November 2013–1 February 2014
Opening: 29 November, 5–8pm
Kunstverein
Gerard Doustraat 132
1073 VX, Amsterdam
The Netherlands
T +31 (0) 20 3313203
office [at] kunstverein.nl
There is a pleat, or a certain type of gown, known as a Watteau Pleat or a Watteau Gown, though the painter Watteau doesn’t seem to have had much to do with its invention. He merely depicted the look repeatedly, famously, and once in petal-pink satin on the back of a woman ascending a step. The latter stars in a shop sign commissioned by a man who made his living selling art and baubles to aristocrats, though it’s unclear whether artist or client truly expected the painting to advertise anything other than itself. Indeed, the sign depicts aristocrats shopping for art and baubles, but a buyer acquired it from the shop almost immediately, Watteau died shortly thereafter, and now the work is considered his final masterpiece, rather than, say, a watershed in the history of sign-making.
–Angie Keefer
Kunstverein is a domestic franchise that reflects upon the manner in which cultural practices are traditionally administered, by creating a critical pool that explores public-private relationships through presentations, performances, lectures, screenings, and independent publishing. Kunstverein draws upon the input and support of its sister organizations in contributing in unexpected, yet vital capacities to the cultural scenes of Amsterdam, Milan (www.kunstverein.it) and New York (kunstverein.us).
Kunstverein Publishing
Ray Johnson & Bill Wilson; Garamond Press (Ruth Sacks), Dennis Cooper; Ginger&Piss (#1 Loud, #2 Gay); Adam Pendleton; Nedko Solakov; Raimundas Malašauskas; Heman Chong; Leone Contini; Omar the Beggar; GAAG; Ian Monk; Riet Wijnen; Marlow Moss; Lip. Forthcoming: Ginger&Piss #3 Private; Abstraction-Création (reprint and English translation)
Ongoing: Political Therapy* with Valentina Desideri.
Please sign up for your seasonal sessions at kunstverein.nl or send an email to office [at] kunstverein.nl.
*Political Therapy deals with problems of a political nature and creates the conditions to develop other languages to talk about and live through politics. There is no specific discipline or theory behind it. Its practice develops as it happens. Neither the therapist nor the patient is responsible for any kind of ‘solution’ to the problem. Instead, the problem is treated as an occasion for language to develop, for speculation to happen and for politics to be felt. It is a form of therapy for those who neither need, nor want, to be fixed. The role of therapist and patient are always exchangeable. The sessions are never recorded in any way and take approximately one hour.
Kara Hamilton, Christine Roland with Angie Keefer. Shoes by Steffie Christiaens is made possible with the support of Stadsdeel Zuid; Het Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst and Kunstverein’s (Gold) members.
For further information, please contact:
Maxine Kopsa or Riet Wijnen
office [at] kunstverein.nl
And visit www.kunstverein.nl.
