NEW SEASON, NEW DIRECTOR, NEW PROGRAM
Witte de With
Center for Contemporary Art
Witte de Withstraat 50
3012 BR Rotterdam
The Netherlands
T 31 (0)10 4110144
E info [at] wdw.nl
Open Tues Sun, 11 am 6 pm
Witte de With opens its new season under the direction of Nicolaus Schafhausen with the first solo exhibition in the Netherlands of Mathias Poledna and the group exhibition Don Quijote.
MATHIAS POLEDNA
30 Apr 11 Jun 2006
Polednas exhibition will present two of his recent film installations Western Recording (2003) and Version (2004) in dialogue with works in other media, giving viewers a concentrated and unique insight into his practice, which is informed by historical research, by archives and collections. Polednas work explores the crossovers between popular culture and art, and in recent years, his projects have taken the form of highly reduced filmic reconstructions.
Born in Vienna (1965), Poledna now lives and works in Los Angeles. Recent exhibitions include the Whitney Biennial, New York (2006).
This exhibition at Witte de With is curated by Renske Janssen, and will be accompanied by a film program organised by Poledna: Films with music from Central Africa China Haiti Jamaica North America, 18 May 2006, 7:30 pm.
The publication Western Recording has been produced for this occasion by WdW Publishers and MUMOK, Vienna, featuring a foreword by Nicolaus Schafhausen, an introduction by Matthias Michalka, and essays by Alexander Alberro, Nora M. Alter, and Tom Holert (in Dutch, English and German). ISBN 90-73362-67-9.
DON QUIJOTE
30 Apr 6 Aug 2006
Four hundred years after it was written, Miguel de Cervantes masterpiece Don Quijote de la Mancha continues to exert a strong influence on our imagination, whether we have read the book or not. Its wandering knight and his faithful servant Sancho Panza are ingrained in our collective cultural memory, and their idealistic quest has been used as a metaphor for many journeys since, both physical and imaginary.
Like the story that inspired it, this exhibition contains a vast array of intense human relationships, passionate anecdotes, personal struggles, tragicomic failures, and devastating self-destruction. It takes a new look at Cervantes tale, retelling it in a contemporary voice and reminding us that idealism will eventually be grounded by the pragmatic world in which we live.
A prelude to future group shows, Don Quijote refers on a deeper level to Witte de Withs current phase of self-assessment and the re-examination of the institutions role. For, if we see Don Quijotes idealistic battles as an analogy for the struggles faced by contemporary art institutions, we may spot a new set of windmills on todays cultural horizon.
Don Quijote presents works from surreal musical performances to humble wooden sculptures, from contemporary figurative painting to the mapping of vanished routes through Rotterdam, from mini manufactured bio-systems to life-size puppets. Michael Beutler constructs a topography in the gallery space that acts as a stage set for the exhibition, emphasising its theatricality and bringing together the many works in a weird and wonderful landscape.
Participating artists:
Michael Beutler, Johanna Billing, Manon de Boer, Gerard Byrne, Ryan Gander, Tue Greenfort, William Hunt, Sven Johne, Jesper Just, Annette Kelm, David Lieske, Damian Moppett, Chris Moukarbel, Ivan Navarro, Christopher Orr, Pablo Pijnappel, Mark Raidpere, Hannah Rickards, Markus Schinwald, Anj Smith, Kostis Velonis, Richard T. Walker.
Don Quijote is curated by Nicolaus Schafhausen and Sophie von Olfers, and is accompanied by a series of film screenings, 11 May, 25 May, 1 June (all 7:30 pm) and an event for students: Can small battles change the world?, 31 May (8 pm).
Further information
For more information on these or forthcoming exhibitions at Witte de With, please consult the website www.wdw.nl or contact info@wdw.nl 31 (0)104110144
