Exhibition program 2017

The Deutsche Bank KunstHalle is located in the center of Berlin and has established itself as a platform for international contemporary art. The institution defines itself as a place of discovery—an institution that is as alive and in flux as the German capital itself.

In 2017, the KunstHalle presents an exciting exhibition program: Bhupen Khakhar: You Can’t Please All introduces one of the most influential protagonists of modern art in India. After the first institutional solo exhibition in Germany by Kemang Wa Lehulere, Deutsche Bank’s new “Artist of the Year,” the retrospective Roberto Burle Marx: Brazilian Modernist will explore the richness of the artist’s oeuvre. The annual program ends with first major survey of another pioneer of modernism, Fahrelnissa Zeid.

Bhupen Khakhar: You Can’t Please All
In cooperation with Tate Modern
Through March 5, 2017

Renowned for his vibrant palette, unique style, and bold examination of class and sexuality, Bhupen Khakhar (1934–2003) played a central role in modern Indian art. After early experiments with Pop Art he moved on to develop a style of painting that combined both high and low, popular and painterly aesthetics. The first posthumous survey of Khakhar’s career, this exhibition brings together his work from across five decades.

Kemang Wa Lehulere: Bird Song
Deutsche Bank “Artist of the Year” 2017
March 24–June 18, 2017

Kemang Wa Lehulere is Deutsche Bank’s new “Artist of the Year.” He is one of the most important representatives of a new generation of South African artists who work in all different kinds media in order to develop new artistic perspectives and narrative modes, as well as new forms of political action. He realizes his performances, videos, installations, and chalk drawings, which are based on extensive research, as a solo artist whilst continuing with collaborative work. Wa Lehulere’s works often have a focus on South African history, re-imagining the archive of narratives relating to black artists, musicians and authors in an attempt to prevent their work from sinking into oblivion.

Roberto Burle Marx: Brazilian Modernist
In cooperation with The Jewish Museum, New York
July 7–October 3, 2017

From Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro to Biscayne Boulevard in Miami Beach, the prolific work of Roberto Burle Marx (1909–94) has made him one of the most prominent landscape architects of the twentieth century. Through more than 100 works, the exhibition will explore the breadth of the artist’s oeuvre—his landscape architecture, painting, sculpture, theatre design, textiles, and jewelry—as well as related works by contemporary artists.

Using abstraction as his guiding principle, Burle Marx revolutionized garden design. Throughout a more than 60-year career, he designed over 2,000 gardens worldwide. Many of his innovative projects will be represented by designs, maquettes, drawings, paintings, and photographs. Additionally a focus of the exhibition will be his links to and projects in Berlin.
 

Fahrelnissa Zeid
In cooperation with Tate Modern
October 20, 2017–March 25, 2018

The retrospective Fahrelnissa Zeid introduces one of Turkey’s most important pioneering modernists. Although Fahrelnissa Zeid (1901–91) exhibited internationally and influenced a younger generation of artists in Europe and the Middle East during her lifetime, this will be the first major retrospective dedicated to her work.

Fahrelnissa Zeid traces the artist’s career from the first works she made in Turkey, her later experiments with abstraction and, finally, her return to figuration. Her large-scale abstract works from the late 1940s–60s form the heart of the exhibition. The show focuses on the individuality of her abstract vocabulary and how Zeid’s practice both related to and diverged from international art movements.

Previously to the presentation at the KunstHalle, Fahrelnissa Zeid will be on view at the Tate Modern in spring 2017.

More information at deutsche-bank-kunsthalle.com and db-artmag.com—or stay tuned via Facebook.