Some have described the exhibition as the actual American Pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale. And indeed, ‘Helter Skelter’ at the Fondazione Prada paints a multi-layered picture of America’s complex society. The works by Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince oscillate between pop-cultural appropriation, violence, lust and longing. Although this is the first joint exhibition by the two artists, their approaches complement one another in a striking way.
Under the title “Carved Light” two artistic approaches, that are linked both biographically and formally come together. Barbara Posch and Florian Donnerstag are from the region in Austria where the exhibition space KUBIQ is situated. They met later in Munich and have now developed a joint exhibition at a venue whose history has played a key role in shaping the concept. The former district court, whose spaces have been gradually transformed into a cultural and educational quarter since 2023, does not serve as a neutral “white cube.” The architecture, particularly the former prison cells, forms the backdrop for new works created specifically for this context.
The exhibition “Seeing the Unseen” at the ERES Foundation in Munich combines strategies of contemporary art with current quantum physics and seeks to highlight structural parallels between the disciplines. In fact, in both fields, the observer is not neutral but rather a constitutive part of the system. The art on display reflects, through its complexity, the multidimensional nature of quantum physics, thus becoming a space of resonance for a science that largely eludes intuitive imagination.
The Biennale Gherdëina 10 – (Future) Paradise Gardens in South Tyrol’s Val Gardena explores the complex relationship between nature, technology, and political responsibility in the context of the global climate crisis. Set against a backdrop of abstract rock formations and a tourist-oriented Alpine landscape, the exhibition does not present an idealized return to a long-gone natural state. In the Anthropocene, we must confront new questions that go beyond the mere domination of nature. While art cannot solve the growing ecological problems, it can highlight moments of melancholy and failure and perhaps hint at possible scenarios for coexistence in a state of permanent transformation.
In the temporary exhibition space of the Sammlung Goetz in downtown Munich, Cindy Sherman’s multifaceted body of work coalesces into a precise exploration of role models, clichés, and self-presentation. In a present-day world permeated by rapidly circulating images and constant self-presentation on social media, Sherman’s photographs seem more relevant than ever. The artist conceives of identity as something one can adopt, alter, and discard. In doing so, she always retains complete autonomy over her performative self-presentation and the images she creates of herself.
The PERSPEKTIVEN Art Prize has become firmly established in Munich’s cultural landscape. With a total prize fund of 10,000 euros, it ranks amongst the most prestigious awards supporting young artists in the city, recognising outstanding artistic development. This year’s nominees are Astasiia Batishcheva, Sara Mayoral Jimenez, Béla Juttner, Matthias Mross and Tatjana Vall.
Veronika Günther’s artistic practice is deeply rooted in drawing. In her solo exhibition at The Tiger Room gallery, she presents works that expand her drawing-based approach to include sculptural elements. It becomes clear that her practice, whilst appearing analogue, is unmistakably shaped by our increasingly digitalised world. Her drawings and sculptures act as an analogue mirror, reflecting, distorting and questioning the forces at work in the digital visual world.
With the fifth and final cycle of “Thinking Like a Mountain”, the GAMeC Museum in Bergamo brings its ambitious long-term project to a close. The Orobie Biennale weaves together art, ecology and community to form a multifaceted reflection on a contemporary art scene that flourishes beyond institutional boundaries and engages with local communities.
With “Shifts”, Iris Touliatou transforms the Kunstverein München into a space for institutional self-reflection. Her exhibition explores the infrastructures and interdependencies that enable and condition cultural production. With precision and subtlety, Touliatou demonstrates how art becomes a means of reflecting on work, the public sphere and one’s own entanglements. This solo exhibition is the artist’s most comprehensive to date in Germany.
Under the title “The Strange Life of Things”, the Pinault Collection is presenting Tatiana Trouvé’s largest solo exhibition to date at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice. The Franco-Italian artist presents a complex interweaving of objects, installations and drawings across three floors. The exhibition is a multi-layered system of subjective memories and projections that raises questions about space, time and the materiality of things.
