A central work of this exhibition is the “Death of Marat” restaged as a life-sized sculpture in the round. In an impressive manner, the British artist Gavin Turk combines the well-known picture by Jacques-Louis David from 1793 with his own self-portrait. Whereas David was concerned with presenting Marat as a martyr and exalting revolutionary virtues and ideals, with his self-portrait Turk connects the current significance of art with the failure of the ideals of the Enlightenment and of freedom.
Proof of Life raises the question as to whether and why such images anchored in our memory are still relevant today. The exhibition shows how striking pictorial models are updated in a surprising manner and transformed into new visual inventions. The artistic results are simultaneously fascinating and shocking; the aesthetic experiences they make possible are complex and revelatory. They become documents and symbols of our present era and thus vital signs of contemporary culture.
“The exhibition derives its strength from the impact of the pictures, which in no way excludes deeper insights but instead fosters them. The works don’t immobilize us in wordless veneration but cause astonishment, questioning and doubt which we relate directly to the present. Fundamental questions raised by this exhibition are how art possesses this capability and why certain age-old motifs don’t become petrified manifestations in a museum but instead remain extremely lively.” Peter Friese, Director of the Weserburg
Several works on display further investigate these issues in a sometimes nightmarish manner. Jake and Dinos Chapman use the Biblical account of the building of the Tower of Babel as a parable for the disintegration of all shared cultural values. In the form of a model with countless, frighteningly violent figures, they present the Biblical construction project as a massacre. For his part, Damien Hirst contributes a monumental church window to the exhibition. But instead of lead-framed, colored glass, he made use of thousands of brightly shining, fluorescent butterfly wings. How is pain transformed into beauty, evanescence into permanence? How is matter ushered into the realm of spirit, how does the lowly butterfly become a symbol of the soul? John Isaacs presents a 1:1 adaptation and reformulation of the famous Pietà by Michelangelo made of Carrara marble. But the world-famous motif, the Madonna with the dead body of Jesus on her lap, is covered by a thin silk cloth and withdrawn from our view.
“The artists featured in this exhibition continue the exploration of art- and cultural-historical contexts in an intelligent, previously unseen manner. They neither imitate nor romanticize models. They bring new life to familiar perspectives regardless of whether these come from figural or abstract art.” Peter Friese, Director of the Weserburg
Hilary Berseth, Louise Bourgeois, Berlinde de Bruyckere, Patrick van Caeckenbergh, Jake & Dinos Chapman, George Condo, Anton Corbijn, Thierry de Cordier, Danny Devos, Tracey Emin, Tom Friedman, Line Gulsett, Damien Hirst, Roni Horn, Thomas Houseago, John Isaacs, Sergej Jensen, Nadav Kander, Anne-Mie van Kerckhoven, Anselm Kiefer, Esther Kläs, Wolfe von Lenkiewicz, Alastair Mackie, Christian Marclay, Kate MccGwire, Richard Prince, Leopold Rabus, Daniel Richter, Terry Rodgers, Sterling Ruby, Richard Serra, Andres Serrano, Stephen Shanabrook, Mircea Suciu, Gavin Turk, Jonathan Wateridge.
Die Weserburg lädt Schulen ein, die Ausstellung Proof of Life kostenlos zu besuchen. Das Angebot wird durch die Waldemar-Koch-Stiftung ermöglicht. Eine Anmeldung ist erforderlich. Für Schulklassen aller Altersstufen wurden spezielle Führungen konzipiert – auf Anfrage mit Themenschwerpunkten (mit und ohne Praxisanteil):
Die Führungen können kostenpflichtig gebucht werden (Gruppenpreis Schüler): 40 Euro. Dauer: 60 Minuten. 60 Euro. Dauer: 90 Minuten mit Praxisanteil oder als dialogische Führung.
Anmeldung und Buchung:
0421 59 8390 oder sekretariat(at)weserburg.de
Führungen buchen
Gruppen können Überblicksführungen und Ausstellungsbesuche zu speziellen Themen buchen.
Gruppenpreis: 80 Euro zzgl. Eintritt. Dauer: 60 Minuten. Die Teilnehmerzahl ist auf 25 Personen beschränkt. Für Gruppen bis zu 10 Personen fällt lediglich eine Führungsgebühr von 50 Euro zzgl. Eintritt an.
Anmeldung und Buchung:
sekretariat(at)weserburg.de
Freier Eintritt für Schulen
Das Angebot wird durch die Waldemar-Koch-Stiftung ermöglicht. Eine Anmeldung ist erforderlich. Weitere Infos >>
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Thursday 11:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
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Reduced: 5 Euro
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