CURRENT EXHIBITION
Melting Pot. Selected ceramic and textile works by Joana Vasconcelos and Ai Weiwei
Joana Vasconcelos and Ai Weiwei
September 7 - November 5, 2022
Opening reception September 7, from 5pm. to 8pm.
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Press release
Show presentation
We are thrilled to present Melting Pot, an exhibition of selected works by Joana Vasconcelos including ceramic and textile pieces from her acclaimed Bordalos and Boxes series, alongside two ceramic works by Ai Weiwei.
Ai Weiwei photographed with Pillars (in progress) in 2006. Courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio
By revisiting the readymade and the parameters of New Realism and Pop Art, both artists ironically question contemporary society, its socio-cultural norms and collective identities. Their nonconformist visual language, often referring to the history of art and playing with the codes of luxury and design, or with the potential of elements drawn from the domestic universe, allows artisanship and industry, tradition and modernity, popular culture and erudition to coexist.
Joana Vasconcelos photographed by Arlindo Camacho. © Arlindo Camacho | Courtesy Atelier Joana Vasconcelos
The present exhibition is part of the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC) 2022 Congress. Marking the organisation’s 70th anniversary as well as its 50th congress jubilee, this year’s event takes the expression ‘Melting Pot’ as its theme, referring to a space within which very varied origin mix, where different ideas meet. Hosted by swissceramics, the Geneva-based Swiss association of professional ceramists, the congress runs from the 12th to 16th September 2022.
ARTISTS' NEWS OUTSIDE THE GALLERY
Aurélie Pétrel
Biennale de Lyon
Lyon, FR
Until December 31, 2022
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Annelies Štrba
Grenzenlos. Einblicke in eine unbekannte Privatsammlung
Kunsthaus Zofingen, Zofingen, CH
Until November 6, 2022
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Chosen Family. Less alone together
Fotomuseum, Winterthur, CH
Until October 10, 2022
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Pascal Berthoud
Destination
Piguet Galland & Cie, Yverdon-les-Bains, CH
Sébastien Mettraux
Ex Codice
Bridderhaus, Esch-sur-Alzette, LU
Until September 30, 2022
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JUST ENDED
James Nachtwey
June 29 - September 3, 2022
Opening reception June 29 from 5pm. to 8 pm.
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Show presentation in English
Show presentation in French
Article: Laura Gowen accueille le photographe James Nachtwey, Bilan, by Etienne Dumont, 01.07.2022 (FR)
Article: Les photographies de James Nachtwey exposées à Genève, Le Temps, by Fanny Scuderi, 08.07.2022 (FR)
From the movie War Photographer directed by Christian Frei in 2001 about the life and work of James Nachtwey © James Nachtwey
Since 1981, James Nachtwey has dedicated his career to documenting wars, conflicts and critical social issues across the globe, including most recently the invasion of Ukraine. This inaugural solo exhibition brings to the fore a selection of his historical photographs. These iconic images from the 1980s onward serve both as a collective memory and as a meditative journey into the human soul.
James Nachtwey, South Africa, Soweto, 1992, archival pigment print, 100% cotton fiber paper. Courtesy of James Nachtwey and Gowen © James Nachtwey
Deeply engaged with the profession of journalism and humanitarian causes, Nachtwey has gained critical acclaim for his contribution to art and is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards. He has received the Princess of Asturias Award and has been awarded the Robert Capa Gold Medal five times. His photographs are included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Pompidou Center and the Getty Museum. Nachtwey has had solo exhibitions worldwide, including the International Center of Photography in New York, Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, Palazzo Reale in Milan, El Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, Foam Fotografiemuseum in Amsterdam, Fotografiska in Stockholm, New York (currently on view) and Tallinn.
A portfolio of James Nachtwey’s photographs from Ukraine has been recently published by The New Yorker, May 9, 2022, pages 26 - 47.
In light of the evolving humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Mr. Nachtwey will donate 50% of his share of the proceeds from the exhibition to the Ukrainian Red Cross and to MSF.
James Nachtwey, Chechnya, Grozny, 1996, archival pigment print, 100% cotton fiber paper. Courtesy of James Nachtwey and Gowen © James Nachtwey
RECENT ART FAIR
Art Paris
Booth B4
Grand-Palais Éphémère, Champs-de-Mars, Paris
7 - 10 April, 2022
Opening: April 6: (by invitation only)
Thursday April 7: 12 - 8 pm
Friday April 8: 12 - 9 pm
Saturday April 9: 12 - 8 pm
Sunday April 10: 12 - 8 pm
For its third participation in Art Paris, Gowen is delighted to present a selection of paintings, photographs and sculptures by several artists including Joana Vasconcelos, Sébastien Mettraux, Claude Cortinovis, Tami Ichino, Ma Sibo and Annelies Štrba.
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RECENT EXHIBITION
Waiting for Jim
Alan Charlton, Claude Cortinovis, Davide La Rocca, Don McCullin, James Nachtwey, Aurélie Pétrel, Ma Sibo
April 28 - June 25, 2022
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Show presentation
Article: Art en Vieille Ville propose sa trentième édition, Bilan, by Etienne Dumont, 05.05.2022 (FR)
The group exhibition brings together seven artists of different generations and nationalities. Around twenty works, demonstrating the most varied techniques, interact with and confront one another in the spaces of the gallery.
Waiting for Jim explores the relationship between art and time, an explicit or implicit theme in the work of all the artists presented in the show. Photography is often present in their artistic practice, both as a medium in itself and as a technical tool that intervenes in a phase of creation and in the development of formal language.
This exhibition includes works on loan from private collections.
Yuval Avital
February 24 - April 23, 2022
Private views in the presence of the artist on February 24, 25 and 26, upon reservation (info@gowencontemporary.com)
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Press release in English
Song of the Chimeras by Yuval Avital will open at our gallery in Geneva at Grand-Rue 23. This is the artist's first solo presentation with Gowen.
The exhibition consists of works from Avital’s most significant series. Spanning sculpture, sound, painting, drawing, photography and video, it immerses the viewer in a multi-sensory experience. By exploiting these different mediums, Avital investigates new veins of expression with an atmospheric intensity. His singing tubes and singing masks challenge the viewer with their spatial presence, their sound effectuating mysterious revelations. Paintings and drawings which assume a freedom in their instinctive, expressive lines and forms explore surreal compositions in bold colours.
Born in Jerusalem in 1977, multimedia artist, composer and guitarist Yuval Avital has displayed his works in a variety of spaces from public venues to industrial archaeological sites, theatres and museums including Macro Museum, Rome; Ostrale Art Biennale, Dresden; La Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan; Museo Marino Marini, Florence; Manifesta 13 Biennial, Marseille; Loop Festival, Barcelona; La Fabbrica del Cioccolato, Blenio (Switzerland); Saint Antoine Church, Istanbul; GAM, Turin and Tel Aviv Museum. Avital lives and works in Milan.
Escape Line II - Drawings and Sculptures
Charles Avery, Pascal Berthoud, Yifat Bezalel, Claude Cortinovis, Robert Longo, Giuliano Macca, Hans Op de Beeck
November 12, 2021 - January 30, 2022 | Extended until February 12, 2022
Opening November 11, 4pm - 8pm
Press release in English
Press release in French
Article: Silence Graphique, Go Out!, n°96, by Ambre Oggier, 08.12.2021 (FR)
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Gowen gallery is delighted to continue its gallery program with a second exhibition in the new spaces at Grand-Rue 23. The collective show entitled Escape Line II - Drawings and Sculptures unites seven contemporary artists for whom drawing is at the centre of their artistic expression, although several pursue multidisciplinary practices. In addition to drawing, sculpture is, for some of them, a particularly coherent part of their visual language. The exhibition includes works from private collections.
In considering very different proposals originating from various research and thought, the show takes the creation of imaginary universes that often transport the spectator to parallel worlds as its meeting point.
RECENT EXHIBITION
STATEMENT - ESCAPE LINE
Yayoi Kusama, Sébastien Mettraux
August 26 - October 23, 2021 - Extended November 07, 2021
06.11.21 – 07.11.21, WEEK-END GENEVE.ART, 11-18h - FINISSAGE
Press release in English
Press release in French
Article: Laura Gowen ouvre une seconde galerie d'art contemporain à Genève dans la Vieille Ville, Bilan [en ligne], by Etienne Dumont, 30.08.2021
Article: Abstraction organique & onirique, Go Out! [en ligne], by Ambre Oggier, 04.09.2021
Article: Yayoi Kusama / Sébastien Mettraux at Gowen Contemporary, ARTEEZ [en ligne], by Alexia Green, September, 2021
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On the occasion of the opening of its new space in Geneva on Wednesday August 25, Gowen will present a special installation. On view across the rooms of the new gallery’s space at Grand-Rue 23, the exhibition will feature significant works by the celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama from private collections, alongside new works by Swiss artist Sébastien Mettraux.
Strange and astonishing plant, organic or mechanic forms reveal themselves as sources of inspiration, reflection, self-analysis and artistic progression.
"Unpredictability defines Mettraux’s new series In Silico. The artist moves away from a 15-year long figurative practice to explore new forms of expression. In observing the essence of nature, he captures a keener sense of truth."
Christel Seurat, Founder of Arteez Magazine.
Sébastien Mettraux, Untitled (in silico n°11), 2021, oil on canvas, 120 x 100 cm
Yayoi Kusama, Death of an Illusion (detail), 2001, mixed media (stuffed cotton fabric, wire), 750 x 200 x 130 cm
Current Exhibitions outside the gallery walls
Joana Vasconcelos
Until July, 2022
European Union premises in Geneva
Installation view: European Union premises in Geneva
Work: Joana Vasconcelos, Pantelmina #3, 2004, handmade woollen knitting, industrial knitted fabric, ratchet strap clamps, polyester, 175 x 600 x 70 cm
A selection of Joana Vasconcelos’ significant artworks from the past 20 years has been installed at the European Union premises in Geneva for a private exhibition hosted by the Permanent Mission of the European Union to the WTO and the Delegation of the European Union to the UN Office and other international organisations in Geneva.
The exhibition has been jointly organized with Gowen Contemporary.
Public events in relation with the show will be communicated later this year.
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Opening hours
Tuesday-Friday 10:00 - 18:30
Saturday 11:00 - 17:00
And by appointment
Heures d'ouverture:
Mardi-vendredi 10:00 - 18:30
Samedi 11:00 - 17:00
Et sur rendez-vous