Opening: January 17, 2015, 6-8 pm
We are pleased to present the exhibition Works on Paper with drawings by Darren Almond at Goethestraße 2/3.
Almond's square, abstract drawings on black paper are formed from single tiny dots, placed on a precise grid, appearing like images of far away solar systems and galaxies, maps or constellation charts. Almond has travelled extensively through Patagonia photographing the landscape by the light of a full moon and, during these travels, he was struck by the intense colour of the night sky due to the exceptionally clean atmosphere of the region. Stars appeared larger, brighter and full of a whole spectrum of colour. The drawings in this exhibition were made after this experience. Although the works follow on from an earlier series, they have become more colourful with the grid now acting as a filter within a larger spectral range.
Almond is interested in the combination of mathematical systems, technical precision and manual intervention. His dark paper is handmade, but the grid is screen-printed and the pre-printed signature, ‘ALMOND’, at the lower-left margin of each drawing transmits a serial character to the works. The titles of the drawings are based on the particular type of grid that was used and the dots, painted in red, orange, yellow, blue and white acrylic paint refer to the various colours of individual stars. From a distance, they suggest an infinite expanse, as though looking up into a night sky, but when viewed close up, the works exhibit more formal, abstract properties from the linear and accurate lines of their compositional grid.
While all the drawings are perfectly square, in one, Almond has decided to depart from any landscape reference and use the opened-up shape of a cubic globe – a map which, if folded in the correct way, creates a cubic model of the earth rather than the typical round globe. This drawing has, in turn, brought an increased change of scale to the whole series.
Almond’s continuous occupation with the limits of space and the transience of time are evident in these new drawings, which focus on the insignificance of the human being within the universe and our centuries-long fascination with the sublime infinity of space.
At the same time, Galerie Max Hetzler is opening the exhibition Landscapes with works by Darren Almond and Carl Blechen at Bleibtreustraße 45.
Darren Almond, born 1971 in Wigan, England, lives and works in London. Almond’s works have been presented in numerous solo exhibitions e.g. at Art Tower, Mito, Japan; Sala Alcalá 31, Madrid (2013); Château Gallery, Domaine Régional de Chaumont-sur-Loire (2012); Villa Merkel, Esslingen; FRAC Haute- Normandie, Rouen and FRAC Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand (2011); Parasol Unit, London (2008); SITE Santa Fe (2007); Museum Folkwang, Essen (2006); K21, Düsseldorf (2005); Fondazione Nicola Trussardi, Milan (2003); Tate Britain, London; Kunsthalle Zürich, Zurich; De Appel Foundation, Amsterdam (2001) and The Renaissance Society, Chicago (1999) among others.
He participated in group exhibitions at important institutions, such as Lenbachhaus, Munich (2014); Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk; The National Art Center, Tokyo (2013); Israel Museum, Jerusalem (2012); Hangar a Bananes, Nantes; Miami Art Museum (2011); MAC / VAL, Vitry-sûr-Seine (2010); Tate Britain, London; FRAC Lorraine, Metz (2009); Albertina, Vienna (2008); ICA, Philadelphia (2007); MCA, Chicago (2005); La Colección Jumex, Mexico City and Fondation Beyeler, Basel (2003). His works are part of well-known collections, such as Fondation Beyeler, Basel; Museum Folkwang, Essen; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; MoMA, New York; Tate Gallery, London and Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna.
Further and upcoming exhibitions:
Toby Ziegler
57, rue du Temple 75004 Paris
November 27, 2014 – January 24, 2015
Darren Almond / Carl Blechen
Bleibtreustraße 45, Berlin-Charlottenburg
January 17 – February 28, 2015
Opening: January 17, 6-8 pm
Günther Förg
57, rue du Temple 75004 Paris
January 31 – March 7, 2015
Opening: January 31, 5-9 pm
Press contact: presse@maxhetzler.com or (+49) 30 346 497 85-0