2022
26.06-02.10.2022
Godhead - Idols in Times of Crisis
exhibition
Participating artists:
Alma Allen (US) – Evgeny Antufiev (RU) – Marieke Bolhuis (NL) – Gisela Colón (US) – Kim Dacres (US) – Hans Josephsohn (CH) – Susanne Ring (DE) – Lukas Schmenger (DE) – Henk Visch (NL) – Not Vital (CH)
Godhead - Idols in Times of Crisis (2022) video Dorothée Meddens
Now, in the wake of anti-racism demonstrations in the United States and Europe, with statues of historically charged figures daubed with paint and removed from city squares, renewed reflection on the concept of idol, in a broad sense, is called for.
GODHEAD – Idols in Times of Crisis investigated the power of contemporary figurative and abstract sculpture as idols by presenting a connected yet very diverse group of works which, to a greater or lesser extent, consciously or unconsciously, refer to the tradition of devotional sculpture, the statue, the monument, the totem, the amulet and the talisman, all in their own individual way.
GODHEAD – Idols in Times of Crisis did not aim to offer solutions for the problematic relationship that has arisen with historical idols, but tried instead to make the contemporary viewer aware of the power of the idol, which connects humanity through times and lets mythologies intertwine with the present, where belief in higher powers and forces is still abundant.
GODHEAD – Idols in Times of Crisis presented a select sample of contemporary idols, an alternative scenario for the empty pedestals that are emerging, a scenario that can offer new meaning, hope and support to the public space. Presenting these sculptures in the public space, or even better, in a woodland setting, where humans, nature and art come together, lent them greater strength. For the viewer, these works may have evoked associations with primal images, such as the Venus von Willendorf and the Lionman, even though each depicted ideas and ideals of the modern day in its own way.
All photography Gert Jan van Rooij
Alma Allen - Not yet Titled (2021)
bronze
68 x 70 x 340 cm
Alma Allen - Not yet Titled (2021)
orizaba marble
111 x 134.5 x 116.5 cm
courtesy the artist & Mendes Wood DM, Brussels
Evgeny Antufiev - Obelisk (2020)
engraved travertin
300 x 60 x 60 cm
courtesy the artist & z2o Sara Zanin, Roma
Marieke Bolhuis - Sisters II / Grosse Geister (2021)
iron, foam, polyurea DD lacker
3 elements
70 x 70 x 245 cm / 70 x 70 x 248 cm / 100 x 60 x 242 cm
courtesy the artist
Gisela Colón - Quantum Shift (Parabolic Monolith Sirius Titanium) (2021)
engineered aerospace carbon fiber
762 x 243 x 305 cm
courtesy the artist & Gavlak, Los Angeles, Palm Beach
Kim Dacres - Sojourner (2022)
recycled car and motorcycle tires, pressure treated wood, braided bicycle tubes, zip ties, bicycle parts, screws, spray enamel
137,16 x 45,72x 43,18 cm
courtesy the artist
Hans Josephsohn - Untitled (1990-91)
brass
120 x 70 x 48 cm
Hans Josephsohn - Untitled (Lola) (2002)
brass
151 x 84 x 62 cm
Hans Josephsohn - Untitled (2004)
brass
167 x 75 x 61 cm
courtesy Kesselhaus Josephsohn/Galerie Felix Lehner
Susanne Ring - Beginning and end(2022)
partly glazed ceramics, textile, wood
3 elements
50 x 34 x 34 cm / 47 x 32 x 28 cm / 70 x 47 x 47 cm
courtesy the artist & Galerie Fontana, Amsterdam
Lukas Schmenger - Portrait of the artist as a gong (2022)
cast aluminium, steel chains
171 x 171 x 41 cm
courtesy the artist
Henk Visch - Du Livre du Matin (2018)
bronze
220 x 140 120 cm
courtesy the artist & Tim van Laere Gallery, Antwerpen
Henk Visch - Piazza del Popolo (2006)
bronze
210 x 135 x 135 cm
courtesy the artist & Tim van Laere Gallery, Antwerpen
Not Vital - HEAD (2016)
glazed ceramic
142 x 88 x 115 cm
courtesy the artist & Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, Salzburg