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"Sitting in China" - exhibition with photographs and "bastard chairs" of Michael Wolf, at KAP-Forum Cologne until 11.03.2006 [02-01-2006] In a fascinating manner, the exhibition combines photographs on the theme of "Sitting in China" with chairs and stools from daily life in the People's Republic of China which Wolf collected on his numerous journeys through this region. With unique aesthetics and ingenious pragmatism, the real contemporary objects (bastard chairs) challenge our concept of design. Their individuality, characterized by improvization and temporary use, is as far removed from designer furniture of our latitudes as from classical Chinese period furniture. As a placeholder for its user, every photograph, every object tells its own story.
Set against the background of artistic, large-format still life renderings and reportage photographs, and with great diversity, the exhibition unfolds the deep, cultural significance assigned to the subject of "sitting" in China. The exhibition focuses on approaches to life and philosophies that have been lost sight of in western "seated" societies for quite a long time.
The photographs prove Michael Wolf to be a shrewd observer and sensitively reflective authority on life in the People's Republic of China. In his subtle, artistic representation of the subject, he shows himself to be a crossover artist combining documentation and art, who always succeeds in placing what he has observed in a wider context. Taking the theme of "sitting" as an example, the exhibition arouses amazement, interest and understanding for the most highly populated cultural and economic region in the world that is currently going through a period of deep-rooted change. The documentation of photographs and exhibits has been published under the title "Sitting in China" (Göttingen, 2002), and is available under ISBN 3-88243-670-0 from bookstores or during the exhibition. The realization of the exhibition is supported by: GANTENBRINK, PLANUNG + VERTRIEB, Rheda Wiedenbrück - Hanover
Michael Wolf was born in Munich in 1954. He grew up in the USA and studied at Berkeley and in Essen. He has been living and working as a free-lance photographer and author in China for eleven years. In addition to a wide spectrum of publications for international journals, for example for the German magazine STERN, three books by him on China have been published to date: "China im Wandel" (published by Frederking und Thaler, 2001), "Sitting in China" (published by Steidlverlag, 2002) and in autumn 2003, the Taschenverlag published his book, "Chinese propaganda posters - from a Collection by Michael Wolf", his documentation of the shaping of public politics and opinion making with his extensive collection of Chinese propaganda posters. In 2005, Michael Wolf won the World Press Award 2004 in the category "Contemporary Issues Stories" for his series of photographs on toy manufacture in China. And last but not least, spring 2006 will see the publication by Steidlverlag of his work "Hong Kong", an artistic discourse on the densely growing architecture of the gate to China. To date, exhibitions and work by Michael Wolf have been shown at the Kestner Museum, Hanover, in der Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco, and in Gallery Colette, Paris to name but a few. In January 2006, his installation "the real toy story" will be on view at the Museum for Contemporary Photography in Chicago, followed by "Architecture of Density" in the Hasted Hunt Gallery, New York. Further information available at:
Here are some images of the opening:
Venue: Open: > Overview |
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