Anne Imhof (*1978) has emerged over the past decade as one of the most acclaimed artists of her generation. Today based between Berlin and New York, Imhof spent her formative years in Frankfurt am Main, where she taught herself to draw and make music while working as a bouncer at a local night club. Before eventually enrolling at the city’s academy of fine arts, Städelschule, she staged what she later designated the first entry to her catalogue raisonné: a one-night only performance in a red light district bar. She invited two boxers to take part and recruited a band. The boxers were told that the fight should last for as long as the music was playing, while the band were instructed to play for as long as the boxers were fighting. Imhof explained: “It was all pretty red—the table dance bar and the noses. Looking back on it I realized that it had been one way to create a picture.”
Photo: Markus Tretter
Anne Imhof
Wish You Were Gay
Kunsthaus Bregenz
Through September 22, 2024
Anne Imhof is one of the most important contemporary artists of our time. Her signature artistic expression is rooted in performance pieces, where casts of androgynous figures navigate the space with a captivating blend of impassive poise and elaborate choreography within an immersive audio-visual experience. This dynamic interplay, underscored by the inclusion of ubiquitous and iconic elements of fashion, photography, and an amalgamation of subculture and popular culture, creates an atmosphere reminiscent of post-apocalyptic isolation.
Within the austere confines of Kunsthaus Bregenz, Anne Imhof ushers in a compelling transformation. In this enigmatic creation, a paradox unfolds, taking the shape of both a barricade and a proscenium. For the KUB exhibition, Imhof will focus on painting and sculpture, which form the crux of her artistic practice, mirroring the fluid evolution of her performative works. The human figure now assumes an allegorical presence, offering a heightened sense of Imhof’s trademark exploration of the human condition.
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