(Video production: Carolin Röckelein)

 

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
April 27–August 10, 2019
Berlin

If there is a common theme in Düsseldorf-based sculptor and conceptual artist Reinhard Mucha’s work, it is his patient and visually striking exploration of our collective amnesia. Employing a subtle sense of humor, he creates sculptures and installations that seem to retain both time and history, and that the viewer will not forget quickly.

The use of footstools, pedestals, fluorescent lamps and showcases pervades Mucha’s entire oeuvre. They are concrete references to the basic architectural forms of the (museum) exhibition space, while at the same time undermining the institutional authority of the very space whose architecture becomes an integral part of the work. With Mucha, an exhibition is always self-exhibiting; lighting often illuminates only itself. Here it is not just the institution (museum) showing art, it is art showing the institution.

 

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Mucha is often placed in close aesthetic proximity to Joseph Beuys, not least on account of his explicit, often antagonistic references in the naming of his works or his use of felt and found objects from German post-war everyday life. But this parallel is misleading. Mucha’s work has nothing in common with Beuys’s artfully shabby works, nor does it seek to conjure anything. On the contrary. Sensitive and sophisticated, it more closely resembles Minimalism and Conceptual Art and artists such as Blinky Palermo, Donald Judd, Frank Stella and Bruce Nauman. Hardly any other sculptor has so consistently used the zero-point of sculpture after Minimalism as a conceptual stepping stone. Mucha’s sculptures are much more than sculptures; they are melancholic apparatuses that archive history. They are sad machines confronting the largely doomed task of saving the more recent present from oblivion. They are batteries that have absorbed real-life and artistic energies to capacity and now only release them in small amounts. They are discreetly controlled stagings of showing and concealing, of history and anonymity. And last but not least, they are works that enter the world with a unique presence and an unusual resistance.

 

Installation Views
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Details
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha
UnnötigDas Ende vom Lied
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, April 27–August 10, 2019

Details
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1 of 7
Exhibited Works
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha
[’78] Bernd & Hilla in Leipzig, [2019] 1978
Diptych

Reinhard Mucha
[’78] Bernd & Hilla in Leipzig, [2019] 1978
Diptych
Metal shoulder clamps, etching on front of float glass, alkyd enamel on wood, 2 light boxes, 2 black and white large-format transparencies, electrical equipment
Each 82.0 x 99.6 x 12.8 cm / 32 1/4 x 39 1/8 x 5 inches
Overall dimensions 82.0 x 208.4 x 12.8 cm / 32 1/4 x 82 x 5 inches
© muchaArchive

Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha
Material for Dr. Schwarz, [2019] 1981
More views

Reinhard Mucha
Material for Dr. Schwarz, [2019] 1981
8 metal shoulder clamps, 4 float glass panes, 4 copies of letters, solid wood, float glass (display case), hardboard and oil paint print on bituminized feltbase (flooring, found material) on blockboard (pedestal), solid wood, plywood, floor gliders (2 footstools), 24 packets of Brandt – Der Markenzwieback
183.0 x 77.0 x 49.9 cm
72 x 30 1/4 x 19 5/8 inches
© muchaArchive

More views
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha
May ’62, [2007] 1981
More views

Reinhard Mucha
May '62, [2007] 1981
Solid wood, float glass (display case), 2 enamelled electric hot plates with covers, 2 electrical cords with female plug and male plug, 2 kettles (one in toy size), wooden board (found object), leatherboard and oil paint print on bituminized feltbase (flooring, found material) on blockboard (pedestal), aluminum profiles, alkyd enamel painted on reverse of float glass, leatherboard and oil paint print on bituminized feltbase (flooring, found material), alkyd enamel on reverse of float glass stripes, blockboard, frame object synthetic resin paint on plywood, float glass, matboard, DB-route map from May ‘62 (artist's frame)
231.0 x 116.0 x 86.0 cm
91 x 45 3/4 x 33 7/8 inches
© muchaArchive

More views
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha
Volltreffer, Für Lawrence Weiner, [2019] 1985
Direct Hit, For Lawrence Weiner
More views

Reinhard Mucha
Volltreffer, Für Lawrence Weiner, [2019] 1985
Direct Hit, For Lawrence Weiner
Solid wood (frame), etched on front of tinted float glass, wooden mat, 2 gelatin silver prints, fact sheet:
A full can of 75ml of black Erdal shoe cream pressed directly onto the white hotel room carpet. February 5, 1985, Toronto, Park Plaza Hotel, 14th floor
Executed by the artist on the occasion of The European Iceberg, Art Gallery of Ontario (not in catalogue)
131.0 x 71.5 x 5.8 cm
51 5/8 x 28 1/8 x 2 1/4 inches
© muchaArchive

More views
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha
Der Aufstieg“, [2019] 2007
The Rise
Two parts
More views

Reinhard Mucha
Der Aufstieg“, [2019] 2007
The Rise
Two parts
Part 1
Solid wood, float glass (display case), hardboard and oil paint print on bituminized feltbase (flooring, found material) on blockboard (pedestal), wood, floor gliders (2 footstools), stacked copies of the magazine „Der Aufstieg“ No. 1, January 1949 – No.4, April 1983
182.6 x 52.0 x 77.0 cm
72 x 20 1/2 x 30 1/4 inches
Part 2
2 LCD monitors, video animated reproductions of the cover of the magazine „Der Aufstieg“, packing tape, tripod pole, foam material, corrugated board, chipboard (pedestal), footstool (found object), wood, floor gliders (2 footstools), electrical cords, 2 media player, 2 SD cards, cable reel
131.6 x 43.0 x 42.0 cm + electrical equipment
51 7/8 x 17 x 16 1/2 inches + electrical equipment
© muchaArchive

More views
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha
Mucha Unnötig Das Ende vom Lied, [2019] 2015
More views

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha Unnötig Das Ende vom Lied, [2019] 2015
Unique print + 1 AP
Unique piezo pigment print in artist’s frame (enlarged exhibition poster)
Solid wood (frame), float glass, blockboard (mat), Piezo pigment print on deckle edged paper (Somerset Velvet Enhanced 255 g/qm)
45.43 x 34.17 x 2.28 inches
115,4 x 86,8 x 5,8 cm
© muchaArchive

More views
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha
Auto Reverse II / >>Kreuzstück<<, [2009] 2009 / 1991
Sculptural room installation
Two parts
More views

Reinhard Mucha
Auto Reverse II / >>Kreuzstück<<, [2009] 2009 / 1991
Sculptural room installation
Two parts
Auto Reverse II
2 scooters, projection stand on wheels, 16mm projector with infinite loop box, 16mm black and white film, media player, SD card, audio cassette deck with auto reverse operation, 2 cassettes, amplifier, 2 loudspeakers, 2 square pieces of carpet underlay, adhesive tape, 2 extension cable reels, electrical cord, Euro/UK adapter, angle plug, zip ties, extension cords with male plug and female plug, step stool, acrylic resin paint on wood, float glass, light box, black and white large-format transparency, electrical cord, angle plug, zip tie, extension cord with male plug and female plug
>>Kreuzstück<<
Diptych
Left tondo
4 metal shoulder clamps, 2 float glass discs, book page offset print recto and verso (found object), felt
ø 34.5 cm x 4.6 cm
ø 13 5/8 x 1 7/8 inches
Right tondo
4 metal shoulder clamps, float glass disc, aluminum disc
ø 36.5 cm x 4.6 cm
ø 14 3/8 x 1 7/8 inches
Dimensions variable
© muchaArchive

More views
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha
Bestreikte Dienststelle, [2019] 1992
Strikebound Agency

Reinhard Mucha
Bestreikte Dienststelle, [2019] 1992
Strikebound Agency
2 fluorescent lamps, metal shoulder clamps, alkyd enamel painted on reverse of float glass, solid wood frame, float glass, hardboard, packing tape, poster (found object, 1992), colored cardboard with tape tracks (found object), various paper sheets, step stool, electrical equipment
188.5 x 157.0 x 35.0 cm
74 1/8 x 61 7/8 x 13 7/8 inches
© muchaArchive

Details
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
[’78] Bernd & Hilla in Leipzig, [2019] 1978
Diptych
Metal shoulder clamps, etching on front of float glass, alkyd enamel on wood, 2 light boxes, 2 black and white large-format transparencies, electrical equipment
Each 82.0 x 99.6 x 12.8 cm / 32 1/4 x 39 1/8 x 5 inches
Overall dimensions 82.0 x 208.4 x 12.8 cm / 32 1/4 x 82 x 5 inches
© muchaArchive

Reinhard Mucha
[’78] Bernd & Hilla in Leipzig, [2019] 1978
Diptych
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Material for Dr. Schwarz, [2019] 1981
8 metal shoulder clamps, 4 float glass panes, 4 copies of letters, solid wood, float glass (display case), hardboard and oil paint print on bituminized feltbase (flooring, found material) on blockboard (pedestal), solid wood, plywood, floor gliders (2 footstools), 24 packets of Brandt – Der Markenzwieback
183.0 x 77.0 x 49.9 cm
72 x 30 1/4 x 19 5/8 inches
© muchaArchive

Reinhard Mucha
Material for Dr. Schwarz, [2019] 1981
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Material for Dr. Schwarz, [2019] 1981 (details)

Reinhard Mucha
Material for Dr. Schwarz, [2019] 1981 (details)
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Material for Dr. Schwarz, [2019] 1981 (detail)

Reinhard Mucha
Material for Dr. Schwarz, [2019] 1981
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Material for Dr. Schwarz, [2019] 1981 (detail)

Reinhard Mucha
Material for Dr. Schwarz, [2019] 1981
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
May '62, [2007] 1981
Solid wood, float glass (display case), 2 enamelled electric hot plates with covers, 2 electrical cords with female plug and male plug, 2 kettles (one in toy size), wooden board (found object), leatherboard and oil paint print on bituminized feltbase (flooring, found material) on blockboard (pedestal), aluminum profiles, alkyd enamel painted on reverse of float glass, leatherboard and oil paint print on bituminized feltbase (flooring, found material), alkyd enamel on reverse of float glass stripes, blockboard, frame object synthetic resin paint on plywood, float glass, matboard, DB-route map from May ‘62 (artist's frame)
231.0 x 116.0 x 86.0 cm
91 x 45 3/4 x 33 7/8 inches
© muchaArchive

Reinhard Mucha
May ’62, [2007] 1981
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
May '62, [2007] 1981 (partial view and detail)

Reinhard Mucha
May '62, [2007] 1981 (partial view and detail)
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
May '62, [2007] 1981 (partial view and detail)

Reinhard Mucha
May '62, [2007] 1981 (partial view and detail)
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Volltreffer, Für Lawrence Weiner, [2019] 1985
Direct Hit, For Lawrence Weiner
Solid wood (frame), etched on front of tinted float glass, wooden mat, 2 gelatin silver prints, fact sheet:
A full can of 75ml of black Erdal shoe cream pressed directly onto the white hotel room carpet. February 5, 1985, Toronto, Park Plaza Hotel, 14th floor
Executed by the artist on the occasion of The European Iceberg, Art Gallery of Ontario (not in catalogue)
131.0 x 71.5 x 5.8 cm
51 5/8 x 28 1/8 x 2 1/4 inches
© muchaArchive

Reinhard Mucha
Volltreffer, Für Lawrence Weiner, [2019] 1985
Direct Hit, For Lawrence Weiner
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Volltreffer, Für Lawrence Weiner, [2019] 1985 (detail)
Direct Hit, For Lawrence Weiner

Reinhard Mucha
Volltreffer, Für Lawrence Weiner, [2019] 1985 (detail)
Direct Hit, For Lawrence Weiner
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Volltreffer, Für Lawrence Weiner, [2019] 1985 (detail)
Direct Hit, For Lawrence Weiner

Reinhard Mucha
Volltreffer, Für Lawrence Weiner, [2019] 1985 (detail)
Direct Hit, For Lawrence Weiner
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Der Aufstieg“, [2019] 2007
The Rise
Two parts
Part 1
Solid wood, float glass (display case), hardboard and oil paint print on bituminized feltbase (flooring, found material) on blockboard (pedestal), wood, floor gliders (2 footstools), stacked copies of the magazine „Der Aufstieg“ No. 1, January 1949 – No.4, April 1983
182.6 x 52.0 x 77.0 cm
72 x 20 1/2 x 30 1/4 inches
Part 2
2 LCD monitors, video animated reproductions of the cover of the magazine „Der Aufstieg“, packing tape, tripod pole, foam material, corrugated board, chipboard (pedestal), footstool (found object), wood, floor gliders (2 footstools), electrical cords, 2 media player, 2 SD cards, cable reel
131.6 x 43.0 x 42.0 cm + electrical equipment
51 7/8 x 17 x 16 1/2 inches + electrical equipment
© muchaArchive

Reinhard Mucha
Der Aufstieg“, [2019] 2007
The Rise
Two parts
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Der Aufstieg“, [2019] 2007 (details)
The Rise
Two parts

Reinhard Mucha
Der Aufstieg“, [2019] 2007 (details)
The Rise
Two parts
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Der Aufstieg“, [2019] 2007 (detail)
The Rise
Two parts

Reinhard Mucha
Der Aufstieg“, [2019] 2007 (detail)
The Rise
Two parts
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha Unnötig Das Ende vom Lied, [2019] 2015
Unique print + 1 AP
Unique piezo pigment print in artist’s frame (enlarged exhibition poster)
Solid wood (frame), float glass, blockboard (mat), Piezo pigment print on deckle edged paper (Somerset Velvet Enhanced 255 g/qm)
45.43 x 34.17 x 2.28 inches
115,4 x 86,8 x 5,8 cm
© muchaArchive

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha Unnötig Das Ende vom Lied, [2019] 2015
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha Unnötig Das Ende vom Lied, [2019] 2015 (detail)

Reinhard Mucha
Mucha Unnötig Das Ende vom Lied, [2019] 2015
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Auto Reverse II / >>Kreuzstück<<, [2009] 2009 / 1991
Sculptural room installation
Two parts
Auto Reverse II
2 scooters, projection stand on wheels, 16mm projector with infinite loop box, 16mm black and white film, media player, SD card, audio cassette deck with auto reverse operation, 2 cassettes, amplifier, 2 loudspeakers, 2 square pieces of carpet underlay, adhesive tape, 2 extension cable reels, electrical cord, Euro/UK adapter, angle plug, zip ties, extension cords with male plug and female plug, step stool, acrylic resin paint on wood, float glass, light box, black and white large-format transparency, electrical cord, angle plug, zip tie, extension cord with male plug and female plug
>>Kreuzstück<<
Diptych
Left tondo
4 metal shoulder clamps, 2 float glass discs, book page offset print recto and verso (found object), felt
ø 34.5 cm x 4.6 cm
ø 13 5/8 x 1 7/8 inches
Right tondo
4 metal shoulder clamps, float glass disc, aluminum disc
ø 36.5 cm x 4.6 cm
ø 14 3/8 x 1 7/8 inches
Dimensions variable
© muchaArchive

Reinhard Mucha
Auto Reverse II / >>Kreuzstück<<, [2009] 2009 / 1991
Sculptural room installation
Two parts
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Auto Reverse II / >>Kreuzstück<<, [2009] 2009 / 1991 (detail)
Sculptural room installation
Two parts

Reinhard Mucha
Auto Reverse II / >>Kreuzstück<<, [2009] 2009 / 1991 (detail)
Sculptural room installation
Two parts
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Auto Reverse II / >>Kreuzstück<<, [2009] 2009 / 1991 (detail and partial view)
Sculptural room installation
Two parts

Reinhard Mucha
Auto Reverse II / >>Kreuzstück<<, [2009] 2009 / 1991 (detail and partial view)
Sculptural room installation
Two parts
Reinhard Mucha – Mucha Unnötig – Das Ende vom Lied – Berlin

Reinhard Mucha
Bestreikte Dienststelle, [2019] 1992
Strikebound Agency
2 fluorescent lamps, metal shoulder clamps, alkyd enamel painted on reverse of float glass, solid wood frame, float glass, hardboard, packing tape, poster (found object, 1992), colored cardboard with tape tracks (found object), various paper sheets, step stool, electrical equipment
188.5 x 157.0 x 35.0 cm
74 1/8 x 61 7/8 x 13 7/8 inches
© muchaArchive

Reinhard Mucha
Bestreikte Dienststelle, [2019] 1992
Strikebound Agency
Details
icon_fullscreen
1 of 8

 

Selected Press

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ArtReview, April 26, 2019