The fun continue’s : GALLERY WEEKEND in Berlin ! We have a very special and also very personal tip for you :

For this installment of SPOTLIGHT, an occasional program for exceptional projects, SETAREH will be presenting a survey of three decades of work by Berlin-based artist Michael Sayles. This first mini-Intraspective exhibition, curated by longtime friend and collaborator Eric D.Clark, is a “window into the mind of ‘Afropean’ culture.”

“Sayles’ work delves into… NO! IS the repatriation of a cultural appropriation practiced throughout modern times by the likes of many popular visual artists from the 15th to 20th centuries; specifically art of African descent. Everything his work represents is a mirror to culture shamelessly stolen in the tenets or rather edicts of so-called ‘discovery’? The bringing of civilization to the already civilized… subjugate a people by removing their identity, culture and the spoils of said endeavors; one might think of the Benin Bronzes as an example; a proverbial drop in the bucket as it were… A Jamaican-born immigrant to Birmingham, England; through South London to New York; currently based in Berlin via Cologne! An artist perfectly in consort with a plural history shared by millions expressed by few; hence Michael Sayles.” – Eric D. Clark.

Michael Sayles (b.1968 Birmingham, GB – lives and works in Berlin) is a Berlin-based artist who studied within the emerging Young British Artists movement under the guidance of John Stezaker, graduating from London’s Central Saint Martin’s in 1990. There, he swiftly honed his natural grasp of collage and precise rendering techniques. Sayles is recognized for his meticulous, large-scale graphite drawings on paper, which merge ethnological iconography with contemporary fetish objects.

Eric D. Clark (b. 1966 in California, USA – lives and works in Berlin, right after Paris where EDC met famous sister in crime CCH and moved gayly ahead to Cologne) has been taking the DJ underworld by storm for the past 30 years with his distinctive soul, breakbeat and jungle sounds. Based in Berlin, Eric has spun in quintessential Berlin clubs including Panorama Bar, Renate and Tresor, among many others. His music has reached international recognition, playing in Europe, South America and the US. Notable collaborations include Giorgio Moroder, Amanda Lear, Peaches, Chaka Khan, and TLC.
 
24.04.2024 show complete article

Following a longer break, the next Friday Rewind event at Hamburg’s PLAY Studios is just around the corner. The pop-up exhibition will showcase works by Fergus Padel on 12 April 2024. Doors open at 7pm.

“Dear Friends of Friday Rewind, it is time for a very special reunion. We are delighted to welcome you to the next edition of our Friday Rewind event – this time, presenting the works of magnificent photographer Fergus Padel. ‘Her love lies in her portraits of people and nature and time.’ This love of people and things is the very force that creates order in her photographs and is thus a pivotal element of her work. Fergus’ images seem, at first glance, like they could be pictures out of a private photo album, yet the way in which they touch us is deeply profound – and they are, moreover, of such enormous intensity. We look forward to an inspiring evening with you!” Christoph, Olaf and Thore.

FERGUS PADEL PHOTO EXHIBITION
FRIDAY REWIND, 12 APRIL 2024 – 7pm
PLAY STUDIO 3 / BUILDING H, KALTENKIRCHENER STR. 1–5, 22769 HAMBURG
WWW.FRIDAYREWIND.COM
 
08.04.2024 show complete article

Astrid Verhoef explores the connection between humans and nature in the most solitary places on Earth. With ‘Human//Nature’, she has created an almost religious experience. She travels the world to find such secluded places, and her photographs are self-portraits printed in a limited edition.

In cooperation with Atelier K84 in Amsterdam, Koster Fine Art Gallery is hosting a solo exhibition by Dutch fine art photographer Astrid Verhoef from 5 April through 11 May 2024. For the first time, the gallery is presenting an extensive survey of her award-winning series ‘Human//Nature’ with surreal black and white photographs shot in locations in the Netherlands, Spain and the US. The exhibition will be on display at Atelier K84, an inspiring art space in the heart of Amsterdam.

“A true urbanite, Astrid Verhoef explores her personal connection to the natural world. The complicated relationship between humans and nature is a common thread throughout her work. When she places herself in desolate landscapes, an anonymous character arises that wants to connect with her surroundings. However, her roots in contemporary modern life often remain visible in the form of an artificial element. The serene images can be seen as emotional translations where the desire for synergy is challenged by an urge to control.

The long-term project ‘Human//Nature’ is a logical continuation of Verhoef’s well-known series ‘Inscapes’. With an increasingly minimalist visual language and more and more geometrical approach to composition, she aims to emphasize the contrast between the human presence and the natural. At the same time, she stages a scene, creating a moment that can only exist because of the combination of the two. Her theatrical photography is also an ode to imagination itself,” the gallery tells us about the exhibition.

Astrid Verhoef, born in Amsterdam in 1973, studied photography at the Utrecht School of the Arts. Since 1998, she has been working as a fine art photographer and artist, but also regularly as curator over the last decade. Her staged photography has garnered international acclaim as part of the collection of the Société Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris and has been frequently shown at exhibitions in Amsterdam, Berlin, Milan, New York, Paris, Rotterdam, Sydney, and Tokyo. Koster Fine Art Gallery has presented the artist’s work at FotoFestival Naarden as well as at leading art fairs including KunstRAI and PAN in Amsterdam.

Human//Nature
Exhibition at Atelier K84 from 5 April – 11 May 2024.
Keizersgracht 84h in Amsterdam
Opening hours: Fridays and Saturdays from 12pm – 6pm, and by appointment

 
18.03.2024 show complete article