Overview
'On one hand, I work on an image in an almost classical vein: composition, figuration, use of light. On the other hand, I do not refrain from resorting to all kinds of idioms, such as the surrealist principle of association or the abstract experiments which foreground texture and surface.'
One of the most celebrated painters of his generation, Adrian Ghenie fuses the profoundly personal with the political and art historical, as he bridges abstract and figurative elements in his dynamic body of work. Investigating the possibilities of his chosen medium is always central to his practice and, by merging the grand themes of historical painting with contemporary forms, Ghenie's works are not solely about their specific subject matter, but the act of painting itself. Drawing upon diverse sources, the artist reconfigures personal memories, art historical references, film stills and visual media culled from the internet in the imagery of his work.
Ghenie's process has previously involved creating collage compositions: cutting out and creating composite images which are then transferred to canvas in paint using a palette knife to create tactile surfaces. In his latest work, the artist enacts a similar process of accumulation using an innovative drawing technique. He erases and reapplies charcoal to paper to build multifaceted images, which are then reimagined on canvas using a thin brush. His deconstructed pictorial language often contains references to his artistic predecessors, including Otto Dix, Willem de Kooning and Vincent van Gogh.
One of the most celebrated painters of his generation, Adrian Ghenie fuses the profoundly personal with the political and art historical, as he bridges abstract and figurative elements in his dynamic body of work. Investigating the possibilities of his chosen medium is always central to his practice and, by merging the grand themes of historical painting with contemporary forms, Ghenie's works are not solely about their specific subject matter, but the act of painting itself. Drawing upon diverse sources, the artist reconfigures personal memories, art historical references, film stills and visual media culled from the internet in the imagery of his work.
Ghenie's process has previously involved creating collage compositions: cutting out and creating composite images which are then transferred to canvas in paint using a palette knife to create tactile surfaces. In his latest work, the artist enacts a similar process of accumulation using an innovative drawing technique. He erases and reapplies charcoal to paper to build multifaceted images, which are then reimagined on canvas using a thin brush. His deconstructed pictorial language often contains references to his artistic predecessors, including Otto Dix, Willem de Kooning and Vincent van Gogh.
Born in 1977 in Baia Mare, Romania, Ghenie lives and works in Berlin. He was selected to represent Romania at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015 and, more recently, had solo exhibitions at Galerie Judin, Berlin (2021); Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp (2020); the State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg (2019); and Palazzo Cini, Venice (2019). In 2022, two site-specific paintings by the artist were permanently installed in the historic setting of Chiesa della Madonna della Mazza, Palermo in an independent project curated by Alessandra Borghese. Alongside his paintings, the artist has created several installations conceived as a 'room within a room': The Dada Room (2010), now in the permanent collection of S.M.A.K., Ghent, and The Darwin Room (2013-14), in the collection of the Centre Pompidou. Previous solo exhibitions have taken place at Villa Medici, Rome (2017); CAC Málaga, Spain (2014); Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver (2012); Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Ghent (2010); and the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest (2009).
Ghenie has also participated in group exhibitions at Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp (2016, 2019, 2020); the Centre Pompidou, Paris (2016); Fondation Vincent van Gogh, Arles (2016); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2012); Palazzo Grassi (2011); and Tate Liverpool (2008), among others. His work is held in important public collections including those of the Centre Pompidou, Paris; Tate, London; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and Long Museum, Shanghai.
Videos
An independent project curated by Alessandra Borghese
