Thomas Ruff is back in Paris after 15 years and more…

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Justine Durrett, Director of the David Zwirner gallery in Paris

I have always admired Thomas Ruff’s portraits in Düsseldorf and it is wonderful to see him back in Paris, where he had not exhibited since 2006. The new show at David Zwirner is devoted to “Chinese paintings”, and the “grammar of photography”. Using well known images of Mao Zedong’s propaganda campaigns, which became famous in the West thanks to artists such as Andy Warhol or Erro, he deconstructs them pixel by pixel.  Some of  these pictures are exhibited simultaneously in Düsseldorf, at K20-Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Wesfalen. Later in March, more of his works will be shown at the National Taiwan Museum.

Chinese painting 11,
 2019,
 © Thomas Ruff/VG Bild Kunst, Bonn/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
 Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner

Thomas Ruff studied photography with Bernd and Hilla Becher in Düsseldorf in the late 80’s and has since always proceeded by series. Portraits, nudes, landscapes or architecture shots. These Chinese paintings were initiated in 2 000 when he fell upon a book of Mao’s propaganda and subsequently read the magazine “La Chine” produced by the Chinese communist party in France. His images are scanned, enlarged as to show the offset colored points, and reworked on. The space of the gallery is stupendous and it is very moving to see all these pictures which some of us have known well in the 1970’s find a new life under Thomas Ruff’s sharp eye (until March 6, 108 rue Vieille du Temple).

Chinese painting 17,
 2019
 © Thomas Ruff/VG Bild Kunst, Bonn/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
 Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner

One block away at 76 rue de Turenne, at galerie Perrotin, one can discover new golden works by Belgian sculptor  Johan Creten (until January 30) and on the left bank, I was happy to walk into the magical space acquired recently by Kamel Mennour across the street from his gallery on rue du Pont de Lodi. It is showing a colorful exhibition at the moment which is great fun.

Johan Creten at Perrotin

From the street all you see are multicolor windows and once you enter the space at n°5, you are in a silver and white magical tunnel. This is the fruit of a collaboration between artists Philippe Parenno  and Daniel Buren. Screens go up and down electrically, changing the light in the gallery. It is the story of appearance and disappearance, how space can change with light and darkness. For its inauguration the gallery itself becomes the object of the exhibition.

At the new Kamel Mennour gallery Daniel Buren and Philippe Parreno

The colored screens could be neon lights but they are just fabric. Daniel Buren’s famous striped columns (the most famous ones are in the Jardins du Palais Royal), give a rhythm to the space which is huge. At the end of the narrow corridor, a shower runs through a glass door. Galerie Kamel Mennour, 5 rue du Pont de Lodi, until February 27.

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3 Comments on “Thomas Ruff is back in Paris after 15 years and more…”

  1. Wonderful that galleries are opening in Paris .. I love the Mao propaganda work of Ruff. I so look forward to seeing art when they open in London .. at present things are bleak here.

  2. Dear Laure,
    We would be happy to have fun again either, in Düsseldorf or other places, and walk through the galleries and museums. Exhibitions like the Thomas Ruff one you could see for the last time in Berlin in October 20 for the month of photography ….Since October 31 we unfortunately live the shutdown of all cultural institutions in the whole country. That’s why your weekly reports are so meaningful!
    Best wishes
    Marita

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