We are proud to present Thomas Demand’s second solo exhibition at 303 Gallery. Known for his immaculate photographs of environments that he constructs in life-size out of cardboard and paper, Demand’s new work in this show draws from the world of politics.
In a work like Podium, Demand formally draws a line from the propaganda graphics of the late 20’s through to its derivatives in the post-socialistic context showing the stage of a political event, a lectern with microphones and a glass of water. Even if the image clearly depicts two historical dates, “1389” and “1989”, their significance remains undefined.
Modell/Model is on one hand a paraphrase to the artist’s practice of making sets which are widely signified as models, but at the same time it works to resemble to our relation to models in a more general sense. The image itself refers to the moment when Albert Speer presented his draft for the German Pavillion at the world expo in Paris to the Führer.
In the back space we will show Demand’s latest 35 mm film Rolltreppe (Escalator). It is an animation of 24 still images shown in a continual loop. Referring to a case of youth- gang crime in London in which footage of a CCTV Camera system has been used in the courtroom hearings, it could be understood as an examination of the concept of the loop in all its levels of representation: the projection, the motive, and the film itself.
Thomas Demand’s one person show at Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, Paris will run until early February 2001. An English version of the catalogue published by the Fondation will be available in the Spring 2001, published by Thames and Hudson. His film Tunnel can be seen at the CCAC in San Francisco starting on March 27, 2001. Demand’s work will also be included in “Public Offerings” which will open at LA MoCA in April 2001.