Contemporary art from private collections in Bielefeld

September 14 – November 16, 2014

OPENING: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

WITH WORKS FROM THE COLLECTIONS: HÖRMANN, CHRISTOF KERBER, KÖLSCH & WELSCHOF, OWL HOLDING, TEUTLOFF PHOTO+VIDEO COLLECTION AND WANNENMACHER

With works by: Davide Balula, Leidy Churchman, Natalie Czech, Robert Doisneau, Sven Drühl, Latifa Echakhch, Nezaket Ekici, Luke Fowler, Alberto García Alix, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Benedikt Hipp, Herbert Hoffmann, Olaf Holzapfel, Huang Yan, Sven Johne, Geoffrey Johnson, Annette Kelm, Thomas Kiesewetter, Imi Knoebel, Herlinde Koelbl, Karsten Konrad, Thomas Kratz, Kris Martin, Matthias Meyer, Olaf Nicolai, Susan Philipsz, Falke Pisano, Richard Prince, Bernd Ribbeck, Bridget Riley, Damien Roach, Tilo Schulz, David Shrigley, Iké Udé, Miriam Vlaming

In this jubilee year for the city, 800 Years of Bielefeld, »Bielefeld Contemporary« creates specific setting for some prominent collections. The exhibition is focusing on the city and the commitment of its citizens for contemporary art. It links historically to the Bielefelder Kunstverein’s earlier presentations of work relevant to the city and relating to local collections: »Kunst des XX. Jahrhunderts aus dem Besitz des Kunstvereins und seiner Mitglieder« (Art of the XX Century from the Holdings of the Kunstverein and of its Members, 1954, Städtisches Kunsthaus), »Aus Bielefelder Privatbesitz. Malerei und Graphik 1900-1945« (From Private Holdings in Bielefeld. Painting and Graphic Art 1900-1945, 1979, Kunsthalle Bielefeld), »Jugendstil. Aus Bielefelder Privatbesitz« (Jugendstil, From Private Holdings in Bielefeld, 1987, Bielefelder Kunstverein) or »Das Bielefelder Gefühl« (The Bielefeld Feeling, 2009, Bielefelder Kunstverein).
Significant works of contemporary art from the Hörmann, Christof Kerber, Kölsch & Welschof, OWL Holding, Teutloff Photo+Video Collection and Wannenmacher collections will be displayed in different cabinets to present six individual concepts of collecting. Hence we are devoting most attention to collections with a lustre appealing beyond our region and internationally, and connected particularly closely to the Kunstverein. The exhibition will be accompanied by an artistic-photographic reflection on the respective collections. This is being developed in collaboration with Hayley Austin, Johannes Heinke, Eliane Lustner, Jan Maschinski, Giorgio Morra and Alexandra Polina, students under the direction of Professor Roman Bezjak from the Department of Design at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, and it will be integrated into the display. »Bielefeld Contemporary«, therefore, treats the subjective view of art in the sense of a »collection of collections. « It adopts the perspective of the history of culture to open up a space for experience, which displays unknown work and makes display itself into a topic. The project equally provides an exemplary insight into various ways of engaging with art, into the great passion of collecting and into the city’s cultural resources.

An exhibition at the Bielefelder Kunstverein in cooperation with private collectors from Bielefeld and the Department of Design at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences. The project is integrated into the communal exhibition project »Bielefeld sammelt – wir zeigen’s euch« (Bielefeld collects – we present it) by the Bielefeld museums and the Pro Bielefeld Initiative in the overall context of the city’s jubilee, 800 Years of Bielefeld. For further information, please see www.bielefelder-museen.de

Curator: Thomas Thiel