Why Painting Now?: group show - Emanuel Layr - Wien

through November 24th 2013

with Gerard Byrne, Morag Keil, Fiona Mackay, Tobias Madison, Manuela Gernedel, Marlie Mul, Anna Oppermann, Emanuel Rossetti, Christopher Williams

curated by Bart van der Heide

At first sight it may seem far-fetched to link the traditional still life with institutional critique. As a genre perhaps furthest away from the dissemination of critical positions, the still life has generally remained beyond the reach of conceptual discourse. However, one could argue that the absence of narrative in the still life, as well as its fascination with objects otherwise overlooked aesthetically, draws attention to the conditions, execution, and hierarchies involved in visual art production.Hence, the still life could be seen as a premodern phenomenon where artistic production becomes self-reflexive. The trompe l’oeil of Cornelis Gijsbrechts from 1670 exemplifies this self-conscious turn almost in extremis by depicting the reverse side of a painting and, as such, turning the frame, stretcher, and unpainted canvas into its main subject.

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