Exhibitions and Works

These writings, when burned, will finally cast a little light.
                                                                             —— Andrea Emo

 

Kiefer's exhibition is inspired by this quote from the Italian philosopher Andrea Emo. Kiefer's solo exhibition at Palazzo Ducale, Venice, a parallel exhibition of this year's Venice Biennale, shocked me a lot. His works and exhibition gave me a sense of sacredness and a deep sense of history.

 

He seems to have moved the post-war ruins of Germany into the magnificent ducal mansion, traveling through time and space. The contrast between classical and modern, splendor and dilapidation in the exhibition is both contradictory and harmonious. The German-style coldness and solemnity in Kiefer's works seem to be integrated with the religious solemnity of the Palazzo Ducale. I was shocked not only by Kiefer's works, but also by this curation

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Anselm Kiefer's installation, encompassing each wall of the Sala dello Scrutinio, covers the existing murals of the Palazzo Ducale with a breath-taking new imagining of Venetian history. Comprising fourteen paintings, eight towering canvases and six of smaller works, these nocturnal outside vistas time and space. Kiefer's installation traverse events, peoples, and places, transcending the earthly plane to a soaring cosmic narrative.

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For me, as an artist, we should not only pay attention to the work itself, but also pay attention to the effect and meaning of the work presented in the exhibition space. As Kiefer's exhibition at the Palazzo Ducale reflects this very well. This exhibiton not only shocked me visually, but also touched my heart. The intrigue conveyed by his curation in this exhibition brings new meaning to his work.