Munich's Pinakothek der Moderne explores the potential of eccentricity as an aesthetic of freedom through the work of some fifty international visual artists.
Jean-Marie Appriou, Maurizio Cattelan, Julian Charrière, Barbara Chase-Riboud, James Ensor, Max Ernst, Sylvie Fleury, Alberto Giacometti, Jeff Koons, Paul McCarthy, Orlan, Cindy Sherman, Anna Uddenberg, Andy Warhol... The Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich invites us to a feast of artists. The "Eccentric" exhibition, featuring 50 artists, explores the multiple possibilities of eccentricity in the visual arts.
Curators Eva Karcher and Bernhart Schwenk express the idea that this intellectual attitude rejects ideologies of all kinds. " It is based on freedom of thought and form, and as such defends democracy andhumanism. This freedom, which goes far beyond theideological, unleashes energies of transformative power.Eccentricityand freedom have thus long been closely linked - and form the fundamental core of theexhibition," they explain.
Between fluidity and eclecticism
The exhibition features 50 artistic approaches that emphasize this "ex centro" perspective, i.e. "looking from outside a fictitious center". All celebrate the diversity and complexity of human existence through the body, identity, beauty and the environment.
The curators take this further, presenting works in a variety of media, materials and techniques, between traditional crafts and new technologies such as artificial intelligence. Some are hybrid, amorphous compositions, others daring shifts.
The duo adds historical reference criteria with individual creations from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. " In general,eccentric works of art have thelong-termeffect of extending the radius of artistic production and reception,andoffering new points of departure for subsequent generations," emphasizes Bernhart Schwenk.
Broad spectrum
The exhibition is divided into five sections, each covering a different theme, including painting, sculpture, installation, performance, media art and object design.
The first room, entitled "Creatures", shows the diversity of individual beings, asserting themselves in their own sphere of influence. "Exalted Cosmos" deals with space and aesthetic standards, designed by and for eccentric artistic personalities. "Transformative Technology" focuses on the creative use of engineering and materials that transgress boundaries. Hybrid Beauty" and "Fluid Bodies" focus on the extraordinary concept of beauty, variability and physical self-image.
"Theexhibition thusexplores thedignity of humans and creatures, whichextends to biodiversity, to the multiplicity of all living organisms, habitats and ecosystems on land, infresh water, in the oceans and in theair," adds Eva Karcher, before concluding further: "The artists are united by their shared passion for creating worlds of images that liberate our imagination."
Interstellar Twist (Yoga) © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2024
"Eccentric, Ästhetic der Freiheit"
Pinakothek der Moderne
Barer Straße 40, Munich (Germany)
Until April 27, 2025
