The Problem of God group show deconstructs the visual vocabulary of Christianity in 120 artworks. The exhibit, which opens September 26 at Kunstsammlung's K21 Ständehaus venue in Düsseldorf, boasts a lineup of some 30 painters, sculptors, photographers, and videographers. Together, this assemblage—which includes work from the formidable Francis Bacon, James Turrell, and Ad Reinhardt—weaves a complex cultural narrative, spanning the last 25 years of art. In this manner, the works are representative of a collective memory bolstered through diverse artistic repurposings of Christian iconography; at times analytical, occasionally comical, and always symbolic.
Michaël Borremans, The Bread, 2012, HD Video; Photo © Kunstsammlung NRW; courtesy of The North America Office of Duesseldorf Tourism and Duesseldorf Airport.
The press release elaborates: “The Problem of God is not a show of sacred art or even about religion in general," but rather, "fundamental questions of human life and existence, philosophical and spiritual challenges, and explorations […] of different aspects of religion and faith.” The show is presented by The North America Office of Duesseldorf Tourism and Duesseldorf Airport.
Katarzyna Kozyra, Looking for Jesus, 2012, Video; Photo: Katarzyna Szumska, Courtesy of the Katarzyna Kozyra Foundation © Kunstsammlung NRW.
The Problem of God opens September 26 at Kunstsammlung's K21 Ständehaus and remains on view until January 24, 2015. Read more about it on the exhibition's page.
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