For this celebratory group exhibition I have specially created two large ‘wave’ murals (Sailors, 2016) and a metal ‘wave’ bench (Ludwig, 2016). These works will be installed in the first floor of The Museum Ludwig in Cologne. We call it Ludwig is a rather ambitious exhibition that marks several important anniversaries for The Museum Ludwig in Cologne. The spirit of We call it Ludwig is all about celebrating the monumental work of this great museum. My contribution for this group exhibition takes the shape of a present, my modest gift to a place that have greatly inspired me since I’ve arrived to the Rhineland in 2006. I want to give something to this house, to its architecture, something that also visitors can use and touch. The ‘wave’ murals are composed by a selection of artists’ names that previously exhibited in the house, these two murals look like seascapes in which you can see ‘sailing boats’ sailing through colorful and playful ‘waves’. The metal ‘wave’ bench has 6 waves that stand for L U D W I G, each of the letters has been transformed into a wave in which visitors will eventually seat and from there enjoy the view.
The group exhibition We Call It Ludwig is the high point of the landmark year 2016 at the Museum Ludwig. For the anniversary exhibition, which was jointly conceived by the director and all the museum’s curators, twenty-five international artists and artist collectives have been invited to engage in depth with the institution and to react to the question of what the Museum Ludwig means to them.
The title We Call It Ludwig was purposely kept open-ended, since the exhibition is not intended to offer a concrete definition, but a variety of subjective perspectives that together form a kaleidoscopic image of the institution. The Museum Ludwig defines itself in large part based on its own history, its collection, and, above all, the people who have shaped it – as an artists’ museum. We Call It Ludwig accounts for this situation by reflecting along with these participants in the art system on what the museum has been, is, and can be.
The selection of twenty-five participating artists spanning every continent deliberately underscores Peter and Irene Ludwig’s global approach to the collection. For instance, they maintained close contacts with Cuba, where they met the artist Diango Hernández in the mid- 1990s. Now Hernández will translate important exhibition titles from the history of the museum as well as its logo into a sensual and poetic landscape of undulating seating and murals.
The Guerrilla Girls collective will take a very different approach by critically reevaluating the collection from a feminist perspective. Maria Eichhorn, by contrast, will deal with the processes that led to the signing of an employment contract with her as an artist, thus emphasizing the administrative structure of the museum. With The Chocolate Master from 1981, Hans Haacke will present the result of his meticulous and critical research on the family and corporate history of the chocolate manufacturers and art collectors Peter and Irene Ludwig.
Participating artists: Georges Adéagbo, Ai Weiwei, Ei Arakawa, Minerva Cuevas, Maria Eichhorn, Andrea Fraser, Meschac Gaba, Guerrilla Girls, Hans Haacke, Diango Hernández, Candida Höfer, Bodys Isek Kingelez, Kuehn Malvezzi, Christian Philipp Müller, Marcel Odenbach, Ahmet Ögüt, Claes Oldenburg, Pratchaya Phinthong, Alexandra Pirici & Manuel Pelmuş, Gerhard Richter, Avery Singer, Jürgen Stollhans, Rosemarie Trockel, Villa Design Group, Christopher Williams.
August 27, 2016 – January 08, 2017
Opening: Friday, August 26, 7 p.m.
Concept: Yilmaz Dziewior
Curatorial Team: Katia Baudin, Stephan Diederich, Yilmaz Dziewior, Barbara Engelbach, Julia Friedrich, Miriam Halwani
Curatorial Assistant: Leonie Radine
I would like to thanks: Galerie Barbara Thumm, Marlborough Contemporary, Anna Czerlitzki and Andreas Wexel
Museum Ludwig
Heinrich-Böll-Platz
50667 Köln
Germany
