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| “Sitting in China”, An exhibition and installation project comprising 60 photographs and 40 bastard chairs by photographer and artist Michael Wolf, Hong Kong [01-05-2006] Kap Forum in the KAP am Südkai Agrippinawerft 28 Rheinauhafen 50678 Cologne Germany 17 January – 11 March 2006 Open: Opening on 16 January 2006 at 7 pm Speakers: Preview and press conference at 5 pm
Exciting and provoking contribution to the Passagen 2006: While exhibitors from throughout the world will be presenting their design ideas for furnishing living spaces at the Cologne Furniture Fair, the KAP Forum in the KAP am Südkai will provide an in-depth insight into everyday Chinese culture: on the occasion of the PASSAGEN 2006, the businesses located and involved in the KAP Forum will be showing the exhibition and installation project “Sitting in China” by photographer and China expert Michael Wolf, who won the World Press Award in 2005 for his work in the category “Contemporary Issues Stories”.
In a fascinating manner, the exhibition combines photographs on the theme of “Sitting in China” with chairs and stools from daily life in the People’s Republic of China which Wolf collected on his numerous journeys through this region. With unique aesthetics and ingenious pragmatism, the real contemporary objects (bastard chairs) challenge our concept of design. Their individuality, characterized by improvization and temporary use, is as far removed from designer furniture of our latitudes as from classical Chinese period furniture. As a placeholder for its user, every photograph, every object tells its own story.
Set against the background of artistic, large-format still life renderings and reportage photographs, and with great diversity, the exhibition unfolds the deep, cultural significance assigned to the subject of “sitting” in China. The exhibition focuses on approaches to life and philosophies that have been lost sight of in western “seated” societies for quite a long time.
The photographs prove Michael Wolf to be a shrewd observer and sensitively reflective authority on life in the People’s Republic of China. In his subtle, artistic representation of the subject, he shows himself to be a crossover artist combining documentation and art, who always succeeds in placing what he has observed in a wider context. Taking the theme of “sitting” as an example, the exhibition arouses amazement, interest and understanding for the most highly populated cultural and economic region in the world that is currently going through a period of deep-rooted change. The documentation of photographs and exhibits has been published under the title “Sitting in China” (Göttingen, 2002), and is available under ISBN 3-88243-670-0 from bookstores or during the exhibition.
The realization of the exhibition is supported by: GANTENBRINK, PLANUNG + VERTRIEB, Rheda Wiedenbrück - Hanover
Michael Wolf was born in Munich in 1954. He grew up in the USA and studied at Berkeley and in Essen. He has been living and working as a free-lance photographer and author in China for eleven years. In addition to a wide spectrum of publications for international journals, for example for the German magazine STERN, three books by him on China have been published to date: “China im Wandel” (published by Frederking und Thaler, 2001), “Sitting in China” (published by Steidlverlag, 2002) and in autumn 2003, the Taschenverlag published his book, “Chinese propaganda posters – from a Collection by Michael Wolf”, his documentation of the shaping of public politics and opinion making with his extensive collection of Chinese propaganda posters. In 2005, Michael Wolf won the World Press Award 2004 in the category “Contemporary Issues Stories” for his series of photographs on toy manufacture in China. And last but not least, spring 2006 will see the publication by Steidlverlag of his work “Hong Kong”, an artistic discourse on the densely growing architecture of the gate to China.
To date, exhibitions and work by Michael Wolf have been shown at the Kestner Museum, Hanover, in der Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco, and in Gallery Colette, Paris to name but a few. In January 2006, his installation “the real toy story” will be on view at the Museum for Contemporary Photography in Chicago, followed by “Architecture of Density” in the Hasted Hunt Gallery, New York.
Further information available at: KAP Forum: The KAP am Südkai was inaugurated in parallel with the opening of the Cologne Furniture Fair in January 2005. The ground floor of the building, built by KSP, the acclaimed Cologne architects’ office, houses the KAP Forum that is financed and served by nine companies. The companies cover various areas connected with building and furnishing. In alphabetical order they are Alape (sanitary ware), BASF, Carpet Concept (textile floor coverings), Dornbracht (sanitary and bath fittings), GIRA (electronic building services engineering), Kvadrat (fabrics and upholstery material), Silent Gliss (curtains and blinds), Wilkhahn (office and contract furniture) and Zumtobel Staff (lighting). The KAP partners offer an extensive materials bar and exhibition islands where architects, property owners, investors and all those interested in design can obtain comprehensive information and ideas. The partners use the KAP Forum as a joint communication platform and, with their product portfolios, they cover the entire valued added chain, ranging from planning, specifying and building to furnishing. An insight is provided that goes far beyond mere product presentation, and spans project development, architecture, technology and design, the latter including design and office concepts and interior design. Numerous series of events, workshops and exhibitions are developed that focus on the themes of town planning, architecture and design. Within this programme, partners repeatedly focus on new areas of interest and seek active dialogue with their audience. Events taking place at the PASSAGEN 2006: in addition to the joint exhibition “Sitting in China”, Carpet Concept and Wilkhahn are showing the installation “Schwarz beginnt – weiß gewinnt?” (Black begins – White wins?) which provides playful and sporty access to Solitär, the mass-produced carpet range, and to 230 range, the new Wilkhahn multi-purpose chair. As guest exhibitor, the company, mono³, will be presenting cutlery and accessories as a “symbol of modern corporate culture”.
Further information available at:
For further details and images, please contact: Wilkhahn > This press release as PDF (486 KB) back |
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