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23.05.2019
Thursday 23rd May 2019
from 6pm to 8pm
Speakers:
Ulrich Meinherz, Director Kesselhaus Josephsohn, St. Gallen
Martina Corgnati, Curator and Art Historian
Sharon Hecker, Art Historian and Curator
Moderator:
Alberto Salvadori, Director Fondazione ICA Milano
Introduction:
Chiara Nuzzi, Assistant Curator Fondazione ICA Milano
ICA Milano – Istituto Contemporaneo per le Arti presents, on Thursday 23rd May 2019, from 18 to 8 PM, the symposium "Question of perception" dedicated to the work of the artist and the topic of contemporary sculpture. The appointment is part of the collateral program of the show Hans Josephsohn curated by Alberto Salvadori and realized in collaboration with Kesselhaus Josephsohn, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Invited contributors to the symposium are: Ulrich Meinherz, Director Kesselhaus Josephsohn, St. Gallen, Switzerland; Martina Corgnati, curator and art historian; Sharon Hecker, art historian and curator specialized on Medardo Rosso's ouvre. The Director of Fondazione ICA Milano Alberto Salvadori moderates the conversation, which is introduced by ICA Milano Curatorial Assistant Chiara Nuzzi.
Taking as a starting point the German-Swiss sculptor Hans Josephsoh (Königsberg, 1920 – Zurich, 2012), to whom ICA Milano dedicates his first monographic show ever realized in Italy (running until June 2nd), the contributions of the invited guests focus on some in-depth analysis connected to Hans Josephsohn’s ouvre: Corgnati investigates on the relation with Etruscan art and the further primitivist instances; Hecker deals with the representation of the reclining female figures, retracing the genre from classic to modern sculpture; Meinherz describes the different stages of Josephsohn’s work and his approach towards the human figure between abstraction and figuration, ancient references and modern influences.
With Question of perception, ICA Milano reaffirms its commitment towards the creation of an ideal ecosystem for the arts, confirming itself as a privileged venue for the contemporary artistic research production and divulgation dedicated to the public.
"Etruscan traces in the XX century sculpture" by Martina Corgnati
The mysterious and fascinating ancient Etruscan population has been a cultural and formal reference point for many artists as well as the object of trends influencing both taste and costume.
“The starting point is simply us: an encounter with Hans Josephsohn’s Reclining Figures" by Sharon Hecker
At first glance, Hans Josephsohn’s horizontal, reclining female figures, set on low pedestals, seem to be a note apart from his somber, iconic vertical sculptures. These female figures possess an intimacy, sensuality, and relaxedness that are absent from his other works. By relating a perception of the reclining figures to Josephsohn’s statements about the reliefs, another way of thinking about his œuvre may emerge.
"Josephsohn’s language of sculpture - the continuity of its development and some references in the history of art" by Ulrich Meinherz
The development of the formal language in Josephsohn’s oeuvre is independent but stringent at the same time. Analyzing the whole corpus of the artist's works, three production periods can be traced, spanning from the figurative stage to the geometrical reduction of the human figure.
Hans Josephsohn, Kesselhaus Josephsohn, San Gallo, 2005 Foto: Katalin Deér, Kesselhaus Josephsohn, St.Gallen; Courtesy Josephsohn Estate, Kesselhaus Josephsohn / Galerie Felix Lehner, Hauser & Wirth.