SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING DESIRED

The Hamburger Kunsthalle is mounting a large-scale presentation of the most recent acquisitions for and donations to its important collection of contemporary art (something new) in dialogue with significant works that have enriched the collection for a long time (something old), with highlights in the form of special works on loan that are on the museum’s wish list for permanent acquisition (something desired). The exciting compilation of works by over fifty artists – most of them internationally renowned – impressively demonstrates the enormous range of voices in contemporary art. The artists address in their works the pressing issues of our day: questions of understanding and communication, isolation and marginalisation, power and protest, utopia and structure. Photographic series, multimedia (immersive) installations, video projections, architectural models and architectures made of fabric give us a glimpse of (virtual) worlds and realities, demonstrating the tension between form and dissolution as well as the potential for networking by way of both material and language. About three fourths of the exposed works are the first time on display at Hamburger Kunsthalle.

Ten films about ten artists are accompanying something new, something old, something desired. Including talks with the curator they are showing the instal-lation process of each particular artwork on the site of the exhibition and thereby offer an extraordinary view behind the setting.

Featured artists: Jan Albers, Fernando de Brito, Günter Brus, Nina Canell, Robert Cottingham, Stephen Craig, Jose Dávila, Edith Dekyndt, Thomas Demand, Simon Denny, Cordula Ditz, Peter Doig, Simon Fujiwara, Seiichi Furuya, Zvi Goldstein, Anna Grath, Christian Haake, Raymond Hains, Almut Heise, David Hockney, Karl Horst Hödicke, Annika Kahrs, Annette Kelm, Jürgen Klauke, Hans-Jürgen Kleinhammes, Bernd Koberling, Jan Köchermann, Jannis Kounellis, Jens Lausen, Jean Leppien, Almut Linde, Axel Loytved, Paul McCarthy & Mike Kelley, Annette Messager, Gerold Miller, Simon Modersohn, Robert Morris, Bruce Nauman, Cady Noland, Sigmar Polke, Tobias Putrih, Hannah Rath, Daniel Richter, Gerhard Richter, Grit Richter, Thomas Schütte, Richard Serra, Sara Sizer, Andreas Slominski, Paul Spengemann, Pia Stadtbäumer, Paul Thek, Wolfgang Tillmans, Philippe Vandenberg and Tilman Walther