Astrid Ihle

Autofiktionen. Zeichnung der Gegenwart

Zusammenschau zeitgenössischer Zeichnung in 33 Positionen

One interesting consequence of the rise of digital technology and social media has been that drawing has recently moved back into the focus of contemporary art. Artists working today still regard drawing as the most immediate form of creative articulation. Its intimate appeal, narrative energy, and potential as a medium of subjective exploration lend the graphic gesture a fascination that is entirely of the present moment.

The Prix de dessin de la Fondation d’art contemporain Daniel & Florence Guerlain, endowed by the French collectors in 2006, supports artists whose work exemplifies the vitality of drawing as a means of expression. The book “Autofiktionen” showcases all thirty-three nominees of the past eleven years, grouping their work under four headings (eloquence of the line, intimate reflections, private mythologies, storytelling). Many of them evince a penchant for figurative, narrative, even fantastic representations. Essays by Tobias Burg, Astrid Ihle, Kate Macfarlane, Jonas Storsve, Katharine Stout, Julia Katharina Thiemann, and René Zechlin give a comprehensive survey of the various positions and concerns in contemporary drawing.

The nominees: Tomma Abts, Dove Allouche, Mamma Andersson, Martin Assig, Charles Avery, Silvia Bächli, Marc Bauer, Ulla von Brandenburg, Matt Bryans, Marcel Dzama, Marcel van Eeden, Catharina van Eetvelde, Vidya Gastaldon, Jana Gunstheimer, Susan Hefuna, Leiko Ikemura, Cameron Jamie, Tomasz Kowalski, Juul Kraijer, Frédérique Loutz, Thomas Müller, Ciprian Muresan, Jockum Nordström, Hans Op de Beeck, Pavel Pepperstein, Javier Pérez, Jorge Queiroz, Anne-Marie Schneider, Didier Trenet, Sandra Vásquez de la Horra, Jean-Luc Verna, Jorinde Voigt, Amelie von Wulffen