Category Archives: Exhibitions

Goldgräberstimmung (Gold-rush Mood) Upcoming Exhibition

Whoohoo – It’s exhibition time… please save the date! Book a ticket and come to Berlin!

My next solo exhibition “Goldgräberstimmung” will be on show in Germany’s capital, Berlin, on Saturday, the 16th of June (17h30) at the Grafik Studio Galerie Neumann. Jens Garling will give a brief introduction to the works.

On show will be a small selection of land art works and public art actions (in form of photographic and video documentation) which I have created in April12 in the Namib Desert and some mixed media works.

Goldgräberstimmung/Gold-rush Mood by Imke Rust

Goldgräberstimmung/Gold-rush Mood – an exhibition by Imke Rust

About the works: “Imke Rust uses her art to draw attention to the human exploitation and destruction of the Namib desert. The works are loosely based on ancient shamanic traditions and symbols, while the artist worked in and with nature, in order to establish a more direct connection between humans, nature, art and the spiritual world. The Namibian-German artist will show video, photography and mixed media works.”

The exhibition can be viewed until the 16^th of July.

Opening times of the gallery:
Mon – Tues: 10h00 – 17h00, Wed: 9h00 – 14h00,
Thur 12h00 – 18h00 and Fri 9h00 – 13h00
If you would like to view the exhibition after hours or on weekends you can make an appointment with me via email: imkerust(at)iway.na

Please feel free to invite your friends along and also to purchase some of my works.

I hope to see you there!

Artworks shown on the invitation:

SubRosa (Under the Rose)
Temporary installation in the Namib Desert Dune belt south of Swakopmund.
22° 43’ 01” S – 14° 33’ 47” E
Original dimensions: 90 x 270 x270cm
99 roses made of black rubbish bags, barbed wire, wire
April 2012 ©Imke Rust

and

Toxic Rocks
Temporary installation at the “Black Rocks” close to Wlotzkasbaken, Namib Desert.
22° 25’ 55” S – 14° 27’ 42” E
Approximate original dimensions: 200 x 2500 x 2000 cm
Rocks wrapped in neo colored tulle
April 2012 ©Imke Rust

If you like my art, please join my Facebook Artist Page .

Berlin Biennale – and what I assumed was art

6 Replies

Sometimes real life is more fascinating than art…

I have been visiting two of the five Berlin Biennale 2012 venues so far (and hope to see the rest in the next few days). From what I read about it, it sounded interesting with a big hype around its political agenda etc. . Honestly, I do hope the rest of the show is more exiting than what I have seen up to now (please note, that is just my very personal impression, based on my likes and preferences).

When searching for the Biennale display in the Akademie der Künste we got a bit lost and ended up on the wrong level. Not realising this, I got really excited when I peeked around one corner and saw, what I thought was the most brilliant political statement art installation at the Biennale so far:

Sleeping MP © Imke Rust (Berlin Biennale 2012 / Akademie der Künste)

When I walked closer to get a full view, I realized that it was NOT an art installation, but a very tired Military Police guy… and his artful statement made the visit worth our while.

Hand-coloured Photographs Making a Powerful Statement

5 Replies

Chemical Reaction (Namib Desert) © Imke Rust

Recently I have invited you all to come to an exhibition of a selection of photographs which were submitted to the “Our Coast Your Photo” Competition, which was on show in Windhoek and Swakopmund.

Initially I was informed that I was one of the finalists, but then at the opening it turned out that the judges did not think that hand-coloured photographs are photographs but are art, and therefore my works were not considered for the actual prizes. A detailed discussion of this decision would be interesting, considering that hand-colouring photographs is a technique used in photography for almost as long as we have photography itself, but maybe I leave that for another time or for the comments.

For now, I am happy to say that the organizers did think that my work still deserved a “special mention for making a powerful statement. … Rust managed to convey a message of “pretty promises” made by industrialists that paint a pretty picture, while the result would actually be unnatural – and even detrimental to the environment.” (quoted from The Namibian, 2 April 2012, pg7). The special mention came with a small financial prize and a bottle of unpolluted Namibian sea water – which I thought was a very nice touch in line with the background of the exhibition. It might become a rarity soon, but I hope not!

Here are the works which I have submitted for those of you who were not able to see them in person.

Toxic Flow (Swakop River)
© Imke Rust, Digital Photograph

Toxic Waste (Moon Valley) © Imke Rust

About the works:

“My entries are hand-coloured photographs of Swakopmund’s surrounding environment.

The idea came while I was in Berlin and was hearing about the planed chemical works that might be built near Swakopmund. I looked at my photographs of Swakopmund and its surrounding area which I took earlier in the year and wondered what it will look like should the chemical plant be build with all its toxic waste and side effects. I also thought of the “pretty promises” that are made of all the wonderful things (like job creation) such developments would bring Namibians. What at first glance might look pretty and interesting might turn out to be really dangerous, and we are not really aware of how far-reaching the negative effects might be. The colourful interventions on the photographs, give a striking and ‘pretty’ effect, but also allude to the chemical and toxic interference with nature.

We are so used to see really good photographs of the Namibian environment and we often taken our environment for granted. That is why I decided to make some physical and ‘chemical’ interventions in bright and ‘unnatural’ acrylic (plastic) colours to the photographs. I hope this artificial, tampered view, makes people sit up and notice and think about what they are seeing and want to see.”

The exhibition is still up in Swakopmund at “The Art Gallery” in the Brauhaus Arcade till the end of April. According to that gallery it is one of their most visited exhibitions to date. So, if you are in Swakopmund, do take some time to go and see all the finalists work (and mine 😉 ) if you enjoy photography, art and our beautiful coast!

Oh, and I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject: is photography art and is art photography? Should a hand-coloured photograph be judged differently than a photoshopped one, or an 100% untouched one? Let me know what you think…

My work on show at the ‘Our Coast Your Photo’ Exhibition

4 Replies

(Read right to the bottom, as there is a chance for you to win N$ 1000.00, too!)

In January Tony Figueira of Studio77and the Namibian Newspaper launched a photographic competition “Our Coast Your Photo” in an attempt to highlight the concern about the coastal environment in light of the proposed industrial & mining plans….

From the close to 600 entries a selection of about 50 photographs, plus the top category entries, will be exhibited. The winning photograph will be announced at the opening of the Swakopmund exhibition on 31 March, and this person will walk away with the N$10 000 in cash.The judges of the competition are Amy Schoeman, Roy van der Merwe and Taimi Shejavali.

I participated in this competition, because I believe strongly that we all need to get involved to protect our environment and what better way for an artist to use their art? And this particular subject matter bothered me some time ago and I actually just had finished some work, which I thought would be perfect for this competition. And why this is even more exciting? I have been told that I am one of the finalists….*blush*

So all you lovely people, if you happen to be in Windhoek or Swakopmund at those dates, come to the opening and support this great cause! I would love to see you all there and I am sure there will be many exciting works on show. If you cannot make it for the openings, well, there is more time to view the shows afterwards too, so don’t miss it.

And there is another good reason to go and view the exhibition:

The Organizers have now compiled the top photographs for each category, and are inviting the public to predict the winner in each category via SMS! The person who predicts the correct photographs in all the categories, will stand a chance to win N$1000! For those of you who are not in town, these photographs will be available as from 8 March 2012 on the website of The Namibian Newspaper and the Facebook site for the competition.

Looking forward to seeing you either in Windhoek or Swakopmund. And keep watching this space – I will post some pics of my artworks after the opening.

Group exhibition and Open Studio Days in Berlin

3 Replies

Untitled, Acrylic on Canvas, 50x40cm

Dear friends, (Deutsche Version unten)

If you are in Berlin at the end of November, you have two opportunities to see (and buy 😉 ) my art. This will be the last chance for a while to see my art publicly in Berlin, as I will soon go home to Namibia for a few months at the beginning of 2012.

Firstly I would like to invite you to come to the Group exhibition “Jahresendausstellung” in the Grafik Galerie Neumann on the 25th of November at 17h00 (Rigaer Str 62).

Secondly I will open the doors of my studio to the public during the Open Studio Days in Pankow, so you are welcome to visit me in my studio, see my latest works and have a chat about art and life with me.

Open Studio Days:

Saturday, 26th of November, 13h00 – 20h00

Sunday, 27th of November, 13h00 – 18h00

Address:

Prenzlauer Promenade 149-152

Raum 522 (5ter Stock)

Busstop: Treskowstrasse Bus 255

There is plenty of parking spaces directly in front of the building, for those coming with their cars.

A visit to the studio days will pay off twice, as in addition to my humble studio and art, many more artists in the building are participating and opening their studio doors to the public. So plan to come with some time.

I am looking forward to your visit and support!

Deutsch:

Liebe Freunde und Bekannte,

Demnaechst gibt es nochmal zwei Moeglichkeiten meine Kunst in Berlin zu sehen (und natuerlich auch zu erwerben 😉 ) und es wird vorerst das letzte Mal sein bevor ich dann im Januar wieder fuer 3 Monate nach Namibia gehe:

1. Gerne moechte ich euch zu der Eroeffnung der Gruppenausstellung “Jahresendausstellung” in der Grafik Galerie Neumann, am Freitag den 25sten November 2011 um 17h00 (Rigaer Str 62) einladen, in der unter anderen auch meine Werke ausgestellt sind.

2. Zuesaetzlich gibt es auch noch die Moeglichkeit, waehrend der Tage des offenen Ateliers in Pankow, mich in meinem Atelier zu besuchen, einen kleinen Einblick in meine aktuellen Arbeiten zu bekommen und natuerlich auch ganz in Ruhe Gespraeche ueber die Kunst und das Leben zu fuehren.

Offenes Atelier:

Samstag, 26 November, von 13h00 bis 20h00

Sonntag, 27 November 13h00 bis 18h00

Adresse:

Prenzlauer Promenade 149-152

Raum 522 (5ter Stock)

Bushaltestelle: Treskowstrasse Bus 255

Vor dem Haus gibt es viele Parkplaetze, fuer diejenigen die mit dem Auto kommen.

Der Besuch im Atelier (und zum Teil die weite Anfahrt) lohnt sich gleich doppelt, da viele andere Kuenstler im Hause auch ihre Tueren fuer die Besucher oeffnen und ihr also neben meiner Kunst und mir, gleich noch viele andere, interessante Kunst sehen koennt.

Ich freue mich, wenn ihr zu einem oder sogar beiden der Gelegenheiten kommen koennt!

Ich freue mich auf euren Besuch und Unterstuetzung!

Finally a new blog…and virtual tour of my studio

8 Replies

My apologies for letting you wait so long, but the good news is, that the less I write blogs the more time I am spending creating new art… AND this time I have a very special treat for you, read on to find out what it is.

I have been working a lot, but also had some (more social) fun, when I finally held a studio-warming party last weekend – just in time, before the colder winter days are creeping up on me. Many of my new and old friends from Berlin came and were treated to some good food, wine and beer and a selection of my old and new work. And I was so happy that so many of you came to share this with me!

I was especially excited, because one of my absolute favorite artist, Max Neumann and his lovely partner Sonja Kopp, also braved the distance into the deepest Pankow to join the small party. Wow, his art inspires me so much, so I felt honored that my humble studio already has been visited by such a great artist.

The evening was relaxed and so much fun, that I unfortunately totally forgot to take pictures to share with you. But, our good friend Reinhard Schubert (King Panorama), has kindly created an amazing 360º Cubic Panorama of my studio and has shared this with us on the net. So you can take a leisurely, virtual stroll through my little studio, with some old, some new and some unfinished works, the buffet still almost untouched and before it got too crowded. Use your mouse or the arrows to turn left or right, and zoom in or out. Thank you, Reinhard!

Welcome to my studio! Click here to step inside…

A still view of my Berlin studio (c) Reinhard Schubert

Ausstellung der Graphothek Berlin

1 Reply

This article was taken from the following webpage:

http://www.graphothek-berlin.de/?hmenu=2&item=11&vid=11

For all of you who do not understand German: My works are currently being exhibited in group exhibition of the Graphothek Berlin until the 21st of October 2011. If you are in Berlin, come and view this exhibition!

Ausstellung der Graphothek Berlin

Neu in der Graphothek – eine Auswahl neuer Grafik und Fotografie

Ausstellungsdauer: 16.09. – 21.10. 2011

Candy Girl Triptych by Imke Rust

In der diesjährigen Herbstausstellung der Rathausgalerie Reinickendorf präsentiert die Graphothek Berlin ab dem 17. September 2011 eine Auswahl von rund 50 bisher nicht gezeigten Neuankäufen der letzten Jahre.

Die Ausstellung zeigt Arbeiten junger Berliner Künstlerinnen und Künstler, unter anderem Florencia Almiròn und Hanna Hennenkemper. Ihre Arbeiten waren bereits 2009 und 2010 in Einzelausstelllungen der Reihe „Junge Kunst“ des Kunstamts Reinickendorf in der Galerie „Atelier Oellermann“ zu sehen. Die argentinische Künstlerin Florencia Almiròn (*1982) kam 2008 mit einem DAAD-Stipendium nach Berlin. Ihre meist in sehr kräftigen Farben gehaltenen Objekte und Grafiken stellte sie in den letzten Jahren in zahlreichen Ausstellungen in Berlin und Buenos Aires aus. Ebenso in kräftigen Farben leuchten die Arbeiten von Hanna Hennenkemper (*1974). Ihre Radierungen, von denen drei Arbeiten in der Ausstellung zu sehen sind, bestechen durch eine präzise und sensible Spannung, die die Künstlerin erzeugt, indem sie 16 Druckplatten übereinander druckt. Hennenkemper ist Gastprofessorin an der Kunsthochschule Weißensee.

Das Künstlerduo Astrid Albers (*1955) und Jürgen Sage (*1952) malt gleichberechtigt gemeinsam abstrakte Bilder, von denen zwei in der Ausstellung vertreten sind. Auch die drei Siebdrucke von Gisela Genthner (*1945) sind abstrakt. Die Malerei Genthners bewegt sich im abstrakten Bereich von gespachtelten Farbverläufen bis hin zu gestischen Serien.

Von Eberhardt Franke (1936-2004) sind mehrere Radierungen zu sehen, auf denen er in den 1970er und 1980er Jahren Westberliner Szenen in Kaffeehäusern, Galerien, Kneipen und im Stadtraum eingefangen hat. Der 1944 in Tabris, Aserbaidschan geborene Künstler Akbar Behkalam ist mit zwei Radierungen seiner bekannten Persepolis-Serie vertreten. Von dem renommierten Künstler Horst Janssen konnte die Graphothek drei Lithographien mit Portraits bekannter Schriftsteller wie Marcel Proust, E.T.A. Hoffmann und Franz Kafka erwerben.

Des Weiteren werden in der Ausstellung Arbeiten von Künstlerinnen und Künstlern wie Albert Markert, Anita Stand, Helmut Gutbrod, Eberhardt Franke, Götz Loepelmann, Imke Rust, Frank K. Richter oder Jochen Stenschke gezeigt. Die künstlerischen Techniken der ausgewählten Arbeiten reichen von der reinen Druckgraphik, wie Radierung und Lithographie, über Zeichnung bis hin zur Gouache, Öl- und Temperamalerei und zur Fotografie.

Alle ausgestellten Bilder gehören zum ausleihbaren Bestand der Graphothek Berlin.

Rathaus-Galerie Reinickendorf

Eichborndamm 215-239
13437 Berlin
Tel.: 030 – 404 40 62 (Vermittlung des Kunstamtes)
Tel.: 030 – 40 00 92 71 (Leiterin des Kunstamtes)

Öffnungszeiten:
Mo-Fr 9:00-18:00 Uhr
Lageplan

Leiterin des Kunstamtes:
Dr. Cornelia Gerner, Tel.: 030 – 40 00 92 71
E-Mail: info@kunstamt-reinickendorf.de

Kiddo & Shiwoohamba exhibit in Berlin

2 Replies

Works by Paul Kiddo

Barely in Berlin and already I had the pleasure to view an exhibition by two Namibian artists, Paul Kiddo & Elia Shiwoohamba. On top of that, I could witness some of the positive results of the ‘shared experiences’ project, which I have co-founded four years ago and co-managed till the end of 2010.

Both artists have been on a two-month ‘shared experiences’ artist residency in Berlin in 2010, all expenses paid. During this time they got to know the exciting city of Berlin and its lively art scene, created new artworks and were able to make many valuable contacts. One such contact happened almost by chance when Paul Kiddo walked into a small gallery in Rigaer Str (Friedrichshein) and got talking to the owners, Lars & Ingolf Neumann. Later also Elia Shiwoohamba presented his works to the gallery. And now, only a few months after this meeting, the Grafik Studio Galerie is presenting the exhibition: Paul Kiddo & Elia Shiwoohamba – Grafik und Malerei aus Namibia (11May -13 June 2011)

The tastefully curated exhibition shows numerous works of both artists in their respective signature styles. Paul charms the audiences with his naïve realism oil-paintings of Namibian landscapes, Kolmann’s Kop buildings, wild animals and the tongue-in-cheek homestead sceneries, while Elia, who works mainly in cardboard prints and lino cuts, uses people and Namibian animals as his subject matter, with many interesting renderings of owls. The works are for sale at very reasonable prices (between 35€ and 420€).

If you are in Berlin anytime before the 13^th of June, do plan in a visit to this exhibition. The gallery can easily be reached with the public transport system, situated only a short walking distance from the Frankfurter Alee S-Bahn Station.

What great achievement for these two artists! I hope you make it even more worthwhile by supporting them with your visit and hopefully by buying one (or more) of their works! Also a warm Namibian “Thank you” to Mr Neumann of the Grafik Studio Galerie, who made this exhibition possible and for promoting Namibian art in Berlin.