Moving Image Works from the Zabludowicz Collection at Anna-Catharina Gebbers | Bibliothekswohnung, Berlin

Image: Susanne Bürner, "50,000 can't be wront", 2006. Digital video, sound, 6min 24sec, looped and stage. Dimensions variable. Courtesy Zabludowicz Collection and Galerie Giti Nourbakhsch, Berlin

From 22 until 27 September 2009 Anna-Catharina Gebbers | Bibliothekswohnung is pleased to present for the first time in Germany a selection of works from the Zabludowicz Collection, London. The show is curated by Anna-Catharina Gebbers and 176/Zabludowicz Collection.

The selected moving image works thematize narratives of history and take their inspiration from different existing aesthetic contexts. Art historical references, found footage or traditional rituals act as initiators which, during the creative process, are objects to shifts that obscure the source and unveil a more complex critical situation. Comparable to the Brechtian V-effect the attention of the viewer is drawn towards on the modality of the narration instead of giving way to the illusion, the self-evident and the obvious. The collection of historical facts and their interpretive exposure rather become subjects themselves. History and its narration prove to be a collection of things that undergo changing orders and stagings.

176/ Zabludowicz Collection collaborates with guest curators and artists, enabling them to realize projects with the Zabludowicz Collection and the exhibition space at 176 Prince of Wales Road, London. Anna-Catharina Gebbers is the current guest curator at 176 and this exhibition makes up part of In out of Place her ongoing project for 176 / Zabludowicz Collection which examines the idea of collecting and collections from various perspectives. In August 2008 Catharina Gebbers and 176/Zabludowicz Collection invited about 120 artists to be part of Krautcho Club / In and Out of Place a collection based project exhibited both in Berlin and London

A Dialogue on Contemporary Art Collecting between London and Berlin

Thanks to Elizabeth Neilson of 176/Zabludowicz Collection we had the opportunity to enjoy an inspiring discussion with colleagues from London-based private collections and foundations. 176 had invited Kerstin Niemann and me, Anna-Catharina Gebbers, to introduce the group to a number of Berlin-based private contemporary art collection/foundation spaces and to some designated characteristics of the Berlin art landscape. The ensuing discussion was a fruitful exchange of knowledge, thoughts and idea, and thus a valuable contribution to our understanding of each other. 

Collecting is a fascinating topic, because the processes of collecting and the structures of collections are as diverse as the different collectors and their motivations, because it mirrors a variety of psychological, social and political aspects of society, and - last but not least - because the collecting of art reflects and strengthens art‘s significance. Each collection is not only a collection of artefacts, but also a collection of knowledge, strategies, concepts, different processes of production and exchange – as well as a condensation of the historical society conditions and the societal relevance of art: These invisible collections Kerstin and I would like to gather. 

With our research project we aim to take some of these issues under the examination of a magnifying glass. This includes on the one hand the local peculiarities of a country or a city: With Kerstin's London contribution on projects such as the Berlin Biennial, we introduced some characteristics of Berlin which are influential to the success of Berlin‘s art world. On the other hand, we are interested in tangible protagonists and collectors, who we presented in London with my lecture: My selection of six Berlin-based contemporary art collections, who make their collections available to the public regularly, diversified a range of different collection motivations, collection sizes, forms of presentation and organisation forms . 

The selection process and the presentation of artefacts are influential in regard to their general esteem as well as a network of opinion leaders is. And as I have examined these connections since 2005 with several exhibitions around the theme of collecting for different institutions (4th berlin biennial, Heidelberger Kunstverein, Sammlung Sander Berlin, Forgotten Bar Project, Berlin, 176/Zabludowicz Collection, London), and since I‘m currently working on a publication about this subject (Wert-Schätzung, Verlag für moderne Kunst, Nürnberg), I‘m in particular interested in the various social processes and the different forms of public presentation. Therefore my questions in London were correspondingly focussed on different notions of the public sphere, social responsibility, forms of governance, and their foundation in historic structures, which result in different forms of mediation programs. The subsequent discussion offered to Kerstin and me a revealing insight into the country-specific needs and attitudes. The cultural specificity of a country shape the processes of opinion formation, public staging of art, the exploration of art and the positions of private, public and corporate collections in the field of art.

Anna-Catharina Gebbers, 31st of May, 2009

London - Kicking Off - Collecting in the 21st century

Since the begin of the new year Anna-Catharina Gebbers and myself, Kerstin Niemann, started a long-term research project on private, public and corporate collections of contemporary art.  Over the course of one year we aim to invite players, contributors and critical minds of the field of collecting to enclosed workshops, seminars and discussions. For us it is important to make links to current and local topics and strategies of collecting in different cities of Europe and Northern America, such as London, Berlin, New York, Miami, Hamburg and others. 

 

The project as such is an ambitious undertaking. The aim is to evaluate information from institutions, collectors as well as research literature and apply this gathered knowledge in the discourse of contemporary culture, which could lead into a publication and maybe a series of presentations.  We are just at the beginning of our journey through information and knowledge. Each collection is not only a collection of artefacts but also a collection of knowledge, strategies, concepts and different formats of production and exchange.

 

Under the direction of Elizabeth Neilson from the project spacee 176 of the Zabludowicz Collection Anna-Catharina and I were able to start off with our first set of presentations, discussions as well as questions on Friday the 22nd of May. Together with colleagues from private London collections and corporate collections we were able to discuss and learn more about current collecting structures, strategies as well as forms of presentations and engagement from one another. The focus of our presentation was on Berlin. Anna-Catharina introduced several private collections and collectors and their structures. I gave some background information in how far other institutions and initiatives, such as the Berlin Biennial, as well as individuals helped to further the growth and interest in Berlin as an art metropolis and thus shaped it into an attractive location for collectors to locate their "collector's" museums and forums. 

 

At the moment I work as a guest research curator at the Van Abbemuseum, a publicly funded museum of contemporary art in Eindhoven, the Netherlands (www.vanabbemuseum.nl). My work at the museum certainly influences my understanding of what a collection can be and aims to be in the 21st century. At the end of the presentation at 176  I asked the present collection colleagues what they feel is the responsibility of their institution in and for the public. The afterwards discussion and set of questions was rich and encouraged Anna-Catharina and I to expand our knowledge and thinking on collecting. The strategies of collecting as well as the ethos of how to present works from the collection certainly is different from collecting institution to collecting institution as I can recall from experience. Each collection and institution that works with the presentation of art and supports the production of artworks and the artists, gives a certain meaning towards the art in society. These institutions are part of the discourse and most of the time actively involved in defining the role of art in society.  

Kerstin Niemann, 26^th of May 2009

 

London, May 22nd 2009

After several month of research we've organised our first closed workshop on May 22nd 2009. The event took place at 176 in London, the exhibition space of the Zabludowicz Collection. Anna-Catharina Gebbers is their current guest curator and member of their advisory board since 2008.