FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Regen Projects is pleased to announce representation of artist Kader Attia.
Informed by his experience of living between two disparate cultures, Attia’s rigorous research-based practice references literature, history, architecture, psychoanalysis, and post-colonial theory. Spanning photography, sculpture, installation, and video, his multidisciplinary works examine cultural identity and the differences between contemporary cultures – primarily the dichotomy of Western and non-Western – as well as the legacy of imperialism on the colonial world from a socio-political, economic, and aesthetic standpoint. At the crux of his practice is the concept of repair as a global, natural phenomenon in response to cultural, historic, and collective trauma. This investigation looks at the differences between how the Extra-Occidental and the Occidental worlds approach reparation and refutes the notion that humankind invents objects, environments, or situations, as opposed to adapting existing models. Through his artwork, Attia makes visible the complicated nature of multiple histories in a world in which cultural amnesia is normalized.
“Kader’s poetic ability to harness the power of various mediums to thoughtfully address complex cultural and socio-political issues is continually inspiring and crucial for understanding our place in this global world. We are thrilled to support him at this pivotal moment in his career and look forward to presenting his work at the gallery in early 2020,” said Shaun Caley Regen.
Kader Attia was born in 1970 in Dugny, France and grew up in Algeria and the suburbs of Paris. Attia has earned degrees at the Ecole Supérieure des Arts Appliqués Duperré, Paris (1993), La Escola Massana Arte i Disseny, Barcelona (1994), and Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (1998). He lives and works in Berlin.
In February 2019 a solo exhibition of his work will be on view at the Hayward Gallery in London. Selected past solo exhibitions include Musée d’Art Contemporain de Val-du-Marne, Vitry-sur-Seine (2018); Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona (2018); The Power Plant, Toronto (2018); Ludwig Museum, Koblenz (2017); Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney (2017); Stedelijk Museum voor Aktuele Kunst, Ghent (2017); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2016); Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt am Main (2016); Musée Cantonal des Beaux Arts, Lausanne (2015); KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2013); Whitechapel Gallery, London (2013); Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris (2012); Henry Art Gallery, Seattle (2008); Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston (2007); and Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon, Lyon (2006); among others.
Selected group exhibitions include Leopold Museum, Vienna (2016); Guggenheim Museum, New York (2016); Deichtorhallen, Hamburg (2015); The Smithsonian Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C., which traveled to Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt am Main (2014-2015); Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico City (2014); New Museum, New York (2014); Museum of Modern Art, New York (2012); Tate Modern, London (2011); and Haus der Kunst, Munich (2010). He has participated in multiple biennial exhibitions, including the 10th Havana Biennial (2009); 4th Moscow Biennial (2001); Dakar Biennial 11 and 12 (2014 and 2016); Marrakech Biennial 5 and 6 (2014 and 2016); 8th and 13th Lyon Biennale (2005 and 2015); dOCUMENTA (13) (2012); 50th, 54th, and 57th Venice Biennales (2003, 2011, 2017); and Manifesta 12 Palermo (2018). His work is currently on view as part of the 12th Gwangju Biennial and 12th Shanghai Biennial.
Works by the artist are featured in numerous international public and private collections, including Centre Pompidou, Paris; Fondation Louis Vuitton pour la Création, Paris; Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; Colección Jumex, Mexico City; Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon, Lyon; Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris; Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt/Main; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Tate Gallery, London; Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen / K21, Düsseldorf; Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw; Museum Ludwig, Koblenz; S.M.A.K. Stedelijk Museum voor aktuele kunst, Gent; Kunstmuseum Bern, Bern; KIASMA, Helsinki; Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; Museum der Moderne, Salzburg; and Sammlung zeitgenössischer Kunst der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn.
Attia has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Marcel Duchamp Prize (2016), Joan Miró Prize (2017), and the Yanghyun Art Prize (2017).
In 2016 he opened La Colonie, a hybrid project space that functions as a social forum for political discussion as well as a bar and music venue.
For all press inquiries, please contact Ben Thornborough at +1 310 276 5424 or benthornborough@regenprojects.com.
Image: Installation view of Kader Attia: Sacrifice and Harmony at Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, April 16 – August 14, 2016. Photo: Axel Schneider.