Doug Aitken

Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt presents the first solo show in Germany dedicated to the impressive work of the American multimedia-artist Doug Aitken.

Doug Aitken, migration (empire), 2008
This is the first major solo show of Aitken’s work in Germany in an extraordinary exhibition transcending spatial boundaries.
Large film installations across entire rooms and selected sculptures in the interior, as well as a site-specific sound installation in the exterior space of the Schirn, present a survey of the major stages in his creative work. Born in 1968 in Redondo Beach, California, Aitken transcends boundaries with his award-winning work. He combines film and music, architecture, performance and sculpture in a dynamic way. For more than 20 years, he has been creating works of art of fascinating audiovisual intensity and suggestive-seductive power.
Doug Aitken, SONG 1, 2012
Top: Doug Aitken, migration (empire), still detail, 2008. Three-channel video installation projected on three custom billboards (steel, PVC projection screen) 24:28 min. loop, color, sound. Three billboards: 278,2-318,2 x 457,9 x 112 cm (height-adjustable) Unique. Courtesy the artist; 303 Gallery, New York; Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich; Victoria Miro Gallery, London; Regen Projects, Los Angeles Film. © Doug Aitken. Above: Doug Aitken, SONG 1, 2012 Courtesy Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution; 303 Gallery, New York; Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich; Victoria Miro Gallery, London; Regen Projects, Los Angeles. Commissioned, with generous production support, by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution. Photo © Frederick Charles
Aitken belongs to a generation of artists who have reassessed and decisively influenced the way we look at the medium of film: his works bear witness to a more profound observation of reality and reflect a philosophical analysis of the present world. In his projects, Aitken has re-formulated the form of exhibiting to worldwide attention. He illuminates his work on the exterior facades of museums, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden on the National Mall in Washington DC. He stages unparalleled happenings, such as Station to Station, in which he traveled with artists and musicians, such as Cat Power, Dan Deacon and Suicide on a long train journey from New York to San Francisco.
Doug Aitken SONG 1, 2012/2015
Doug Aitken, SONG 1, 2012/2015 Six-channel, seven-projection video installation on custom 360-degree screen (aluminum, PVC) 34:44 min. loop, color, sound Dimensions variable Edition 1/4 Courtesy the artist; 303 Gallery, New York; Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich; Victoria Miro Gallery, London; Regen Projects, Los Angeles. Film still © Doug Aitken
The Schirn will present Aitken's kaleidoscopic universe on more than 1400 square meters of exhibition space. SONG 1 (2012), Black Mirror (2011), migration (empire) (2008) and diamond sea (1997) will be shown in atmospheric spaces with corresponding sculptures, such as Sunset (2011) and Listening (2011). Sonic Fountain (2013) will transform the public and freely accessible Rotunda of the Schirn into an acoustic sphere. Doug Aitken takes the viewer of his film and sound works on a synesthetic journey around the world and to their inner self – in a maelstrom of expressive and rhythmically structured images.
Doug Aitken SONG 1, 2012/2015
Doug Aitken, SONG 1, 2012/2015. Six-channel, seven-projection video installation on custom 360-degree screen (aluminum, PVC) 34:44 min. loop, color, sound, dimensions variable. Edition 1/4. Courtesy the artist; 303 Gallery, New York; Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich; Victoria Miro Gallery, London; Regen Projects, Los Angeles. Film still © Doug Aitken

He poses existential questions, but does not provide easy answers. Instead, the artist expresses an almost ingenious enthusiasm for humanity and communal interaction. His themes continuously revolve around human civilization: the alienation of the individual and their isolation in the mass, man’s relationship with nature and technology and their impact on coexistence as well as human relationships per se.

The Los Angeles-based Aitken works closely with other artists, actors and musicians across a variety of genres and has established a global creative network. Above all, music is a connecting element: it determines the rhythm and atmosphere of his images.

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