Key artist Hans Josephsohn to stage Summer solo exhibition at Lismore Castle, Co Waterford, Ireland
Lismore Castle has announced a solo show by Hans Josephsohn, which opens on 12 May and continues until 30 September at Lismore Castle Arts, Lismore, Co Waterford, Ireland. Staged in collaboration with Hauser & Wirth and Kesselhaus Josephsohn, the exhibition will feature works specially selected for Lismore.
Josephsohn, now in his 90’s, is one of the world’s most respected artists and his practice continues to inform and inspire contemporary artists. This will be his first solo exhibition in Ireland and his first institutional exhibition since 2008.
Josephsohn’s sculptures focus on the figure in its many guises – standing, sitting, and reclining, as well as numerous interpretations of the human head. But Josephsohn is not endeavouring to capture any sense of likeness. Rather he is searching for something deeper, something enduring almost permanent. Many of his works evoke art from classical societies, including the Moai sculptures on Easter Island and medieval Romanesque sculptures.
Josephsohn begins his process using plaster, his favourite material, which he finds perfect for the simplicity and spontaneity it provides. Plaster allows a freedom to add, subtract and edit his work repeatedly. This process is evident in the works – the movements and gestures of the artists’ hands remain and the organic qualities of plaster referencing Josephsohn’s hand in the making. Latterly many of his works have been reimagined in bronze at the Kesselhaus Josephsohn complex, home to an exhibition space, archive and foundry.
In the past decade Josephsohn has had major solo exhibitions at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam and the Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt. The exhibition at Lismore Castle Arts offers a rare opportunity to enjoy key works from an internationally important artist.
There will be a programme of events involving international cultural commentators during the exhibition and a specially commissioned publication will be published in summer 2012.
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