Thomas Struth
Thomas Struth: New Works
Marian Goodman Gallery
New York, 24 West 57th Street
In the North Gallery, the artist will continue his analysis of contemporary science and technology. The South Gallery will offer an entirely new subject matter and mode of representation in Struth’s oeuvre.
THOMAS STRUTH GRACE-Follow-On Bottom View, IABG, Ottobrunn, 2017 Inkjet print Image: 53 1/8 x 84 5/8 in. (135 x 214.8 cm) Frame: 56 3/4 x 88 1/4 x 2 3/8 in. (144.1 x 224.2 x 6 cm) Edition of 6 (20445)
During the past fifteen months, the artist worked at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin. In the Institute’s own words: “We study the diversity of life histories and evolutionary adaptations and their limits (including diseases) of free-ranging and captive wildlife species, and their interactions with people and their environment in Germany, Europe and worldwide.
“ “While combining a variety of research approaches and research disciplines, the IZW in the current era of the Anthropocene, virtually all ecosystems in the world are subject to some form of anthropogenic impact. As yet, it is usually not possible to reliably predict the response of wildlife in a specific context to the rapid global change. However, such predictions are urgently needed in order to design appropriate concepts and methods for conservation intervention and prioritize the use of the limited resources available for conservation.” ”
THOMAS STRUTH Neutral Buoyancy Lab, JSC, Houston, 2017 Chromogenic print Image: 79 1/2 x 149 7/8 in. (202 x 380.7 cm) Frame: 84 1/2 x 154 3/4 x 2 3/4 in. (214.6 x 393.1 x 7 cm) Edition of 6 (20397)
These striking new works, precise and sensitively rendered, represent the artist’s pictorial stance in a surprising new manner. They draw on a range of antecedents, from Struth’s recent photographs of medical settings to the history of memento mori. In choosing subjects from the naturalist domain and in presenting specimens of earthly mortality, Struth touches on the dignity of life itself, our humanist tradition, and evolutionary questions:
““I tried to depict the animals in a beautiful, dignified fashion. I’m interested in the idea of surrender: Once you die, all the circus that you proactively create, the theater, comes to a full stop. These pictures should be like punches, the memento of death as a wake-up call.” ”
THOMAS STRUTH Seeadler (Haliaeetus albicilla), Leibniz IZW, Berlin, 2016 Inkjet print Image: 34 1/4 x 57 1/8 in. (87.1 x 145.1 cm) Frame: 48 1/4 x 70 1/2 x 1 3/4 in. (122.6 x 179.1 x 4.4 cm) Edition of 6 (20448)
The works in the North Gallery continue the artist’s investigations into our modern day technological and cultural reality and are comprised of stunning large-scale works. Taken in Houston, Berlin and Munich, his images take us from the NASA’s Johnston Space Center to Siemens’ high voltage laboratory, from MMM’s medical modelling program to IABG’s testing facility for air and space, security and defense assemblies. Probing the architectural and pictorial depth of the realm in which knowledge, ambition and imagination cooperate, Struth brings us in intimate relationship with the mental complexity of our world.
On view through December 22, 2017
