Spanning—and sometimes combining—sculpture, video, painting, and drawing, Stefan Brüggemann’s work deploys text in conceptual installations rich with acerbic social critique and a post pop aesthetic. Born in Mexico City and working between Mexico and London, the artist’s oeuvre is characterized by an ironic conflation of Conceptualism and Minimalism. In this way, Brüggemann’s practice sits outside the canon of the conceptual artists practicing in the 1960s and 1970s, who sought dematerialisation and rejected the commercialisation of art. Instead his aesthetic is refined and luxurious, whilst maintaining a punk attitude.
The philosophy of language is a crucial tenet in Brüggemann’s practice, in which text functions as a fluid medium, utilized for both form and meaning; his choice of words typically provocative, acerbic and topical. Brüggemann’s masterful wordplay and conceptual rigour coalesce to create a bold and pertinent body of work focusing on themes of appropriation and displacement.
Stefan Brüggemann
Biography
Print BiographySolo Exhibitions
Maruani Mercier, 'Stefan Brüggemann & On kawara. Hyper-Conscious', Brussels, Belgium
HOP Projects, 'OK (UNTITLED ACTION)' Folkestone, UK
Galeria Nuno Centeno, Porto, Portugal
Centro de las Artes Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico
Hauser & Wirth, 'HYPER-PALIMPSEST', London, UK
Parra & Romero Ibiza, 'High Speed Contrast', Ibiza, Spain
Nukaga Gallery, 'Ha Ha What Does This Represent? What Do You Represent', Tokyo, Japan
Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea, 'To Be Political It Has To Look Nice', Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Hauser & Wirth, New York NY
Centro Roberto Garza Sada, 'Puddle Paintings', Mexico City, Mexico
GAM, 'Headlines & Last Line in the Movies (Protest Pavilion)', Mexico City, Mexico
Independent Projects, Parra & Romero, 'Headlines & Last Line in the Movies (fluorescent)', New York NY
Contemporary Art Gallery, 'Headlines & Last Line in the Movies (protest)', Vancouver, Canada
Parra & Romero, 'THIS IS NOT AN EXIT', Madrid, Spain
Queens Gate and Harrington Road, '1997 – 2014 Text pieces, The Wall, South Kensington', London, UK
Jonathan Viner Gallery, 'To Be Titled' London, UK
Mendes Wood DM Gallery, Pivo Copan Building, 'On Sociology (The Civilization of Speculation)', São Paulo, Brazil
Galería de Arte Mexicano, 'Untitled (Joke and Definition Paintings)', Mexico City, Mexico
Art Nova, 'Project with Philippe Decrauzat', Art Basel Miami Beach, Miami FL
Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, 'The world trapped in the self (windows for mirrors)', Barcelona, Spain
Galeria Gam, 'Speculative Paintings (world isn’t free)', Mexico City, Mexico
Acne Studios, 'Twisted Inside-Out T-Shirt', White Art/T-Shirt Project, Stockholm, Sweden
Parra & Romero, 'Permanent production of excess (Red, Green, Blue)', Madrid, Spain
Kunsthalle Lissabon, 'Showtitles (audio)', Lisbon, Portugal
Yvon Lambert, 'Headlines & last line in the movies', New York NY
1/9 Unosunove arte contemporanea, 'Reversed Inverted', Rome, Italy
NP3, '(Signs that become abstractions, abstraction that become signs)', Groningen, Netherlands
Sies & Hoeke Gallery, 'Monday', Dusseldorf, Germany
Sala de arte publico, 'NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, SAPS', Mexico City, Mexico
Bloomberg Space, 'The Fall. Stefan Brueggemann with DR ATL', London, UK
Kunsthalle Bern, 'Black Box', Bern, Switzerland
Kerlin Gallery, 'Soap box (a decorative form of nihilism)', Dublin, Ireland
The Lift, 'A Production of Nothing', Madrid, Spain
Galería de Arte Mexicano, 'No', Mexico City, Mexico
Art Basel Miami Beach (I-20 Gallery, with Joao Onofre and Eduardo Sarabia), 'Art Nova', Miami FL
Galería de Arte Mexicano, 'Stefan Brüggemann', Mexico City, Mexico
I-20 Gallery, New York NY
24/7 Gallery, 'Against International Standards', London, UK
Galería de Arte Mexicano, 'Stefan Brüggemann', Mexico City, Mexico
'Unproductive O.P.A. ', Guadalajara, Mexico
Private Collection, 'Thoughts are products', New York NY
'Black Building', Mexico City, Mexico
Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts, 'Labels', Site-specific window installation, London, UK
Regina 51-3er Piso, 'Texto', Mexico City, Mexico
Reyna #141, 'Function and Dysfunctions', Site-specific project, Mexico City, Mexico
Group Exhibitions
Fabian Lang Gallery, 'Revert to type', Zurich, Switzerland
Maison Des Arts, 'Tomber en Amour. Collection Veys-Verhaevert', Schaerbeek, Belgium
Colección Jumex, 'Colección Jumex. On The Razor’s Edge', Mexico City, Mexico
Kotaro Nukaga, 'UNLEASHED SPEED UNLEASHED SPEECH (MISFITS)', cur. Stefan Brüggemann, Tokyo, Japan
Collection Lambert, 'I reflect what you are. From Nan Goldin to Roni Horn: intimacy in the Collection Lambert', Avignon, France
PLAY City Circuit for Contemporary Art, Kortrijk, Belgium
Galeria Municipal do Porto, 'Them Or Us! ', Porto, Portugal
Hauser & Wirth, 'Portable Art. A Project by Celia Forner', New York NY
Parra & Romero, 'Accrochage', Madrid, Spain
Halle 14, 'Capitalist Melancholia', Leipzig, Germany
Untilthen, 'Bittersweet… Bitter… Sweet…', Saint-Ouen, France
HVCCA Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, 'Word', Peekskill NY
Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo, 'In girum imus nocte et consumimur', Mexico City, Mexico
Sheffield Museum, 'Going Public. International Art Collectors in Sheffield', Sheffield, UK
Galerie Gourvennec Ogor, 'Minimum Production, Maximum Expression', Marseille, France
Me Collectors Room Berlin, 'A Book of Burning Matches. Collecting Installation Art Documents', Berlin, Germany
Espacio Monitor, 'Múltiple. Poligrafa Obra Gráfica', Caracas, Venezuela
Le BBB Centre d’Art, 'Collective Collection', Toulouse, France
Blain|Southern Gallery, 'Sed Tantum Dic Verbo (Just Say The Word)', Berlin, Germany
Clint Roenisch Gallery, 'First the Pleasure, Then The Thesis', Toronto, Canada
Postbox Gallery, 'On Reflection', London, UK
Postbox Gallery, 'Text Massage', London, UK
Jonathan Viner Gallery, 'Writing on the Wall', London, UK
The New Institute, Netherlands Architecture Institute, '1:1 Sets', Rotterdam, Netherlands
Maison d’Art Bernard Anthonioz, Jeu de Paume, 'An Exhibition Without Texts', Nogent-sur-Marne, France
The Moving Museum, 'Tectonic', Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Holden Gallery, Manchester Metropolitan University, 'An Exhibition. Stefan Brüggemann, Lawrence Weiner, Carey Young', Manchester UK
Pilar Corrias, 'Totendrophilia', London, UK
Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo, 'Confusion in the Vault', Mexico City, Mexico
Bass Museum, 'Temporary Commission on Bass Museum Facade', Miami FL
Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, 'Now Here is also Nowhere. Part I', Seattle WA
CAC Contemporary Art Center Vilnius, 'In Deed: Certificates of Authenticity in Art', Vilnius, Lithuania (Travelling Exhibition)
Weatherspoon Art Museum, The University of North Carolina, 'In Deed. Certificates of Authenticity in Art', Greensboro, NC (Travelling Exhibition)
Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, 'Neon. La Materia Luminosa dell’Arte', Rome, Italy
Drawing Room, 'Graphology', London, UK
Galeria Nuno Centeno, 'Port', Porto, Portugal
'Now Here Is Also Nowhere', Poitiers, France
'Le Confort Moderne', Poitiers, France
Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Rufino Tamayo, 'First Act', Mexico City, Mexico
La Maison Rouge, 'Neon. Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue', Paris, France
FRAC Bourgogne, 'The FRAC invites itself to the Consortium', Dijon, France
Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, 'Now Here is also Nowhere. Part I', Seattle WA
Toves Galleri, Vesterbro Contemporary Workout Space, 'Sad for something that never happened', Copenhagen, Denmark
SALT Galata, 'In Deed. Certificates Of Authenticity In Art', Istanbul, Turkey (Travelling Exhibition)
HEAD Haute école d'art et design, 'La Radio Siamo Noi', Geneva, Switzerland
Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Rufino Tamayo, 'Incidents of Mirror Travel in Yucatán and Elsewhere', Mexico City, Mexico
54th Venice Biennale, 'Commercial Break. Garage Project', Venice, Italy
Paddles.com, 'Wit', New York NY
Parra & Romero, 'Lectura de una Realidad', Madrid, Spain
MHKA Museum for Contemporary Art Antwerp, 'Lonely at the Top. Graphology Chapter 2', Antwerp, Belgium
Yvon Lambert, 'L’Insoutenable Légèreté de l´Être', Paris, France, New York NY
Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, 'In Deed. Cerificates of Authenticity in Art', Venice, Italy (Travelling Exhibition)
HIAP Project Room, Cable Factory, 'More Or Less. A Few Pocket Universes', Helsinki, Finland
The David Roberts Art Foundation, 'Fig.3 I don’t know what to say', London, UK
SE8, 'The Half-Shut Door. Artists’ Soundtracks', London, UK
De Vleeshal Centre for Contemporary Art, 'In Deed. Certificates of Authenticity in Art', Middelburg, Netherlands (Travelling Exhibition)
Association Tripode, 'Off Modern', Nantes, France
Galerie Michel Journiac, 'La Part Manquante', Paris, France
Montblanc, 'Poem Island', Paris, France
3rd International Festival of Art on Billboards, 'Art Moves', Torum, Poland
Art Basel Miami Beach, 'The Island', Miami FL
Instituto Cervantes, 'Shadowed by the Future', São Paulo, Brazil
Fundacion Serralves, 'To the Arts, Citizens!', Porto, Portugal
De Appel, 'I’m Not Here. An exhibition without Francis Alÿs', Amsterdam, Netherlands
Parra & Romero, 'I Got A Break Baby………', Madrid, Spain
Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo, 'Todo A Nada', Mexico City, Mexico
CAC Contemporary Art Centre Cincinnati, 'Where Do We Go From Here? Selections from La Colección Jumex', Cincinnati OH (Travelling Exhibition)
Yvon Lambert Gallery, 'Wish List of a Young Collector', Paris, France
Sébastien Ricou Gallery, 'Number Seven', Brussels, Belgium
Bass Museum, 'Where Do We Go From Here. Selections from la Colección Jumex', Miami, FL
(Travelling Exhibition)
Palazzo delle Arti Napoli, 'The Impolitical', Naples, Italy
Yvon Lambert, 'Locus Solus', Paris, France
Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, 'Making of Art. The Art World and Its Players', Frankfurt, Germany
Lismore Castle, 'United Technologies', Waterford, Ireland
Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo, 'Nothingness and Being', Mexico City, Mexico
Galería OMR, 'This Is Not an Invitation It’s a Presentation', Mexico City, Mexico
Yvon Lambert, 'Espèce d’Espace', New York NY
Museo Nacional de Arte México, 'La Invención de lo Cotidiano', Mexico City, Mexico
Centro Cultural Monte Hermoso, 'Term of Use', Bilbao, Spain
Cosmic Gallery, 'The Other Way Around', Paris, France
Galeria Vermelho, 'Looks Conceptual', São Paulo, Brazil
Blow de la Barra, 'Present', London, UK
Galleria Galica, 'Why is There Something Rather Than Nothing?', Milan, Italy
Palazzo della Vicaria, 'LatinoLatino', Trapani, Italy
Kunsthalle Bern, 'Noleftovers', Bern, Switzerland
SAFAN, 'Exhibitions Ruins / Emotional Landscapes', Reykjavik, Iceland
Centre d’Art Santa Mònica, 'Clearly Invisible', Barcelona, Spain
Galerie Baumet Sultana, 'Vraiment?', Paris, France
I-20 Gallery, 'Shallow', New York NY
Monitor, '9 or 10 Works I Used to Like in No Order', Rome, Italy
La Station, 'Off Modern', Nice, France (Travelling Exhibition)
Objectif Exhibitions, 'No negative', Antwerp, Belgium
Zwirner & Wirth, 'Yes Bruce Nauman', New York NY
Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, 'Nothing', Frankfurt, Germany
Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo, 'Esquiador al Fondo del Pozo', Mexico City, Mexico
Blow de la Barra, 'The Title as The Curator’s Art Piece', London, UK
Bard College, 'Draw a Straight Line And Follow It', Annandale-On-Hudson NY
Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, 'L’Exposition Qui N’existe Pas', Geneva, Switzerland
Blow de la Barra, 'The Galleries Show', Antwerp, Belgium
Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo, 'Complexities & Heterogeneity', Mexico City, Mexico
ICA Institute of Contemporary Arts, 'Beck’s Futures 2006', London, UK (Travelling Exhibition)
Tramway, 'This Peaceful War', Glasgow, UK
Objectif Exhibition, 'The Final Floor Show', Antwerp, Belgium
Galería de Arte Mexicano, '(Misunderstandings) ', Mexico City, Mexico
Galerija Gregor Podnar, 'Nothingness', Ljubljana, Slovenia
I-20 Gallery, 'Rimbaud', New York NY
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Monterrey, 'Solo Los Personajes Cambian', Monterrey, Mexico
Galerie Eugen Lendl, Palais Wildenstein, 'Nothingness', Graz, Austria
Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo, 'La Colmena', Mexico City, Mexico
Art in General, 'Me, We', New York NY
Oficina para Proyectos de Arte, 'Documento Recuperado', Guadalajara, Mexico
Lisson Gallery, 'The Distance Between Me and You', London, UK
Prague Biennial 1, Prague, Czech Republic
Ideal House, Gallery 400, 'Demonstration Room', Chicago IL
Curaduria Express, S.A.I.S.C., 'The Art World’s New Darling', Mexico City, Mexico
M&M Proyectos, 'PR,02 En Ruta', San Juan, Puerto Rico
Haus De Kulturen der Welt, 'Zebra Crossing', Berlin, Germany
The Independent, Liverpool Biennial, 'Intergalactic Conversations', Liverpool, UK
Programa Art Center, 'Vanishing City', Mexico City, Mexico
Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, 'Las Molestias Son Temporales', Mexico City, Mexico.
Artsonje Center, 'La Persistencia de la Imagen', Seoul, North Korea
Programa Art Center, 'White Noise, White Silence', Mexico City, Mexico
Ideal House, NICC, 'Demonstration Room', Antwerp, Belgium (Travelling Exhibition)
Casa Ideal, Museo Alejandro Otero, 'Demonstration Room', Caracas, Venezuela
Ex Teresa Arte Actual, '2do Festival de Arte Sonoro', Mexico City, Mexico
Galería de Arte Mexicano, 'Promo', Mexico City, Mexico
Blind Spot, 'Art & Idea', Mexico City, Mexico
Galería de Arte Mexicano, 'Group Show', Mexico City, Mexico
Museum of Fine Arts, 'Myself and My Surroundings', Montreal, Canada
Expoarte, 'Regina 51-3er piso', Guadalajara, Mexico City, Mexico
Zacatecas #89, 'Song 2', Mexico City, Mexico
Art Deposit, Exporarte, 'Documentos', Guadalajara, Mexico
Museo de Culturas Populares, 'Situación Culturalemente Correcta', Mexico City, Mexico
Art Deposit, 'New Texts from Mexico City', New York NY
Museo de Arte Monterrey, '3rd Monterrey Bienal', Monterrey, Mexico
Art Deposit, 'Signifiers', Mexico City, Mexico
Bibliography
Publications by the artist
‘Trash’, London: No Rights Publishing, 2015
‘Headlines and Last Lines in the Movies’, London: No Rights Publishing, 2015
Publications
___, ‘Stefan Brüggemann. Vocabulary’, Destroy Press, 2018
Rosenberg, David, Pietromarchi, Bartolomeo, de Miranda, Luis, 'Neon. La Materia Luminosa dell'Arte', Macerata/IT: Quodlibet, 2012, p. 94, ill.
Selected articles
___, 'Stefan Brüggemann brings new solo exhibition to Mayfair' on: www.londonlive.co.uk, London/UK, 27 February 2019
___, ‘Stefan Brüggemann: Hi-Speed Contrast’ in: Under the Influence, London/UK, Spring/Summer, pp. 123–135
___, ‘TAKE, PUT AND ABANDON’ at Hauser & Wirth Zürich’, in: SonntagsZeitung, Zürich/CH, 9 April 2017, p. 69
Michalarou, E., 'ART CITIES: Zurich-Stefan Brüggemann' on: www.dreamideamachine.com, Athens/GR, 4 April 2017
Dafoe, Taylor, ‘Observing the Drama of the World: A Q&A with Stefan Brüggemann’, on: www.blouinartinfo.com, New York NY, 5 July 2016
Hamer, Katy Diamond, ‘Social Studies: Stefan Brüggemann’, in: Cultured Magazine, Miami FL, June 2016, pp.112
Herzog, Nadia, ‘Acerbic social critique and a post-pop aesthetic: Stefan Brüggemann exhibition at Hauser and Wirth’, on: www.widewalls.ch, Ermatingen/CH, June 2016
___, 'Appropriated Language' on: www.aestheticamagazine.com, London/UK, 5 April 2017
Gallery Exhibitions
View allUNTITLED ACTION (GOLD PAINTINGS)
HYPER-PALIMPSEST
Museum Exhibitions
View allNOT BLACK, NOT WHITE, SILVER