Stefan Brüggemann

TAKE, PUT AND ABANDON

1 April - 20 May 2017

Zürich

Stefan Brüggemann’s oeuvre is characterised by an ironic conflation of Conceptualism, Minimalism and a post-Pop aesthetic. Hauser & Wirth Zürich is delighted to present the artist’s first solo exhibition in Zurich, showcasing new and recent painting and sculpture. In ‘TAKE, PUT AND ABANDON’ Brüggemann’s masterful wordplay and conceptual rigour coalesce to create a bold and pertinent body of work focusing on themes of appropriation and displacement. The philosophy of language is an important tenet in Brüggemann’s practice, in which text functions as a fluid medium, utilised for both form and meaning; his choice of words typically provocative, acerbic and topical. The collection of works presented in Zurich – Joke and Definition paintings, Cartoon paintings, TEXT PIECES, and the latest iteration of the artist’s best-known series, Headlines and Last Lines in the Movies – all exemplify his sharp manipulation of language. Shown alongside these painting and wall works are a group of stainless steel readymades. The title of the exhibition takes inspiration from the artist’s process of appropriation.

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About the Artist

Stefan Brüggemann

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, London and Ibiza, 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.

Current Exhibitions