Press Release

“Thought Bubble” – Hans Hemmert
Nextart Gallery & Bookshop
Opening on September 15, 2012, 12-16.
Exhibition runs until October 7.

Hemmerts giant balloon opens Nextart Gallery & Bookshop!

The Berlin-based artist Hans Hemmert’s works have been shown at many art venues around the world, including MOMA in New York and ICA in London. In 1992 he started and joined the artist collective Inges Idee – a group interested in art’s possiblities in the  realm of public space. During 2010/11 Hemmert worked as a guest professor at Bauhaus Universität in Weimar. His production is characterized by a constant mixture of photography, sculpture and drawing.

The fascination with air and space  is poignant  and balloons have become a hallmark of his oeuvre. The balloons are  often bright yellow and the artist interacts with them.  When Hemmert is encapsulated in these balloon membranes, he performs different chores. He has also, in some extreme cases, smeared latex inside his own car or appartment. These events have been photographed, and some of these surreal images can be seen in our exhibition at Nextart. Our gallery will also be invaded by a giant balloon – an experiment full of surprises and risks.

Hans Hemmert’s work can be interpreted in metaphorically diverse ways. Moving into a bubble – a personal space – is necessary for all forms of creative expression. Right here, a wayward idea may manage to grow and take root. But what happens when the bubble devours everything and remains closed?

Nextart Gallery & Bookshop is a new initiative in the Gothenburg district Majorna. It’s initiated and run by artist Stefan Karlsson and art historian Sara Arvidsson. On Nextart both international and Swedish contemporary art will be displayed. The focus is on photography, which is free to cover the entire room and don’t necessarily adopt the framed image’s strict form. As a result of the founders’ extensive art book interest, one of the rooms is devoted to book sales. This idea also arose from the the fact that many young artists, perhaps most photographers, create and make artist books as an integral part of their oeuvre. In addition to exhibitions in the physical gallery, Karlsson and Arvidsson adds much energy on building an Internet-based platform, which follows and interacts with the endless flow of art and images we are witnessing today.  The white cube is ruptured while being revitalized with its original relevance.

Welcome!

For more information and press images please contact
Sara Arvidsson on +46 (0)70  940 81 18 or sara@nextart.se