Josephine Meckseper

Description

A retrospective catalogue of New York artist Josephine Meckseper's first survey exhibition in France. Produced on the occasion of New York artist Josephine Meckseper's first survey exhibition in France, this catalogue features images from the twofold exhibition, together spanning over twenty thousand square feet at the HAB Galerie, Nantes and Frac des Pays de la Loire in Carquefou, and is accompanied by an essay by writer and critic Joshua Decter. Bringing together a significant selection of works by the artist from the last fifteen years including large-scale installations, sculptures, paintings, and films, Meckseper's exhibition creates a dialogue around gender and scale by curating twenty works from the Frac's collection by Becky Beasley, Karla Black, Kate Blacker, Katinka Bock, Monica Bonvicini, Melanie Counsell, Jason Dodge, Lili Dujourie, Valie Export, Claire Fontaine, Michel Gerson, Johannes Kahrs, Sister Corita Kent, Sherrie Levine, Louise Lawler, Jack Pierson, Martha Rosler, and Rosemarie Trockel. By incorporating works from the collection to be shown alongside her own, Meckseper invites the audience to reread her oeuvre through the lens of the collection, and then reread the collection through Meckseper's large-scale vitrines. Partly informed by the abandoned industrial landscape and the old shipping cranes surrounding the exhibition space, Meckseper's own monumental sculptures and politically charged works intersect with the artworks from the collection, which are exhibited in part on specific wood and mirror shelves designed by Meckseper, providing an additional conceptual mode of display and narrative in both locations. Contributors Becky Beasley, Karla Black, Kate Blacker, Katinka Bock, Monica Bonvicini, Claire Fontaine, Melanie Counsell, Jason Dodge, Lili Dujourie, Michel Gerson, Johannes Kahrs, Sister Corita Kent, Louise Lawler, Sherrie Levine, Jack Pierson, Martha Rosler, Rosemarie Trockel, Valie Export

Laurence Gateau is Director of the Pays de la Loire Regional Contemporary Art Fund.