Opening
Thursday, 11 January 2024 | 6 pm

Brief greetings:
María Linares, Executive Spokeswoman, Deutscher Künstlerbund
Albert Weis, Executive Committee, Deutscher Künstlerbund
Dr. Urban Pappi, Executive Director, VG Bild-Kunst
Frank Michael Zeidler, Executive Committee, Stiftung Kunstfonds 


 

About the exhibition
Deutscher Künstlerbund is glad to present the exhibition »Blendung« by Nana Petzet, this year’s winner of the H.A.P. Grieshaber Prize awarded by VG Bild-Kunst. The show gives a unique insight into the her latest artistic research on the protection of biodiversity. Her works are characterized by an in-depth engagement with the interwovenness of nature, art, and science. Using methods and practices from these disciplines, she calls them into question in innovative ways.

For »Glare«, Petzet has a created »a walk-in publication with an integrated test set-up« in the Deutscher Künstlerbund exhibition space. The installation consists of a sound piece extending over all of the room and six intermedia stations focussing on the nocturnal habitat. For the first time, she is presenting results from a scientific study of the complex impact of artificial light sources on the behaviour of nocturnal insects. In close cooperation with entomologist Timo Zeimet, the artist explored what it means when the darkness of the night and the related natural habitat are lost as a result of permanent disruption caused by human interventions. For the exhibition »Death in Venice« at Galerie für Landschaftskunst in Bad Tölz, Petzet transformed the light originally installed on a parking lot to protect people into a system for luring insects. With her study of animal behaviour, the artist addresses the profound question of our relationships with nature, with artificial light, and with the protection of biodiversity.

With this exhibition, Petzet offers an inspiring insight into her many-layered artistic approach, in which she uses scientific methods as both tools and raw materials.

Project management: Sigrid Melchior

HAP Grieshaber Prize, awarded by VG Bild-Kunst
As one of Germany’s most richly endowed art prizes (25,000 euros), the HAP Grieshaber Prize has been awarded since 1999 for outstanding achievements in contemporary art. Previous winners include Rosa Barba, Gert & Uwe Tobias, Özlem Günyol & Mustafa Kunt, and Maya Schweizer. Since 2003, the annual exhibition of the winner’s work has been hosted by the Deutscher Künstlerbund. The prize and the exhibition are organized in close cooperation by VG Bild-Kunst, Stiftung Kunstfonds and Deutscher Künstlerbund. 

The painter and woodcutter HAP Grieshaber played a key part in the initiative to establish VG Bild-Kunst, Germany’s copyright agency for visual art. From the 1970s onwards, Grieshaber campaigned hard for copyright on behalf of his fellow artists, as well as being a strong advocate of improved social support for artists. The prize money for the HAP Grieshaber is provided by Stiftung Kulturwerk, the cultural organization of VG Bild-Kunst, using funds held back in accordance with the agency’s plans for copyright payments. The prize is thus a mark of recognition for artists from artists. Each year’s winner is selected by the trustees of Stiftung Kunstfonds from the applicants for working grants.

About the artist
Born in Munich in 1962, Petzet studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich and at the Academy of Fine Arts Hamburg, where she completed her diploma in 1991, supervised by Prof. Bernhard Blume. Her work includes installations, performances and public art, as well as lectures and research projects. It has been shown in many solo and group shows, both in Germany and internationally.

www.nanapetzet.de

Opening Hours
Tuesday - Friday | 2 - 6 pm and by appointement