Ulf Puder: Floating Scenes & Edwin Zwakman: At Night I See the Future
We are excited to present the work of Ulf Puder (1958, Leipzig, Germany) and Edwin Zwak-man (1969, The Hague, the Netherlands). Ulf Puder as well as Edwin Zwakman challenge the viewer with their unique visual approach and playful contemplation of dystopian and utopian ideas that take place on the outskirts of urban activity, in reformed landscapes, in aban-doned or imaginary futures. Both operate where humankind wrestles with nature; Puder in his architectural landscape paintings, Zwakman within his carefully constructed models and photographs.
The paintings of Ulf Puder depict an imagined future that is subtly dystopian, with architec-tural landscapes void of any human presence. Consisting purely of shape and colour, his works hold a middle ground between abstraction and realism. Modernistic architectural elements with smooth surfaces mix with weathered, old building materials. The ‘cultivated land’ is visible proof of societies with a will to create and an ability to adapt. Here the fleet-ing comes to light with the permanent. When viewing Ulf Puder’s work, one might think: “this is what a modern Arcadia is made of”. In addition, the paintings are in the tradition of European landscape painting, which is reflected in the motifs and titles. The titles are taken from the fund of historical landscape images.
Edwin Zwakman's visions of the future are not about post-apocalyptic landslides, dystopian megastructures or any utopian metropolis. Much more is about the questions: what will we see when we look out of our window in 2084? Or: how do we feel when we are forced to leave our natural environment even further behind us? How drastically will the ecological and social challenges lead to upheavals and changes?
In the exhibition Zwakman will present new works, a.o. from the series ‘The Last Trees’, which originate from models of synthetic trees the artist constructed for the Collection of the Historisches Museum Frankfurt.
‘At Night I See the Future’ is a long-term research trajectory in which Edwin Zwakman visualizes his vision of the future with analogue and digital models. AKINCI is proud that this presentation will provide a first glimpse of this complex and exciting project.
With thanks to: Shosho Media Studio Amsterdam / Studio Verter Rotterdam and with the generous support of: Pictoright Fund Amsterdam / Mondriaan Fund Amsterdam.
Ulf Puder (1958, Leipzig, Germany, lives and works in Leipzig) graduated from the Leipziger Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in 1989, ‘Meisterschüler’ of Prof. Bernhard Heisig, as one of the leading painters of his generation. His work has influenced young painters both in Germany as well as Eastern and Central Europe. Ulf Puder’s work is part of major public and private collections worldwide. He has exhibited at prestigious institutions, such as a solo ex-hibition at Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg (DE) and Stadtmuseum Oldenburg (DE). He has fur-ther been exhibited at Moderna Museet, Stockholm (SE); Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin (DE); Museum Ludwig, Budapest (HU); Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, New York (US); Cam-den Art Centre, London (UK); Museum de Paviljoens Almere (NL); Kunsthaus Dresden (DE); Museo Municipal de Malaga (ES), and numerous galleries in both Europe and the United States.
Edwin Zwakman (1969, The Hague, the Netherlands) graduated from the Willem de Kooning Academie, Rotterdam, NL in 1993 and the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam, NL in 1997. In 1992, he did an Erasmus Exchange with the Städelschule in Frankfurt/M, in the class of Prof. Thomas Bayrle. His work is in museum collections, public space and private and public col-lections in the Netherlands, USA, China and throughout Europe. Selected shows by Edwin Zwakman are: ‘Les Printemps de Haute Corrèz’, Center of Contemporary Art, Meymac, FR (2020) ‘The Model’, Collectie De Groen, Arnhem, NL (2020); 'Vedute', Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, NL (2019); 'Modelled Nature’ in Contemporary Photography (2019) Kallmann-Museum, Ismaning, DE; Ludwig Galerie, Saarlouis, DE & Stadtgalerie Kiel, DE; ‘Reality is not a Place II’, Neues Museum, Nürnberg, DE (2018); ‘Light Box’, Kunstmuseum Celle mit Sammlung Robert Simon, Celle, DE (2018); ‘Het trage lage Land’, Museum MORE Gorssel, NL (2018); ‘Time Space Architecture’, Cityscape Amsterdam, NL (2017); ‘Step into my Office’, Gimpel Fils Gallery London, UK (2016); ‘A Gathering: Memory and Reconstruction’, Pujiang Overseas Chinese Town Ten-years Public Art Project Shanghai, CN (2016); ‘A Place to be’, Kunstfort Vijfhuizen, NL (2015); ‘Reality is not a place’, AKINCI, NL (2014), ‘Las lágrimas de las cosas’, Centro des Artes Visuales Fundación Helga de Alvear, Cáceres, ES (2014); ‘Van-ished Boundaries’, OCT Art Museum, Shanghai (with Liu Jianhua, curated by Zhuang Huan 2011); ‘HUG’, Theater in Motion, Beijing (2009); ‘Fake but Accurate’, Huis Marseille, Am-sterdam, NL (2008); ‘Iconic Target’, Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen (2007); Maison Européenne de la Photographie Paris, France (2006); ‘Fake but Accurate’, Gimpel Fils Gallery, London (2005); Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Schiedam (2003); Centraal Museum, Utrecht (2002); Taipei Biennial (2002) and more.