Vitrines are more than just simple display cases for Ernst Caramelle; they are intimate as well as experimental spaces for his artistic explorations. Our new gallery located at Domgasse 6, with its unconventional architecture, has the character of a cabinet of curiosities, or a kunstkammer – a kind of vitrine per se in which Caramelle unfolds the multifaceted spectrum of his art. While this is the artist’s ninth exhibition in our gallery, it is also his first in the new exhibition space. The conceptual and sublime works he has been creating since the 1970s revolve around artistic production, institutional structures, and media representation. Caramelle often reflects on the spatial situation of his works. On this occasion, he refers to the quality of the venue while reacting to it with an on-site wall painting accompanied by a selection of works shown for the first time. Thus, one drawing, several ephemeral light works whose structures were created by the sun, a gesso piece, and an installation are all assembled under the mysterious exhibition title M ALLER D / F OHNE B. Two models of vitrines continue his vexing game of shifting our perception from artwork to presentation surface as they create a fascinating interconnection between spatial, temporal, and content-related levels.
Finding a Cryptic Title
I am often asked about the title of a future exhibition, although I do not yet know what works I will be showing, or whether the exhibition needs a title at all. In the latter case, Untitled is the title of choice. It leaves all possible options open. This time, the title was found/chosen long before the exhibition. M ALLER D / F OHNE B was conceived before the works were selected and the spatial design was developed. It represents a riddle that does not need to be solved, but if you figure it out anyway, please keep the solution to yourself. That way, it stays between you and me. This is the opposite way to approach and think about the coming exhibition. The title sets the direction, but which direction will be chosen is not yet defined, and it is not predictable. Nonetheless, the selection of works could fit the title and they could emanate a certain mysteriousness through their spatial presence. In this way, the exhibition refers to the enigmatic title, while also lending the works a cryptic foothold in the broad field of possible interpretations.
Ernst Caramelle
Ernst Caramelle was born in Hall in Tyrol in 1952. He lives and works in Frankfurt, Karlsruhe, and New York City. He participated in the Biennale Sydney in 1990 and documenta IX in Kassel in 1992. He was a professor and rector (from 2012 to 2018) at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe. Selected solo exhibitions: 2018 mumok Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna; Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe; Marta Herford, Herford; 2017 Galerie der Stadt Schwaz, Schwaz; 2016 Bonnefantenmuseum Maastricht; 2012 Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio; 2010 Bloomberg Space, London; 2008 Galerie im Taxispalais, Innsbruck; 2006 Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe; 2005 Museu Serralves, Porto; 2001 BAWAG Foundation, Vienna; 1998 Städtische Galerie, Nordhorn; 1993 Secession, Vienna; 1993 Portikus, Frankfurt; 1990 Museum Haus Lange, Krefeld; 1990 Nationalgalerie, Berlin; 1989 Musée départemental de Rochechouart, Rochechouart; 1986 Kunsthalle Bern, Bern; 1982 Kunsthalle Basel, Basel; 1981 Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt.
Selected museum collections: Albertina, Vienna; Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht; FRAC Limousin, Limoges; Generali Foundation, Salzburg; Krefelder Kunstmuseum, Krefeld; Kunsthaus Bregenz, Bregenz; Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Vaduz; MUMOK Museum Moderner Kunst, Vienna; Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, Innsbruck; Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum, New York.
