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Kiki Kogelnik Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds

Soloshow «Les cyborgs ne sont pas respectueuses», February 23 until September 20, 2020

Artists

Kiki Kogelnik

Institution

Musée des beaux-arts de La-Chaux-de-Fonds

Location

La Chaux-de-Fonds

Download

Press release (PDF)

Website

chaux-de-fonds.ch

Exhibition View Kiki Kogelnik «Les cyborgs ne sont pas respectueuses» at Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds, La Chaux-de-Fonds, 2020 / © Kiki Kogelnik Foundation. All rights reserved

Exhibition View Kiki Kogelnik «Les cyborgs ne sont pas respectueuses; view on Womans Lib, 1971» at Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds, La Chaux-de-Fonds, 2020 / © Kiki Kogelnik Foundation. All rights reserved

Exhibition View Kiki Kogelnik «Les cyborgs ne sont pas respectueuses; view on Brutal in Outer Space, c. 1962-63» at Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds, La Chaux-de-Fonds, 2020 / © Kiki Kogelnik Foundation. All rights reserved

Kiki Kogelnik. Les cyborgs ne sont pas respectueuses [Cyborgs are irreverent]

Kiki Kogelnik left her native Austria for New York in 1961, undergoing a transformation in style. Her work evolved from abstraction to a colorful exploration of the body through social, medical, and technological lenses. She critiqued the impact of consumer society on bodies, highlighting how they could lose form and become interchangeable vessels. The imagery of fashion magazines symbolized the flattening of differences and the commodification of bodies. Kogelnik delved into the idea of hybrid cyborg beings, neither fully human nor machine, where organs could be replaced like spare parts, reflecting the ambivalence of progress. Despite being a prominent figure in the Pop Art scene, Kiki Kogelnik's work did not achieve significant sales during her lifetime. Her feminist perspective, though subtle, positioned her as a marginal figure in the movement. Recent re-evaluations by art historians have shed light on the importance of her pioneering work, which, while optimistic, raises critical questions about society and technology.

Mathias Pfund. Laughing stock

The exhibition "Laughing Stock" by artist Mathias Pfund explores the concept of the "École du gris" or the school of grey painting that supposedly thrived in La Chaux-de-Fonds between the two World Wars. Pfund's project delves into the ambiguity surrounding the historical existence of this school, questioning the role of critics in shaping art history. By re-hanging the museum's collections, Pfund aims to challenge the interpretation, tastes, and values imposed on artworks, emphasizing the construction of meaning in art history. Through his intervention, Pfund investigates the image of art and the ideological tensions it embodies, using the museum's authority to narrate a critical dialogue on art and its values. His research on the topic is available in a booklet at the museum bookshop. Mathias Pfund, born in 1992 and based in Geneva, offers a fresh perspective on the intersection of art, history, and interpretation through his exhibition at the La Chaux-de-Fonds Museum of Fine Art.

Exhibition View Kiki Kogelnik «Les cyborgs ne sont pas respectueuses; view on Untitled (Hanging), 1970» at Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds, La Chaux-de-Fonds, 2020 / © Kiki Kogelnik Foundation. All rights reserved

Exhibition View Kiki Kogelnik «Les cyborgs ne sont pas respectueuses; view on Look Again, 1979» at Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds, La Chaux-de-Fonds, 2020 / © Kiki Kogelnik Foundation. All rights reserved

Exhibition View Kiki Kogelnik «Les cyborgs ne sont pas respectueuses; view on Liquid Injection Thrust, c. 1965» at Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds, La Chaux-de-Fonds, 2020 / © Kiki Kogelnik Foundation. All rights reserved

Exhibition View Kiki Kogelnik «Les cyborgs ne sont pas respectueuses; view on Leftovers, 1970» at Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds, La Chaux-de-Fonds, 2020 / © Kiki Kogelnik Foundation. All rights reserved

Exhibition View Kiki Kogelnik «Les cyborgs ne sont pas respectueuses; view on Portrait of an Attractive Man, 1964» at Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds, La Chaux-de-Fonds, 2020 / © Kiki Kogelnik Foundation. All rights reserved

Exhibition View Kiki Kogelnik «Les cyborgs ne sont pas respectueuses; view on Sirens, 1977» at Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds, La Chaux-de-Fonds, 2020 / © Kiki Kogelnik Foundation. All rights reserved

Exhibition View Kiki Kogelnik «Les cyborgs ne sont pas respectueuses; view on Big Science Fiction Baby, 1967» at Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds, La Chaux-de-Fonds, 2020 / © Kiki Kogelnik Foundation. All rights reserved

Exhibition View Kiki Kogelnik «Les cyborgs ne sont pas respectueuses; view on Moon Baby, 1968» at Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds, La Chaux-de-Fonds, 2020 / © Kiki Kogelnik Foundation. All rights reserved