thomas zipp
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The work of Thomas Zipp uses painting, drawing, installation and performance to create a totalizing experience within what often feels like a suspended, uncanny world, in which the pillars of western thought – history, art, religion and science – weave in and out of a mythologized narration. From his 2010 show at the Kunsthalle Fridericianum, where the artist turned the museum into an insane asylum, to his paintings where figures like Martin Luther or Copernicus appear as spectral, psychedelic characters, to his performances where an impromptu, dada-esque rock concert plays before the suggestive and methodical architecture he creates, Zipp interrogates the institutional order of thing, favoring the blurred space where creative genious teeters toward insanity, reason falls into absurdity, or education becomes farce.
The paintings presented in the attached pdf present forms that seem constructed from a kind of free-association drawn – the outline of figures from the unconscious or dreamlike state. Zipp transcribes Freudian text, references narcotic induced analysis and psychoanalytic jargon on the surface of each canvass, which seems to unfold as an almost automatic writing. In method that akins itself to psychoanalysis, Zipp unravels narratives and fictions that arise from paradoxical places of pseudoscience and myth.
Thomas Zipp was born in 1966 in Heppenheim, he lives and works in Berlin. Recent solo shows include: “Comparative Investigation about the Disposition of the Width of a Circle”, Palazzo Rossini, 55th Venice Biennale, 2013; “ENGLAND ATTACKED BY THE AMERICAS,” Kunstverein Oldenburg, 2012; “The World´s most complete Congress of RITATIN” “Treatments,” Kunstraum Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 2011 (cat.); (WHITE REFORMATION CO-OP) “MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO,” Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel, 2010 (cat.); “PLANET CARAVAN. IS THERE LIFE AFTER DEATH? A FUTURISTIC WORLD FAIR,” South London Gallery, London, 2007.(cat)
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Born in 1966 in Heppenheim. Lives and works in Berlin.
Selected solo exhibitions
2020
world health. Mental health, Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna
2019
Signal Hill, Avlskarl, Copenhagen
The Unknown (Flowers) & The Other Side, Martinetz, Cologne
2018
A PRIMER OF HIGHER SPACE (The Family of Man), Kunsthalle Giessen, Giessen
2017
White Rabbit (Martin Luther), Overbeck Gesellschaft & St. Petri Kuratorium, St. Petri zu Lübeck
2016
The Threshold Problem and Some Possible Ways to Solve It, Cc Foundation & Art Space, Shanghai
Attempts to Quantify Sensation, Albert Baronian, Brussels
2015
The Observer as a System with Feedback, Alison Jacques Gallery, London
2014
A Psychophysical Basis for Utilitarian Comparisons (The Laerdal Experiments), Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna
Effects of Stimulus-Range and Anchor Value on Psychophysical Judgement (The Laerdal Rehearsals), Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
Experiments on the Perceptual and Conceptual Classification of Varying Stimulus Patterns, Galería Heinrich Ehrhardt, Madrid
Sources of Variability in Magnitude Estimates, Sommer Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv
2013
Comparative investigation about the disposition of the width of a circle, 55th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia 2013, Palazzo Rossini, Venice
Task Dependence of the Effect of Standards on the Perception of a Series of Objects, Svit, Prague
The Penthotal Analyses (un ballet de cour), performance at Teatro Arsenale, presented by Fondazione Nicola Trussardi, Milan
The Pink Noise Diaries, kaufmann repetto, Milan
The Chips are down, Harris Lieberman Gallery, New York
2012
England Attacked by the Americans, Kunstverein Oldenburg, Oldenburg
Blackout Chambers, L’arc de Cercle & Dissociative Amnesia, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
3 contributions to the theory of mass-aberrations in modern religions, Alison Jaques Gallery, London
2011
Beyond the Superego, Galerie Krinziger, Vienna
Achtung!: solarized deterritorialization. insanity against protestantism(England attacked by the Americas), Ausstellungsraum Céline und Heiner Bastian, Berlin
bilobed flaps, Baronian_Francey, Brussels
The World’s most complete Congress of RITATIN Treatments,Kunstraum Innsbruck, Innsbruck
The forbidden Conduct (Deviations in conservative societies), Sommer Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv
2010
AIDS to Theater Technique, Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich
(WHITE REFORMATION CO-OP) MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO, Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel
2009
FACES, Kunstverein Heppenheim, Heppenheim
The World’s Most Complete Congress Of Strange People, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
The World’s Most Complete Congress Of Strange Birds, Patricia Low, Gstaad, Switzerlan
MENS AGITAT MOLEM (Luther & The Family of Pills), Sammlung Goetz, Munich
ILSATIN, francesca kaufmann, Milan
2008
WHITE DADA, Alison Jacques Gallery, London
world Health. Mental health, Sommer Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv
Black Pattex 78, Galería Heinrich Ehrhardt, Madrid
Dwarf Nose, Harris Lieberman Gallery, New York
S.S.B.S.M. (sick souls by sick minds), Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
2007
WHITE DADA, De Appel, Amsterdam
PLANET CARAVAN? IS THERE LIFE AFTER DEATH? a FUTURISTIC WORLD FAIR, Kunsthalle Mannheim, Mannheim; Museum in der Alten Post, Mülheim; South London Gallery, London, and Museum Dhondt-Daehnens, Deurle, Belgium
MOOLeSDe (BIRDS),Patricia Low Contemporary, Gstaad
The Family of Ornament and Verbrechen, Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna
2006
Hier(Futuristic Mess), Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich
Geist über Materie, Patrick Painter Inc., Santa Monica
Uranlicht, HarrisLieberman Gallery, New York
EEEEEEE (God bless the (Lord Auch)), Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
2005
Achtung! Vision: N.I.B., Alison Jacques Gallery, London
The Return of the Subreals, Oldenburger Kunstverein, Oldenburg
Nuevo Tychónico, Galería Heinrich Ehrhardt, Madrid
man muss das adjektiv abschaffen, Baronian_Francey, Brussels
2004
Futurism Now! SAMOA leads, Daniel Hug Gallery, Los Angeles
The New Breed, Galerie Michael Neff and Galerie Parisa Kind, Frankfurt
2003
Neroin, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
The Nero Command, Marc Jancou Fine Art, New York
2001
Exorcise the demons of perhaps, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
Bis dass der Tod uns meidet(with Manfred Peckl and Phillip Zaiser), Galerie Hilger, Vienna
Atrium Vagari (with Phillip Zaiser), Halle für Kunst, Essen
2000
od, Maschenmode, Berlin
Nobody loves an Albatros, Montparnasse, Berlin
1999
1. Diciembre 1999 – 29. Enero 2000 (with Thilo Heinzmann), Galería Heinrich Ehrhardt, Madrid
1998
Seilers Schlafzimmer, Helmut Seiler, Munich
1997
n.n.(with Thilo Heinzmann), Galerie ak, Frankfurt
Selected group exhibitions
2020
Vent’anni – Twenty Years, 20th anniversary exhibition, kaufmann repetto, milan
2019
Now is the time, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg
2018
Bottom up, Kühlhaus Berlin
Ankäufe von 2012 bis 2016, Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn
Dogs of the newfoundland, Albert Baronian, Brussels
Becoming Animal, Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen
2017
Aftermieter, Haus Mödrath – Räume für Kunst, Kerpen
Cosmic Debris, RAE FARM, Lentzke/Fahrbellin
SMALL – an exploration of miniature, Sexauer Gallery, Berlin
Berlin – Klondyke, UGM Studio, Maribor
Ressentiment – Kulturen des Dissens, IKOB- Museum fur Zeitgenossische Kunst Eupen, Eupen
2016
Ich Ist Eine Ego-Maschine, ERES Stiftung, Munich
Works on Paper and Wood, HilgerBROT Kunsthalle, Vienna
What People do for Money: Some Joint Ventures, Manifesta 11, Zurich
Connected, Centrale for Contemporary Art, Brussels
2015
Painting Show – Part Two, Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich
2014
Convoluted Beauty: In the Company of Emily Carr, Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
DAK’ART 2014, 11ème Biennale de l’Art Africain Contemporain, Dakar
Siehe was dich sieht / Franz Graf, 21er Haus, Vienna
Figure-Ground Specification in Terms of Structural Information. The Rivalry between Different Pattern Codings, Patricia Low Contemporary, St. Moritz
2013
Pattern Codings, Patricia Low Contemporary, St. Moritz
Das Glück kommt aus dem Nichts Werke aus der Slg. Wilhelm Otto Nachf,Kunsthalle Nürnberg, Nuremberg
I.O.U., Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin
Die gestundete Zei, Sies + Hoek, Düsseldorf
Heinzmann, Johnson, Zipp, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
2012
salondergegenwart, Elbhof, Hamburg
Gallery Artists Group Show, Harris Lieberman Gallery, New York
Sig. Wilhelm Otto Nachf, Leopold-Hoesch-Museum, Duren
Fantasie Fluttuanti, Torrione Passari, Molfetta, Bari
Frankfurter Applaus, Autocenter, Berlin
The Poster Show, carlier | gebauer, Berlin
Scultura Fantasma, Baginski Galeria Projectos, Lisbon
2011
Group Velocity, Märkisches Museum, Witten
Alptraum / Nightmare, Deutscher Künstlerbund, Berlin, The Company, Los Angeles
2010
5th Anniversary Exhibition, Patricia Low Contemporary, Geneva
Hareng Saur: Ensor and contemporary art, S.M.A.K., Ghent
LOVE KILLS. Betting on the muse, Frankfurt
Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin. Protestantische Begräbniskultur der Frühen Neuzeit, Museum für Sepulkralkultur, Kassel
Superkeit, Anna Klinkhammer Galerie, Düsseldorf
If Not In This Period Of Time: Contemporary German Painting 1989-2010, Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand, São Paulo (cat.)
KICK THAT HABIT!, Galerie Börgman, Cologne (cat.)
Rod Bianco Gallery invites Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Rod Bianco Gallery, Oslo
Wystawa, Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw
Was tun? Was geschieht?, Sammlung Rheingold, Stiftung Schloss Dyck, Jüpchen
Chapter Five: Thriller, About Change Collection, Berlin
Danke Frau Antje, Galerie Diana Stigter, Amsterdam
Die Nacht – Nachtdarstellungen in der zeitgenössischen Malerei, Delmenhorst
2009
amor fati, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
Germania: New Art from Germany, The Saatchi Gallery, London
Precarious Form I – Prekäre Skulpturen, Galerie Meyer Kainer, Vienna
Die andere Seite, Kai 10 – Raum für Kunst, Düsseldorf
Nothing is Permanent – Albert Baronian, La Centrale Electrique, Brussels
When the mood strikes – Collection of Wilfried & Yannicke Cooreman, Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle
Das neue Machine-gun Etiquette, Galerie Andreas Höhne, Munich
On A Clear Day I Can See Forever, Bureau Cultuurmakelaar Tilburg, Tilburg
1999, China Art Objects Galleries and Cottage Home, Los Angeles
BERLIN2000, PaceWildenstein, New York
2008
Heavy Metal. On the Inexplicable Lightness of a Material, Kunsthalle zu Kiel, Kiel
Mare Humorum 1, Hiromi Yoshii Gallery, Tokyo
Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967, Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami and Museum of Contemporary Art, Montreal
Emerson vs. Nietzsche, China Art Objects at Cottage Home, Los Angeles
Works on Paper, La Maison Jaune (Patricia Low Contemporary), Gstaad
18, Center, Berlin
That’s The Way It Is, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
Son of…,Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tourcoing, Tourcoing
Vertrautes Terrain – Aktuelle Kunst in & über Deutschland, ZKM, Karlsruhe
Back to Black– Schwarz in der aktuellen Malerei, Kestnergesellschaft, Hannover
The Hamsterwheel, Malmö Konsthall, Malmö
Andersen’s Wohnung Revisited 1996-1999, Andersen’s Contemporary, Berlin
Hedwig, Baronian_Francey, Brussels
Bird Berries Bash, powergallery hosted by Krinzinger Projekte, Vienna
Yellow Snow, La Maison Jaune (Patricia Low Contemporary), Gstaad
2007
Ballet Mécanique, Timothy Taylor Gallery, London
Euro-Centric. Part I, Rubell Family Collection, Miami
Sympathy for the Devil, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
return to forever, forever and a dayBüro, Berlin
Aquarellcore(mit Manfred Peckl, Felix Weber, Phillip Zaiser), Daniel Hug Gallery, Los Angeles
Perspektive07, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich
Mystic Truths, Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland
Made in Germany, Kestnergesellschaft, Hannover
Kunstpreis der Böttcherstraße in Bremen 2007, Kunsthalle Bremen, Bremen
Kommando Friedrich Hölderlin Berlin,Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin
Final Exhibition at 4 Clifford Street, Alison Jacques Gallery, London
Gallery swap with Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Hotel, London
2006
Deformation of Character, PS1, New York
Rings of Saturn, Tate Modern, London
Faster!Bigger!Better!, ZKM / Museum für Neue Kunst, Karlsruhe
Of Mice and Men, 4th Berlin Biennal of Contemporary Art, Berlin
2005
Papier, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
Schwarz, Brot, Gold, Oldenburger Kunstverein, Oldenburg
Goetz meets Falckenberg, Phoenix Kunststiftung, Hamburg
When humour becomes painful, Migrosmuseum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich
Das neue Schwarz, Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich
Security Check. Painting after Romaticism, Galerie Arndt & Partner, Zurich
2004
Central Station(Collection Harald Falckenberg), La Maison Rouge, Paris
Made in Berlin, ArtForum, Berlin
Heimweh, Haunch of Venison, London
Guido W. Baudach, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
Kommando Pfannenkuchen, Daniel Hug Gallery, Los Angeles
2003
Hands up, Baby, hands up, Oldenburger Kunstverein, Oldenburg
actionbutton, Hamburger Bahnhof / Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin
Inauguration, Marc Jancou Fine Art, New York
Painting on the roof,Museum Abteiberg, Mönchengladbach
2002
Tiere, Elternhaus Thomas Palme, Immenstadt
FRIEDE, FREIHEIT, FREUDE,Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
Große Kunstausstellung Sommer 2002, PAZIFIK, Berlin
Schöne Aussicht, Herr Schweins, Galerie Otto Schweins, Cologne
2001
The Ölwechsel, Transmission Gallery, Glasgow
Viva November, Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg, Wolsfburg
Bayrle, Jensen, Neumeier, Vatter, Zipp, Gesellschaft für junge Kunst, Baden-Baden
Musterkarte, Galería Heinrich Ehrhardt, Madrid
Montana Sacra (Circles 5), ZKM, Karlsruhe
2000
Deathrace 2000, Thread Waxing Space, New York
turning into a loop, Giò Marconi, Milan
The Bridges – Art On The Highway, Fuori Uso 2000, Pescara
Landscape, Galerie Giti Nourbakhsch, Berlin
Face The Black(Zipp Collection), Maschenmode, Berlin
1999
OTTO hat Besuch, OTTO, Copenhagen
Jugendsünden, HHK, Hamburg
Phantombüro, Kunstverein Frankfurt, Frankfurt
Video Bar, Galerie Voges & Deisen, Frankfurt
Schlockweltall, Andersens Wohnung, Berlin
Stuttgart, 17.5.56 – Salem (Wisconsin USA), 3.3.77, Portikus, Frankfurt
Vivienne, Kunsthalle Lüneburg, Lüneburg
1997
Kunststudenten stellen aus, Bundeskunsthalle Bonn, Bonn
1995
Filmcuts, Galerie neugerriemschneider, Berlin
Fenster für Elke Martin, Kunstverein Frankfurt, Frankfurt
Education
1992-1998
Städelschule, Frankfurt and Slade School, London
2006-2007
guest professor, Hochschule der Bildenden Künste, Karlsruhe
since 2008
professor, Universität der Künste Berlin