Kunstverein Hamburg presents Manuel Graf Ils sont fous ces Romains!, an exhibition on view September 15–December 2, 2012.
Manuel Graf (*1978, lives in Düsseldorf), who studied sculpture at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, has consistently refused to confine himself to any limitations or pigeonholing in his work. Architecture is a frequently reoccurring theme in his art—not from a practical design perspective, but rather in the way he expresses an interest in examining and experiencing objects. His current project explores the idea that there are three basic types of architectural arrangement. The first type is a longitudinal arrangement along the length of the building, the second is focused around a central point, and the third is decentralized architecture, where the central point is rendered insignificant. The first two types have been relatively widespread since antiquity, particularly in religious buildings, but the third has primarily been characterized by one specific example: the four-iwan mosque. Taking the particular architectural form of the four-iwan mosque as his starting point, and using the Imam Mosque in Isfahan as an example, Graf is currently channelling his years of research into this type of construction into a film project that will be presented in the context of the exhibition on the ground floor of the Kunstverein.
Der Kunstverein, since 1817.
Klosterwall 23
20095 Hamburg
www.kunstverein.de
