Artists: Lea Rohde, Matthias Meyer, Theo Huber, Ingeborg Gabriel, Tatjana Danneberg, Thomas Baldischwyler & others
Exhibition title: Force The Hand Of Chance
Curated by:Thomas Baldischwyler
Venue: Galerie Conradi, Hamburg, Germany
Date: Apr 5 – May 18, 2024
Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artists and Galerie Conradi, Hamburg
In the German Duden, success is described as the “positive result of an effort” or the “occurrence of an intended, desired effect.” According to this definition, success is not a coincidence. Rather, it should be preceded by a goal that a person has set for themselves. But what is success in a field where goals constantly change due to media shifts and fluctuating daily politics? Force the Hand of Chance is a group exhibition featuring original works by Lea Rohde, Matthias Meyer, Theo Huber, Ingeborg Gabriel, Tatjana Danneberg and Thomas Baldischwyler. These works will be surrounded by ephemera, copies and documents from Gee Vaucher, Cameron Soren, Melissa Sachs, Chris Reinecke, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Jack Kirby, Thomas Bush, a screensaver by Harold Cohen, and a Nina Simone remix by a certain TT. Both groups of objects come together to form an installation that could be interpreted as a sprawling transcription of various mathematical sets. It is up to the visitors to make connections between the (also) historical texts and methods of work, to recognize overlaps between original works and edits, or, like Herman Melville’s character Bartleby, to refrain from doing so in doubt.
This group show was put together by Thomas Baldischwyler, following his solo exhibition An den Rand der Zukunft denken, which was on display in the same space until the end of March. He would like to thank the participating artists, the Nagel-Draxler and LambdaLambdaLambda galleries, but also a number of private collections and above all Ebay, Discogs and ZVAB for their great help.
Force The Hand Of Chance, 2024, invitation card (back)Force The Hand Of Chance, 2024, exhibition view, Galerie Conradi, HamburgThomas Baldischwyler, o.T. (bilingual transcription of a text by Ingeborg Gabriel), 2024, Collage, 25 x 10 cmForce The Hand Of Chance, 2024, exhibition view, Galerie Conradi, HamburgLea Rohde, o.T. from the series Means of control, 2021, inkjet print, 19 x 29,7 cmForce The Hand Of Chance, 2024, exhibition view, Galerie Conradi, HamburgIngeborg Gabriel, o.T. (Pilze), 1994, 85 x 60,5 cm, framed, Courtesy of Galerie Nagel Draxler, Köln. Courtesy of Galeie Nagel DraxlerIngeborg Gabriel, o.T. (Pilze), 1994, 85 x 60,5 cm, framed, Courtesy of Galerie Nagel Draxler, Köln. Courtesy of Galeie Nagel DraxlerForce The Hand Of Chance, 2024, exhibition view, Galerie Conradi, HamburgThomas Baldischwyler, o.T. (Die Doozer), 2023-2024, Acrylic, acetone, MEK paint & PU varnish on stapled corrugated cardboard, 103 x 103 cm, Courtesy of the artist and Conradi, HamburgForce The Hand Of Chance, 2024, exhibition view, Galerie Conradi, HamburgLeft: Melissa Sachs und Cameron Soren (Body by Body), reproduction of the invitation card for Freelance Hellraiser, 2014, Interstate Projects, New York, Right: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, reproduction Souvenir d’Auteuil (1881), 1967Force The Hand Of Chance, 2024, exhibition view, Galerie Conradi, HamburgNina Simone (TT Remix), NS-TT-SLW-9:42, 2000, single-sided recordForce The Hand Of Chance, 2024, exhibition view, Galerie Conradi, HamburgForce The Hand Of Chance, 2024, exhibition view, Galerie Conradi, HamburgTatjana Danneberg, You only live twice, 2020, ink-jet print, gesso, glue on canvas, 210 x 140 cm, Courtesy of the artist and LambdaLambdaLambda, Prishtina. Courtesy of LambdaLambdaLambdaChris Reinecke, Left: Dosen, 1996, signed and commented invitation card, Galerie Hundertmark, Köln, Right: KUNST MUSS SEIN, 1970, leafletChris Reinecke, Left: Dosen, 1996, signed and commented invitation card, Galerie Hundertmark, Köln, Right: KUNST MUSS SEIN, 1970, leafletChris Reinecke, Left: Dosen, 1996, signed and commented invitation card, Galerie Hundertmark, Köln, Right: KUNST MUSS SEIN, 1970, leafletForce The Hand Of Chance, 2024, exhibition view, Galerie Conradi, HamburgThomas Bush, The Next 60 Years, Jolly Discs, London, 2024, photocopy of a vinyl record and its cover on wood, 29,7 x 29,7 x 2 cm eachMatthias Meyer, Untitled (Royal Flush), 2010-2022, 5 found cards, 11 x 13 x 3 cmTheo Huber, Das Ereignis Der Eindruck, 2023, ink and gesso on wood, 30 x 50 cmHarald Cohen, AARON, 2001, screensaver, Kurzweil Cyberart Technologies