Synopsis "Pawel Althamer: The Neighbors"
Set to accompany the first major solo exhibition in the United States of Polish contemporary artist Paweł Althamer, one of the most important European artists to emerge since the 1990s.In association with the New Museum, New YorkOver the past twenty years, Althamer has established a singular artistic practice featuring an expanded approach to sculptural representation and experimental models of social collaboration. This publication includes extensive documentation of his groundbreaking sculptures, performances, and participatory installations.Althamer creates portraits of himself and others, in materials including plaster, melted plastic, and even a parade float (a nude self-portrait). The artist is known for performances involving entire communities, like his neighbors in Bródno, Poland. With essays by longtime collaborators and interpreters of Althamer’s practice and an interview with the artist by curator Massimiliano Gioni, this publication presents a portrait of the artist as instigator, organizer, teacher, and visionary.
