Fairy Tale – Contemporary Art and Enchantment
Fairy Tale looks at art that retells fairy stories, and art that is charged with the atmosphere of these tales. Fairy tales have never stopped evolving, and several artists in this show take stories such as Little Red Riding Hood, or Beauty and the Beast, or The Little Mermaid, and give them their own surprising spin.
The tellers of fairy tales have always freely borrowed from other fairy tales and stirred in elements from religious stories and ancient myths – and artworks in this exhibition do this too. There are also strange transformations of materials and shifts of scale, and heightened, magical landscapes. Many of the artworks here tap into the powerful psychological workings of these age-old stories. Some of the artworks in Fairy Tale reintroduce darker, carnal aspects. Be prepared also for fairy tale moments of uncomplicated pleasure and lightness.
Featured Artists: Peter Caliesen, Paul Morrison, Vanessa Jane Phaff, Kiki Smith, Annalies Štrba, Janaina Tschäpe. Paintings, photographs, sculptures, prints and videos.
Curated by Angela Kingston.
Vanessa Jane Phaff,
Little Red Riding Hood(Rotkappchen), details,2002.
Photo: Rolf Engleen.
Courtsey of the artist and Reuten Gallery Amsterdam