isa genzken: open sesame!museum ludwig, cologneaugust 15th to november 15th, 2009

slot machine by isa genzken, 1999-2000 mixed media private collection, berlin image courtesy of museum ludwig © isa genzken

open sesame! is the comprehensive solo exhibition of german sculptor isa genzken held at the museum ludwig, cologne in collaboration with whitechapel gallery, london. from her aerodynamic wood sculptures of the seventies, concrete works of the eighties through to her more recent fragile installations made from various items of consumer culture: souvenirs, furniture, building materials, toys which have been arranged in scenarios which are funny and disturbing, drawing a fine line between beauty and destruction. with over seventy pieces on show, the exhibition provides a survey of the artistic development of genzken in its thematic and formal complexity of more than 30 years.

isa genzken: open sesame! exhibition at museum ludwig, cologne - 2 kinder filmen III (children who film III) by isa genzken, 2005 mixed media image courtesy of lothar schnepf and museum ludwig © isa genzken

isa genzken: open sesame! exhibition at museum ludwig, cologne - 3 fuck the bauhaus 4 by isa genzken, 2000 mixed media private collection, turin image courtesy of museum ludwig © isa genzken

isa genzken: open sesame! exhibition at museum ludwig, cologne - 4 detail of kinder filmen III by isa genzken, 2005 mixed media image courtesy of lothar schnepf and museum ludwig © isa genzken

isa genzken: open sesame! exhibition at museum ludwig, cologne - 5 hall by isa genzken, 1987 concrete, steel image courtesy of musée de grenoble© isa genzken

isa genzken: open sesame! exhibition at museum ludwig, cologne - 6 dan by isa genzken, 1999 wood, mirror, glass, metal grässlin collection, st. georgen image courtesy of museum ludwig © isa genzken

isa genzken: open sesame! exhibition at museum ludwig, cologne - 7 red-yellow-black- doppelellipsoid ‘twin’ by isa genzken, 1982 lacquer on wood, 2 parts image courtesy of the artist and galerie daniel buchholze, cologne / berlin © isa genzken

isa genzken: open sesame! exhibition at museum ludwig, cologne - 8 ohr by isa genzken, 1980 color photography collection charles asprey © isa genzken

in 2007, isa genzken represented germany at the 52nd international venice art biennale. born in 1948, she lives and works in berlin. genzken studied at the berline university of fine arts, düsseldorf art academy and the hamburg college of fine arts.