BORN AFTER 1924 preview

As part of the citywide Merzman season, celebrating the prolific legacy of the 20th Century German artist Kurt Schwitters in the UK, Castlefield Gallery will present BORN AFTER 1924 from Friday 18 February to Sunday 10 April.

BORN AFTER 1924, is a project by German artist Ingo Gerken in response to Schwitters’ Merz Magazine (issue 8/9) of 1924 called Nasci.

Gerken’s project will be a site-specific manifestation of his ideas and involve work by other artists from the UK and Germany including: Matti Isan Blind, Madeleine Boschan, Rainer Ganahl, Antonia Low, Tim Noble & Sue Webster, Reto Pulfer and Gregor Schneider thereby resulting in a group show.

The theme of Schwitters’ Merz magazine, Nasci, on which the exhibition is based, means ‘being born’, ‘becoming’ or ‘nature’ in Latin. A theme which will run throughout the exhibition, all the way to the point of death with the inclusion of a sculpture by the controversial German artist Gregor Schneider of a body placed as if discarded in the gallery. Other pieces include Matti Isan Blind’s desk which points to the surreal and the uncanny in the strange and unrelated objects placed upon it that sporadically become animated; Noble & Webster’s iconic trash shadow piece depicts the silhouettes of the artists’ profiles and Antonia Lows work which will disorientate the visitors’ experience of the gallery space.

Sitting alongside a copy of the original historic avant-garde Merz magazine, will be a re-edited and updated version of the magazine published to accompany BORN AFTER 1924.

Coinciding with the exhibition at Castlefield Gallery will be a series of events, highlights include:Ian Hunter and artist David Medalla in conversation, Thursday 10 March, 6pmArtists' Survival: Interview with Billy Childish, Friday 18 March, 2pm Free / Booking recommended. To book email events@castlefieldgallery.co.uk or call +44 (0)161 832 8034

Admission to the gallery is free and open Wednesday to Sunday, 1-6pm.

For further information visit www.castlefieldgallery.co.uk