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Rainer Ganahl

Rainer Ganahl
Rainer Ganahl wearing a white print t-shirt and colourful jacket, holding what appears to be an electronic table in right hand leaning against a wall and looking directly at camera
Ganahl in 2015
Born
Bludenz, Austria
Known forManhattan Marxism
MovementRomanticism
Websitewww.ganahl.info Edit this at Wikidata

Rainer Ganahl (born 18 October 1961) is an Austrian-American conceptual artist who lives and works in New York. His work has been widely exhibited, including the Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria; The Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University, New York; the Gesellschaft für Aktuelle Kunst, Bremen, Germany; and the 48th Venice Biennale. He is the subject and author of several published catalogues, among them, Reading Karl Marx (London: Book Works, 2001),[1] Ortsprache—Local Language (Kunsthaus Bregenz, 1998),[2] and Rainer Ganahl: Educational Complex (Vienna: Generali Foundation, 1997).[3]

Life

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From 1986 until 1991, Ganahl studied at the University of Applied Arts Vienna (Peter Weibel) and the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf (Nam June Paik). He was a member of the 1990/91 Whitney Museum Independent Study Program in New York City. He was a professor of visual arts at the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart.

Work

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Ganahl started his career exploring computer based art, a pioneering field for its time. His first exhibition in this area was demonstrated at Philomene Magers in 1990.

His best known work, S/L (Seminars/Lectures), is an ongoing series of photographs, begun in 1995, of well-known cultural critics addressing audiences.[4] The photographs, taken in university class rooms and lecture halls, not only show the lecturer but also the listeners and students in the audience. In a similar way, he documented his own process of learning an "exotic" language (e. g., Basic Japanese) into an art project.

In his Imported-Reading Seminars held from 1995 onward, the group study of theoretical works from specific countries were documented on video. His exhibition "El Mundo" at Kai Matsumiya was recently listed as one of the top exhibitions of 2014 by the New York Times,[5] and the film was subsequently acquired in the permanent collections at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Hirschorn Collection at the Smithsonian.[6]

Besides his photographic work and media art, Ganahl has been painting throughout his career, often integrating current news coverage into his pictures.[7]

Ganahl represented Austria at the 48th Venice Biennale.[8]

In 2013, Ganahl founded the fashion brand Comme des Marxists, which merges fashion, art, and Marxist theory.[9][10] The brand critiques capitalism and explores class struggles, cultural commentary, and sustainability in the fashion industry. The brand has been exhibited in numerous international galleries and museums, contributing to dialogues on capitalism and sustainability in both fashion and art.[11][12]

Personal Life

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Rainer Ganahl has two children, a son[13] and a daughter.[14]

Bibliography

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References

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  1. ^ Ganahl, Rainer (2001). Reading Karl Marx. London: Book Works. ISBN 978-1-870699-57-0.
  2. ^ Köb, Edelbert (1998). Local language (in German). Bregenz: Kunsthaus. ISBN 978-3-85298-053-9.
  3. ^ "Rainer Ganahl: Educational Complex — 2008-03-01". ZKM. 1 March 2008. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  4. ^ Schwendener, Martha (February 2003). "Rainer Ganahl: Base - Reviews: Florence". ArtForum.
  5. ^ Smith, Roberta (23 April 2010). "Rainer Ganahl 'Language of Emigration and Pictures of Emigration". New York Times.
  6. ^ "Hirshhorn New Acquisitions: Rainer Ganahl - Newsdesk". Smithsonian. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Rainer ganahl paintings".
  8. ^ "Wallach Art Gallery Features Rainer Ganahl, the Politics of Learning". Columbia News. Columbia University. 4 November 2005. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  9. ^ "RAINER GANAHL's "COMME DES MARXISTS" at White Columns — Musée Magazine". Musée Magazine. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  10. ^ "RAINER GANAHL – "COMME DES MARXISTS"". White Columns. 3 November 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  11. ^ "After a Controversial Performance in Italy, Artist Rainer Ganahl Is Staging His Political Fashion Shows in London and Vienna". Artnet. 27 February 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  12. ^ "COMME des MARXISTS". Centre for Sustainable Fashion. 27 February 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Running in Circles in Front of Daniel Buren's Stripe Paintings at the MoMA on Super Bowl Sunday". IMDB. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  14. ^ "ISADORA". Rainer Ganahl. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
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