Beliebte Stellen, 2015
Information about the artwork
- Translated titlePrivileged Points
- MaterialLacquer on metal
- Dimensions11 x 139 x 137 cm
- Year of acquisition2015
- Inventory numberUAB 933
- On viewCurrently not exhibited
- Copyright© the artist. Photo: Haydar Koyupinar, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlung, Museum Brandhorst, Munich
More about the artwork
“Beliebte Stellen” is part of an ongoing, eponymous series by the Berlin-based artist Nairy Baghramian. The title alludes to the fact that artworks—not only in commercial contexts—are often presented according to established display conventions that privilege certain sightlines, hanging heights, and hierarchies, thereby shaping the relationship between artwork, institution, and viewer. Since 2011, Baghramian has been working on this series, creating sculptures in various colors and volumes, with their typically semi-curved forms ranging from tentacle-like to prosthetic, from harmonious to unwieldy, mounted on the wall or freestanding. Since 2017, Baghramian has also realized “Beliebte Stellen” as installations in public space. Although the works may appear light and elastic, almost rubber-like, this is deceptive: they are made of heavy metal coated with several layers of lacquer. As the coating is applied, the dripping paint forms droplets on the underside of the sculpture—a detail that Baghramian deliberately preserves. In this way, institutional and ideological critiques in Baghramian's practice intersect with classical sculptural concerns like form and materiality, balance and gravity.
