Symposium: Curated by Christian Nagel
November 28 - 10 January 1998

Icebox proudly presents in Athens “Symposium”, initiated and selected by Christian Nagel.  The show consists of works on paper by the following 14 artists who live and work in Cologne, Germany.

Kai Althoff, Cosima von Bonin, Daniel Buchholz, Stephan Dillemuth, Michaela Eichwald, Ingeborg Gabriel, Michael Krebber, Hans-Jorg Mayer, Christopher Mueller, Ralf Schauff, Matthias Schauffler, Vincent Tavenne, Iskender Yrdiler, and Joseph Zehrer.

Based on the fact that Germany has contributed some of the great painters to the world, and that painting and studio work still hold a major production force in the arts; Christian Nagel takes this younger generation of artists into a discussion on “art tendencies, approaches, formalism, etc.” and brings a symposium “onto the table.”

Nagel states “…Cologne is a very strong art center for production and distibution.  There is a group of young artists which thinks that painting can be more interesting in our times than conceptual art…”

Most of the artists are working in different media like video, performance, and installation.  Some have done collaborative works: Kai Althkoff and Cosima von Bonin, some have been thriving in dynamic contemporary exhibition spaces, like Daniel Buchholz.  All have experimented with mixing different social forums, and have created their own “style” as resistance to already existing codes and social order.  Each artist has their own personal style, but are all working in the same direction in a way that connects their ideas of intellectualism and tradition.