The installation "OIL XV / XVI," Genzken's first in Japan, will take place at RAT HOLE GALLERY from Friday, October 2nd to Sunday, December 27th. Genzken debuted in 1976 at Düsseldorf's Konrad Fischer Galerie, which primarily represented minimalist and post-minimalist artists at the time. She gained recognition with her series "Ellipsoid" and "Hyperbolo." These elongated, streamlined works, measuring five to six meters, possess an intellectual form akin to mathematical equations, yet their use of wood lends them a warm, artisanal beauty.

Subsequently, Genzken moved away from her earlier refined aesthetic to create works rich in message. In 1982, she presented "World Receiver," a piece featuring a cement-cast radio with a small, functional antenna. This work drew attention to the political agency derived from the act of listening (or not listening), a theme that shares its conceptual underpinnings with her 1980 work "Ear," which explores the intermediary role between the private and public, the individual and the world.

From her earliest works to the present installation, Genzken has consistently focused on the relationship between the exhibition space and her art, as well as the viewer. Rather than confronting and observing a piece, her installations allow viewers to inhabit the artwork, enabling them to experience its themes and messages firsthand.

Furthermore, she constantly contemplates what is contemporary, a consideration evident in her choice of materials. While her early "Ellipsoid" and "Hyperbolo" utilized bent wood, and "World Receiver" employed concrete—both considered modern materials at the time—her practice evolved. The "Columns" series incorporated materials like mirrors, holographic sheets, industrial tape, punch panels, veneer, aluminum, and glass, often finished with lacquer spray. More recently, she has incorporated inexpensive industrial products such as plastic figurines, ironing boards, camping chairs, stuffed animals, and umbrellas, alongside items readily available at hardware stores, like building materials. For her, these too are vital materials signifying the contemporary.
The installation arriving at RAT HOLE GALLERY is from the "Oil" series, first presented in the German Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007. It comprises two astronaut mannequins and twenty-three aluminum panels. Japan will experience for the first time Genzken's unique worldview, where kitsch motifs and color palettes subtly reveal an underlying edge.

Isa Genzken
"OIL XV / XVI"
Dates: Friday, October 2nd - Sunday, December 27th
Venue: RAT HOLE GALLERY
Hours: 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Closed Mondays)
Tel. 03-6419-3581
www.ratholegallery.com