Llyn Foulkes

The American artist Llyn Foulkes was one of the biggest new discoveries of the last documenta (d13). Although he’s an influential figure in the Los Angeles art scene, he remains largely unknown to the general public in Germany. This retrospective hoped to change that with its presentation of some 140 works. These included his early assemblages, disturbing “bloody-head” portraits and richly symbolic pieces, criticising American pop and consumer culture and depicting the dark side of the “American way of life”. In close cooperation with the HAMMER Museum in Los Angeles and the New Museum in New York, the Museum Kurhaus in Kleve was the first European venue to present the entire spectrum of Foulkes’ oeuvre. In contrast to previous showings in Europe, the exhibition in Kleve emphasised more strongly the interaction between the fine arts and experimental music and how it influences Foulkes’ works on the whole. The project included an extensive accompanying programme which invited young artists from the local music scenes to present their views on Foulkes’ inventive and unacademic musicality.

Artist: Llyn Foulkes (US)
Curators: Ali Subotnick (US), Harald Kunde