Maurizio Cattelan Him

Solo exhibition
Main hall, Färgfabriken

The controversial artist Maurizio Cattelan creats a site-specific piece for the major hall of Färgfabriken.

Färgfabriken is proud to present an exhibition with a new work by one of the most renowned contemporary artists, the Italian-born Maurizio Cattelan. He presents a work made for the large room of Färgfabriken (850 m2). The exhibition is opening on February 10, 2001.

In his work Maurizio Cattelan often plays with strong symbols that touch everything from racism and terrorism to the Vietnam War and the mechanisms of the art world. But rather than taking sides Cattelan displays the symbols for his own needs, creating subtle comments that open up for different reactions. They are at the same time intimate and distant, serious and filled with humor.

Lately it is the work “The Ninth Hour” (a realistic sculpture depicting the Pope John Paul II crushed by a meteorite) that has created headlines, first in Germany, then in London and Warsaw. In Warsaw Cattelan’s room was even closed down.

For the exhibition at Färgfabriken, Cattelan has chosen an even more controversial model for his work, namely Adolf Hitler. The image above have been used by Cattelan in his studies for the work that will be shown at Färgfabriken. Cattelan has been in Sweden a number of times during the 90’s. He took part in the controversial project “Interpol” at Färgfabriken in 1996. He also participated in the first exhibition of the new Modern Museum in Stockholm in 1998, “Wounds”. Färgfabriken has since “Interpol” collaborated with Cattelan in different ways, among them to help producing a couple of issues of the magazine “Permanent Food” and also to help to co-produce “The 6th Carribean Biennial”. Therefore he has visited Sweden several times, and maybe the impressions of Sweden also played a part in what became his piece for Färgfabriken.

Maurizio Cattelan has exhibited widely all over the world. Among his exhibitions can be mentioned Castello di Rivoli, Turin (1997), MOMA, New York (1998), Kunsthalle Basel (1998), Centre Pompidou, Paris (2000), Royal Academy, London (2000). He has participated in the Venice Biennial several times. Last year Phaidon Press published a thorough presentation of Cattelan’s work, where, amongst others, the critic Francesco Bonami, presents a large survey on Cattelan.