New Alphabet
January 27, 2006- February 25, 2006
Reception: January 27, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
525 W 21st St
Casey Kaplan is pleased to announce the second solo exhibition in New York of the Cologne-based
artist Johannes Wohnseifer. In new paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and video, Wohnseifer
combines and abstracts a matrix of references in the interest of exploring the aesthetics of politics,
war, and the communication of messages.
The title of the show, "New Alphabet" refers directly to the typeface created by Dutch designer Wim
Crouwel in 1967. At a time when electronic typesetting was emerging, New Alphabet was
developed to be easily read on computers. Crouwel based the highly abstract font on the dot-matrix
system and incorporated it into his exhibition poster and catalogue designs for the Van
Abbemuseum, Eindhoven and Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.
Using Crouwel’s aesthetic principles as a starting point, Wohnseifer strategically created a body of
work that forms new associations in a meeting of histories, places, and personal influences. The
artworks are inspired by and reference such historical figures as the civil rights leader Malcolm X,
Horst Mahler, (an original member of the 1970’s Germany terrorist group Red Army Faction, who
later became a Neo-Nazi), film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and rapper Snoop Dogg.
Wohnseifer uses images of helicopters, stealth fighters, armored vehicles, and camouflage to
pictorially represent contemporary depictions of war. In a series of computer “Spam” paintings,
camouflage schemes obscure and transform appropriated text.
Collectively, Johannes Wohnseifer’s artworks highlight the malleable nature of visual perception
where ideas and symbols quickly shift meaning and new relationships are formed.
Since his last New York exhibition, Johannes Wohnseifer has participated in shows including
“Regarding Terror: The RAF-Exhibition,” Kunst-Werke Berlin, Germany and “The Triumph of
Painting: Part 3,” The Saatchi Gallery, London, England. He has also exhibited at: Commes des
Garcons Guerrilla Store, Köln, Germany; Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan; ZKM,
Karlsruhe, Germany; Ausstellungshalle, Münster, Germany; and Neuer Aachener Kunstverein,
Aachen, Germany.
Books and DVDs related to artists in this show