Brasilia 50 years of a modern utopia

The Contemporary Cultural Space – ECCO (Espaço Cultural Contemporâneo) and the Embassy of Germany present the individual exhibition

"BRASILIA 50 YEARS OF A MODERN UTOPIA",

by the German artist Thomas Kellner

Opening: May 17th, on Monday, at 20:00h

Guided visit with the English curator Paul Wombell, at 19:00h

XXV Technical Meeting for Educators
Date: May 18th, on Thursday, at 14:00h
Theme: Art and City: symbol, myth and utopia - education and citizenship.
Free course, limited availability and delivery of certificate-aware Extension of UNB

THE EVENT

In commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Federal Capital, Contemporary Cultural Space - ECCO, in partnership with the German Embassy, inaugurates on Monday, May 17th, at 20:00h, the exhibition "BRASILIA 50 YEARS OF A MODERN UTOPIA", by the German photographer Thomas Kellner. The artist presents a new work, developed after research conducted over the past five years, with innovative look on the city's architecture. The exhibition runs until July 25th, 2010.
 

THE EXHIBITION

A non-stereotypical portrayal of the city's monuments is the objective of Thomas Kellner, whose work not only honor the fiftieth anniversary of Brasilia, but also the architect Oscar Niemeyer, as most of the pictures relate to the monuments created by him. The curator of the exhibition is the English critic Paul Wombell, that will be in town for the opening. According to him, "Brasilia was designed for movement. A city set on a plot that cuts across the savannah in the shape of an airplane. Brasilia wouldn’t be modeled as the Brazilian cities or any other city in the world ".
Kellner, who photographs monuments in various countries for more than 10 years, such as France, the United States of America and China, represents the space with reference to architecture. In Brasilia, he searches to display characteristics of the city that are suggested by the original project, such as a city designed in the era of the machine, but worried about the human side. Each monument is presented as "a skeleton forming a network of possibilities: the possibility of new constructions, of a new city, of a new world based on a program of social improvement. This is the network of modernity”...
The spatial isolation of most of the buildings designed by Oscar Niemeyer is a valuable context in Kellner’s works. The buildings generally are framed only by the sky and the innovative technique gives the impression that the buildings are dancing or falling apart. His works are handmade: it comes from the design of the artist, then the camera scans the building from a point and this is repeated in various films of 36 poses to complete the reconstruction of the photographed image, recreated, click to click. The final result shows images together, in rebuilding the photographed object, that seems to have dynamic and proper motion.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Thomas Kellner was born in 1966, lives and works in Siegen (Germany), where he studied Art, Sociology, Politics and Economics and he’s a member of the German society of photography. Since 1989, his interest was focused on experimental and conceptual photography, and his work began to be more visible after 1997, when he won the Kodak award for young professionals. Last year Kellner received the awards for Excellence in the International Festival of Pingyao, China, and in the Fine Arts, Germany.
With important publications around the world, including "Thomas Kellner: All Shook Up", "The Boston Athenaeum”, Boston, USA, 2008, "Thomas Kellner: Dancing Walls”, 2007, and “Thomas Kellner: Tango Metropolis", Image Gallery, Aarhus/Denmark, 2005. His works are part of museum collections in several countries, such as the Art Institute of Dayton, Ohio and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, both in the United States, as well as private collections in Schuppmann, Germany.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

Continuing in its EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM, ECCO, in partnership with the University of Brasilia/CAL/DEX, the Education Department of Federal District Government and the Integral Education Program, conducts this special event for formation of the public. It is the XXV Technical Meeting of the Education Program (training course), whose theme is “Art City: symbol, myth and utopia - education and citizenship”, linked to the contents of the new international exhibition of photography of the artist Thomas Kellner (Germany), wich  runs at ECCO until July 25th, 2010.
It will be addressed subjects such as Arts, History, Architecture, Philosophy, Psychology and Anthropology, subjects included in the National Curricular Parameters - NCP's, aimed at promoting cultural and academic exchanges, including in an international level and educate public. The method used by ECCO aims to stimulate research on contemporary art from an interdisciplinary exercise. This content was developed by Ana Queiroz, PhD in Art History - Univ. Complutense of Madrid.
This is the twenty-fifth stage of the Education Program of ECCO and it will be distributed educational materials, offering subsidies to develop work in the classroom, with exercises that encourage learning through art. The texts will be complemented by historical and iconographic documents, and exercises to encourage interdisciplinary, linked directly to the content of NCP’s.
The event will happen on Tuesday, May 18th, in the afternoon hours (14:00h to 18:00h), at ECCO building itself. The artist Thomas Kellner and the exhibition's curator, Paul Wombell will be present at the time and there will be simultaneous translation. To subscribe, simply request a confirmation by e-mail (educativo@eccobrasilia.com.br, ecco@arte21brasilia.com.br and recepcao@eccobrasilia.com.br) or by phone: (61) 3327-2025 / 3327 - 2027 extensions 29 and 31 or (61) 9964-2103.
Subscriptions are free as well as printed material to participants. Limited availability and delivery of certificates, including recognition of Extension of University of Brasília (UnB). The filling of the form of extension will happen at the place, before the beginning of the event.

TIP OF NOTES:

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION: The ECCO opens the unprecedented exhibition of the German photographer Thomas Kellner "BRASILIA 50 YEARS OF A MODERN UTOPIA."
After 10 years registering cities in different countries of the world, it was the turn of Brasilia to be captured through the lens of the photographer's original and unique technique that virtually deconstructs and reconstructs each object photographed. The exhibition commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the capital of Brazil and the architect Oscar Niemeyer. On exhibition until July 25th.

ABOUT THE XXV TECHNICAL MEETING:

The ECCO invites you to the XXV Technical Meeting for Educators, to be held on May 18th, Tuesday, from 14pm to 18pm, at ECCO building itself. The theme will be “Art and City: symbol, myth and utopia - education and citizenship”, and subjects included in the National Curricular Parameters – NCP’s will be covered, such as Arts, History, Architecture, Philosophy, Psychology and Anthropology. The educational activity is related to the new exhibition at the space "BRASILIA 50 YEARS OF A MODERN UTOPIA", by the German artist Thomas Kellner. The course is free and there will be delivery of certificate-aware of Extension of the University of Brasília (UnB). Limited availability!

 

SERVICE:

Individual International Exhibition
"BRASILIA 50 YEARS OF A MODERN UTOPIA", by the German artist Thomas Kellner
Registration and scheduling of visits: 61.33272027 extensions 20, 29 or 31. or 99642103
Visitation: Until July 25th, 2010, from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to 19pm

LOCAL

Cultural Contemporary – ECCO
SCN Quadra 3 Lote 5 (next to the JORLAN) Site: www.eccobrasilia.com.br
MORE INFORMATION
ECCO  Production
Ana Carolina Borges: 33272027 r. 22 / prod.3 @ arte21brasilia.com.br
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
Scheduling visits and work in workshop.
ecco@arte21brasilia.com.br, educativo@eccobrasilia.com.br and recepcao@eccobrasilia.com.br
Phone. 3327 2027 or 2025 r. 29 or 31, and 99642103

ficha técnica

Realização: ECCO - Contemporary Cultural Space and German Embassy
CO-realização: Fundação Athos Bulcão and FOTO ARTE
SPONSORSHIP: Brasilprev
CO-SPONSORSHIP: FAC - Fund for Support of Culture, GDF, FNC, MinC and the Federal Government
SUPPORT: MinC/Rouanet and Graphic Acqua
EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP: UnB/DEX and CAL
EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT: Education Secretary GDF, Escola Aberta, UNICEF, Sinepe, Eape.