28-02-2019

600 years in the history of Mexican architecture photographed by Candida Höfer

Candida Höfer,

New York, USA,

Exhibitions,

Exhibition,

Photographer Candida Höfer captures over 600 years in the history of Mexican architecture in her images, from Baroque to Neoclassism and from Art Nouveau to the contemporary scene. Sean Kelly Gallery hosts the photographer’s second solo show until March 16, focusing on architectural interiors of large public and private spaces such as libraries, theatres, churches and museums.



600 years in the history of Mexican architecture photographed by Candida Höfer

Sean Kelly Gallery in New York presents an exhibition of the work of photographer Candida Höfer until March 16, the German photographer’s second solo show at the New York gallery. Photographer Candida Höfer was born in Eberswalde, Germany, in 1944 and has been photographing architecture for forty years. Her primary interest is using photography to investigate the psychological impact of architecture, with a special focus on the contrast between a building’s planned and effective uses. The images selected for the exhibition “Candida Höfer - In Mexico” portray the architectural interiors of large spaces both public and private, including libraries, theatres, churches and museums. The exhibition is a voyage through 600 years of Mexican architectural history, taking a new look at the country.

The contemporary art gallery founded in 1991 by Sean Kelly has risen to prominence on the world scene with its unconventional exhibitions and artists. The gallery has grown since the first space opened to the public in New York’s SoHo in 1995, moving first to Chelsea and then to 475 Tenth Avenue, coordinating exhibitions in some of the world’s most important museums and representing famous artists such as Marina Abramović, José Dávila, Candida Höfer, Rebecca Horn, Joseph Kosuth, Anthony McCall, Julião Sarmento and Kehinde Wiley. A new Sean Kelly Gallery opened in Taiwan in the autumn of 2018, while the New York gallery has been at 475 Tenth Avenue since 2012, on two floors in a historic building constructed in 1914. The renovation project by architect Toshiko Mori won the 2013 AIA New York Chapter Interior Honor Award.

“Candida Höfer - In Mexico” is the German photographer’s second solo show at the New York gallery, but her first project in Mexico. Candida Höfer travelled all over the country in 2015 as part of a two-year cultural exchange programme between Mexico and Germany which allowed the Mexican public to participate in a packed cultural, scientific, musical and educational programme in 2016 – 2017. On her Mexican travels, Candida Höfer documented more than 600 years in the history of Mexican architecture, photographing a great variety of buildings ranging from Baroque to Neoclassical, Art Nouveau and contemporary architecture.
The German photographer is primarily interested in the big spaces of libraries, theatres, churches and museums, photographed in an almost metaphysical dimension without any people in them in pursuit of their archetypal image, capturing the spirit and essence of these spaces. The exhibition presents large images with a selection of works depicting details of a number of intimate hidden spaces the photographer captured with her portable camera.
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue and has already been presented in Mexico (at Antiguo Colegio De San Idelfonso in Mexico City, Centro de las Artes in Monterrey and the Amparo Museum in Puebla) and at the North Carolina Museum of Art in the United States.

(Agnese Bifulco)

Title: Candida Höfer - In Mexico
Dates: 2 February - 16 March 2019
Location: Sean Kelly Gallery, 475 Tenth Avenue - New York NY 10018 - USA

Images courtesy of Sean Kelly, New York
© Candida Höfer, Köln / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
Installation views of Candida Höfer - In Mexico at Sean Kelly, New York
Photography: Jason Wyche, New York


×
×

Stay in touch with the protagonists of architecture, Subscribe to the Floornature Newsletter