Living in the Material World

This exhibition catalogue accompanies the groundbreaking exhibition in Krefeld and Innsbruck of the artists Lara Alamarcegui, Michael Beutler, Karla Black, Berta Fischer, Theaster Gates, Ane Mette Hol, Jessica Jackson Hutchins, David Jablonowski, Markus Kastieß, Alicja Kwade, Marie Lund, and Oscar Tuazon.

The creative output of a generation of artists born in the 1970s has turned again to materials and man-made production processes. Both act as a carrier of meaning and attributed values that correspond to collective social frameworks.

The 12 artists featured in this catalogue emphasize alchemistic strategies and gestures of display in the form of three-dimensional installations explicitly aimed at exaggerating the presence of the work. Craft takes priority over media and networks; connections to design and architecture are explored on a different level. Contributions by Robert Fleck, Sylvia Martin, and Gunnar Schmidt trace the significance of materials and materiality to the history of conceptualism, and each artist is represented with a comprehensive introductory essay. This tightly organized exhibition catalogue gives necessary due to one of today's most persistent and important artistic tendencies.