das schöne blau
13.5.17
Photo: Daniel Martinek
Courtesy of WAKO WORKS OF ART
Cahn's watercolor and oil paintings are closely related to her origins and memories of her childhood. There is more to the beauty depicted in her paintings and to that which they beautifully represent. Her paintings have different backgrounds and contexts. Some draw upon the influence of her having witnessed at a young age footage of the nuclear tests undertaken at Bikini Atoll, as well as the scientists who invented the atomic bomb, who like Cahn, were predominantly Jewish. Some viewers may associate them with the fact that Nazi Germany, which persecuted the Jews, formed an alliance with Japan during the Second World War.
The work entitled das schöne blau (the beautiful blue) can be interpreted as representing many of refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe. The intricate histories and circumstances that Cahn focuses on, together with the interpretation of the work by viewers make the paintings so remarkable.
Miriam CAHN
- Born 1949 in Basel, Switzerland
- Based in Bergell, Switzerland
Photo: kw
Miriam Cahn was part of the generation that, at a young age, witnessed the footage of nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll; influenced by the further historical context of the scientists--predominantly Jewish, like Cahn--who both invented the atom bomb and opposed its use. Cahn has repeatedly painted watercolors taking the discord between the beauty and the ethics of the atom bomb as their theme. Her oil paintings, on the other hand, include a number of themes, such as humans, plants and animals, and architecture, each of which is explored individually. In her images of humans, in particular, people are at times painted in vibrant colors standing motionless against dusky toned landscapes. Cahn's paintings, which lack the clear, explicit lines used to bring out individual beings, might be understood as hinting toward harmonization or fusion, rather than strict boundaries. They confront their viewers, however, with a cold, salvationless world, questioning the nature of humans under the difficult situations in this era of uncertainty.
Selected Works & Awards
| 2018 | 21st Biennale of Sydney, SUPERPOSITION: Art of Equilibrium and Engagement, Sydney, Australia |
| 2018 | photographs (solo), WAKO WORKS OF ART, Tokyo, Japan |
| 2017 | documenta 14, Learning from Athens, Athens, Greece / Kassel, Germany |
| 2016 | miriam cahn - AT EYE LEVEL (solo), Kunsthalle zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany |
| 2015 | körperlich – corporel (solo), Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau, Switzerland |
Map
Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art Gallery (8F)
Address
1-13-2 Higashisakura,Higashi-ku, Nagoya
461-8525 JAPAN
Open
(Fri -20:00)
Admission until
30 minutes
before closing
Closed
Barrier free
Access
・5 minutes on foot from Sakae-Machi Station on the Meitetsu Seto Line.