Kay Rosen: NOW AND THEN

18.11.2023 - 31.03.2024

Kay Rosen: NOW AND THEN

The Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst is presenting the first institutional solo exhibition of Kay Rosen in Europe. Ever since the 1970s, the American artist (b. 1943 in Corpus Christi, Texas; lives in New York City and Gary, Indiana) has been using language as artistic material. She is internationally known above all for wall works which render individual words, sentences or series of letters, often in massive dimensions. Coming together here in an impressive manner are minimalist form, aesthetic impact and intelligent contents.

Kay Rosen imparts perplexing twists to everyday concepts and words through their arrangement as well as their design in terms of typography and color. Whether it is a matter of neologisms, redefinitions or onomatopoetic explorations, Kay Rosen repeatedly reveals surprising levels of verbal significance. Often coming into focus are issues involving a critique of society.

The exhibition in Bremen brings together wall works, paintings, drawings, prints and videos. To be seen in addition to exemplary major works are also new, wall-filling paintings that were especially developed for the spaces of the museum. The Weserburg is thereby making possible, in recognition of the artist’s eightieth birthday, a fresh encounter with and rediscovery of a complex artistic oeuvre.

Director: Janneke de Vries