hauser wirth & schimmel, LA presents isa genzken

hauser wirth & schimmel is the newly opened los angeles branch of HAUSER & WIRTH — one of the world’s most important international galleries devoted to contemporary art and modern masters. forming a new cultural destination in the burgeoning downtown arts district of LA, hauser wirth & schimmel occupies the restored globe mills complex, a series of interconnected, late 19th and early 20th century buildings and internal outdoor spaces. the site — adapted by creative space, los angeles, in consultation with selldorf architects — has been transformed into a dynamic, multi-disciplinary arts center, hosting innovative exhibitions, museum-caliber amenities, and a schedule of public programs that contribute to the urban culture of LA.

designboom took a private preview tour of the new los angeles gallery, taking a first look at the isa genzken exhibition currently on view.

the exhibition highlights isa genzken’s relationship to, and influence from artist michael asher
image © designboom

hauser & wirth was first founded in switzerland in 1992 by iwan and manuela wirth and ursula hauser. today the gallery is a global enterprise — this sixth location (it’s first in LA) joins spaces in zurich, london, new york, and somerset, rounding out the gallery’s international proliferation.

together with american curator and partner paul schimmel, hauser wirth & schimmel transforms the area’s sprawling collection of industrial buildings into a powerhouse cultural institution for the city. in addition to its exhibition program, the gallery features the first artbook store in los angeles, a space for hauser & wirth publishers’ book & printed matter lab, a public garden, murals that engage the architecture of the 100,000 square foot complex, an expansive open-air courtyard and sculpture center, and a restaurant called manuela, which features seasonal fare and locally-sourced produce.

installation view of ‘isa genzken. I love michael asher’
photo by brian forrest / courtesy the artist, hauser & wirth and galerie buchholz cologne/berlin/new york
© artists rights society (ARS) new york / VG bild-kunst, bonn

the decision to situate hauser wirth & schimmel’s new home in this prospering creative neighborhood marks an exciting moment in the revitalization of downtown los angeles. historically, in the 1970s — with industries moving away from downtown and businesses decentralizing — the sprawling spaces of the region’s then-abandoned factories attracted the sensibilities of artists and musicians, who adapted these spaces into studios and workshops.

the relocation of these creatives ignited the area’s regeneration, changing it from deserted urban area to a mecca for creative disciplines and the arts. thanks to their pioneering presence, the downtown arts district is now home to galleries, architecture and design firms, television and film production studios, both new and converted residential architecture, and the southern california institute of architecture, SCI-Arc.

a dividing wall is free-standing in the middle of the gallery
image © designboom

designboom was given a private tour of the hauser wirth & schimmel complex, and a preview of its current exhibition — ‘isa genzken. I love michael asher’, the first LA solo exhibition for the celebrated german artist. on view from now through december 31, 2016, the show features new works made in a range of media, including wall-mounted collage, sculptural assemblages, and groups of mannequins from genzken’s ‘schauspieler’ (actors) series. three unique architectural installations anchor the exhibition: a window from the artist’s own studio installed that faces the street, complete with a row of indoor plans and a radiator supporting it; a dividing wall from the studio, free-standing in the middle of the gallery; and her own work table, relocated from her studio in berlin and situated at the entrance to the exhibition space.

the exhibition features several wall-mounted assemblages
image © designboom

the exhibition highlights genzken’s relationship to, and influence from, american artist michael asher. when she was in her late 20s, genzken met asher in california, where she was greatly impacted by his mastery of minimalism. since then, genzken’s practice has encompassed sculpture, photography, drawing and painting, borrowing from the aesthetics of minimalism, punk culture and assemblage art to confront the conditions of human experience.

the exhibition presents a grouping of mannequins, which give scale to the space and suggest a conversation amongst themselves; several wall-mounted assemblages, featuring items of clothing mounted on cardboard, portraits of herself, and cut-out celebrity photos; and floor-based sculptures, which re-contextualize household objects from styrofoam and shoes, to rugs and radios.

collages featuring printed faces, celebrity photos, and self-portraits are bound to the wall with tape
image © designboom

floor-based sculptures include ordinary but evocative household objects
image © designboom

three groupings of mannequins are situated throughout the gallery
image © designboom

outfitted in clashing costumes, the bodies suggest a conversation amongst themselves
image © designboom

a metal wall panel features snapshots of the artist from her visit to the LA gallery
image © designboom

in the courtyard, the exhibition features an 8-meter tall sculpture modeled after an actual flower
image © designboom

installation view of isa genzken, ‘rose III’ (2016)
photo by phoebe solomon / courtesy the artist, hauser & wirth and galerie buchholz cologne/berlin/new york
© artists rights society (ARS) new york / VG bild-kunst, bonn

an outdoor seating area brings together art, community, sustainability and food
image © designboom

manuela has been designed by matt winter of M winter design, with architecture by evan raabe of creative space
photo by joshua targownik, courtesy of manuela