Miriam Cahn Me As Happening

A co-produced publication released on the occasion of the eponymous exhibition, Miriam Cahn: ME AS HAPPENING, by The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto, and Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen. Miriam Cahn: ME AS HAPPENING, organized by The Power Plant, and presented initially at Kunsthal Charlottenborg, was the Swiss artist's first solo exhibition both in North America and Denmark. The publication documents an expansive constellation of Miriam Cahn's multidisciplinary work, presented for the first time in Canada and Denmark as part of the eponymous exhibition, Miriam Cahn: ME AS HAPPENING. This exhibition was organized by The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto, presented initially at the Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, from 7 October 2020-4 April 2021, then at The Power Plant, from 2 October 2021-2 January 2022.

The Swiss artist Miriam Cahn (*1949, Basel) deals with political and social themes in oil paintings; charcoal, chalk, and colored and lead pencil drawings; and in photographs, films, and installations. Strong color is characteristic of her work, forming a stark contrast to the recurring motifs of violence, tenderness, war, destruction, and physical infirmity. Her habit of commenting upon her work in writing is a golden thread running throughout Cahn's career. She illuminates her own art, commenting in the process on art and world events, and she sets up the texts opposite her artworks in exhibitions and publications. WRITING IN RAGE is the first compilation of her writing by itself, and includes essays, journal entries, and correspondence with friends, foes, family members, and gallerists. The book provides very personal insights into Cahn's life, her family, and the art market, introducing the reader to a disputatious, independent spirit. The Swiss artist MIRIAM CAHN (*1949, Basel) deals with political and social themes in oil paintings; charcoal, chalk, and colored and lead pencil drawings; and in photographs, films, and installations. Strong color is characteristic of her work, forming a stark contrast to the recurring motifs of violence, tenderness, war, destruction, and physical infirmity. Her habit of commenting upon her work in writing is a golden thread running throughout Cahn's career. She illuminates her own art, commenting in the process on art and world events, and she sets up the texts opposite her artworks in exhibitions and publications.

A rebel and feminist, the Switzerland-born Miriam Cahn is one of the major artists of her generation. Widely known for her drawings and paintings, she also experiments with photography, moving images, sculptures, and performance art. Cahn’s diverse body of work is disturbing and dreamlike, filled with striking human figures pulsing with an energy both passionate and violent. These pieces, along with Cahn’s reflections on artistic expression, have always responded to her contemporary moment. In the 1980s, her work addressed the feminist, peace, and environmental movements, while the work she produced in the 1990s and early 2000s contains allusions to the war in the former Yugoslavia, the conflict in the Middle East, and the September 11 terrorist attacks. Her recent production tackles ever-evolving political conflicts, engaging with the European refugee crisis and the “#metoo” movement. Miriam Cahn: I as Human examines different facets of the artist’s prolific and troubling oeuvre, featuring contributions from art historians, critics, and philosophers including Kathleen Bühler, Paul B. Preciado, Elisabeth Lebovici, Adam Szymczyk, Natalia Sielewicz and .

International feminist art journal.

Text by Darby English, Wayne Baerwaldt, Huey Copeland, Mark Nash, Wayne Koestenbaum. Interview by Stephen Andrews.

"From the very beginning when the first exhibition premiered at the newly opened Opera House in 1973, our aim was to bring ao Australia the latest developments in contemporary art from around the world...The Biennale of Sydney 2000 continues this outstanding tradition..." --p. 6.