Back to Future
Exhibition at the 44Møen on view from June 9 to September 8, 2024
Under the title Back to Future, this year's main exhibition, 44Møen presents a rich variety of artisticexpressions and voices across generations, countries, and artistic media such as painting, sculpture, photography, video and sound. Two of the artists in the exhibition are currently exhibiting at the Venice Biennale, considered to be one of the world's most important art events.
Back to Future presents three solo shows by prominent contemporary artists: Gülsün Karamustafa, Christine Moldrickx and Amanda Ziemele. Alongside, the exhibition features two pioneers from the experimental movements of the 1960s-70s: John Cage and Nam June Paik.
Back to Future is curated by German René Block (b. 1942), who co-founded 44Møen in 2008. The exhibition is his last as 44Møen's artistic director, thus passing on the torch to future generations.
John Cage, The Ready Made Boomerang, (Print), 1989, © Edition Block
The exhibition looks to the future by taking influential work of two pioneering figures as starting point. Their experimental and visionary contributions have significantly shaped 20th-century art: Americanavant-garde composer John Cage (1912-1992) and Korean video artist Nam June Paik (1932-2006).
Both were key members of the Fluxus movement, and their innovations in sound, performance, and videoart have left an enduring impact. These influences are deeply embedded in the essence of 44Møen. The exhibition will feature works such as Cage’s Mozart Mix, 1991, and Paik’s large Urklavier, 1982.
Gülsün Karamustafa, Courier, 1991, © SALT Research, Gülsün Karamustafa Archive,
Bequest of the artist
Gülsün Karamustafa (b. 1946) is hailed as one of Turkey's most significant contemporary artists. Her work frequently explores themes of migration, exile, and gender, intertwining personal and historical narratives with poetic precision. At 44Møen, visitors can experience a selection of her photographic and sculptural works, along with the prominent video installation Men Crying, 2001. Currently, Karamustafa is representing Turkey at the Venice Biennale.
Christine Moldrickx, Für die Schwerelosigkeit (Johannes), 2013, Photo by Henning Krauss,
Bequest of the artist
Christine Moldrickx (b. 1984) creates sculptural works and assemblages that combine new materials with found objects, recontextualizing their former functions and cultural symbolism into new constellations. The German artist describes her works as 'liminal objects,' existing in a state of transition between different meanings and stages. In her hands, an everyday prosaic object can become a portal to another world.
Amanda Ziemele, Zephyr, 2023, Installation view from The Sun Has Teeth, Photo by
Kristīne Madjare. Bequest of the artist
Amanda Ziemele (b. 1990) extends the abstract and minimalist traditions through her painting. In her ongoing exploration of the formal qualities of the medium, she creates abstract, dynamic, fragmented compositions where shapes, colours, rhythm, and space interact without settling into a static form. Everything remains in motion. Ziemele is currently representing Latvia at the Venice Biennale.
Maja Li Härdelin, Skilda världar (Worlds apart), Approx 25 min, video still, 2024
44Møen Summer Programme also includes an exhibition Cats – The Exhibition with new works by Swedish artist Maja Li Härdelin (b. 1989). Documentary footage blends with first-person perspectives and reflections on body, matter, and memory. The exhibition also features a sound piece inspired by Johan Sebastian Bach and John Cage alike, as well as a sculpture in which 68 kilograms of shrimp-flavoured cat food is combined with a 19thcentury Gustavian sofa, which plays an intricate role in Swedish cultural history.
The exhibitions Back to Future and Cats – The Exhibition are on view from June 9 to September 8, 2024.
ABOUT 44MØEN
44Møen was founded in 2008 as an international Kunsthalle in a former car repair shop in Askeby on the Danish island Møn, south of Copenhagen. The initiative came from the German curator René Block, alongside Ursula Block and the Møn-based artists Bjørn Nørgaard, Lene Adler Petersen, Henning Christiansen, and Ursula Reuter Christiansen. Since its inception, 44Møen has presented an ambitious program of exhibitions and activities fostering a dynamic exchange between the international and the local. Today 44Møen stands as a well-established, modern, and internationally recognized platform for contemporary art. Its program is deeply rooted in the experimental art movements of the 1960s-70s, including Fluxus, Ex-School, conceptual art and social plastik, performance.
Title image: Nam June Paik, Urklavier, 1986
