Montblanc YoungArtist World PatronageThis unique project, created by Montblanc in 2004, gives young and upcoming artists the platform to present their name and talent to a broader public and the international art scene in particular.The concept is to have more than 330 Montblanc boutiques worldwide act as a gallery and exhibit simultaneously for a single artist with one particular artwork for a period of almost 6 weeks. The common theme for the artworks is the creative interpretation of the world famous Montblanc star.The individual "star"-works are reproduced and exhibited in the Montblanc boutique windows. The original artworks became and will become part of the Montblanc "Cutting Edge Art Collection" - one of the various Montblanc initiatives to support contemporary art and demonstrate the brand's commitment and contribution to art and culture.Since 2004 Montblanc presented 18 young artists from all over the world. The selection of the artists and artworks took place together with reputed experts from the international art and culture scene.See the previous post of Mont Blanc artwork here.Young Artist World Patronage2005Because of the tremendous success the "Young Artist World Patronage" aroused in 2004, Montblanc continued the international art project in 2005. The artistic interpretations of the famous Montblanc brand signet, the white star, were on display in over 330 Montblanc Boutiques world-wide. Montblanc again used its global presence as a platform for sponsoring young talents.The artists whose works were on display from January to November 2005 were Eske Kath, Mikio Taka, Susi Pop, Gitte Schäfer, Angela Brennan and Jan Christensen.Above: Susi PopDer Zeichner im Stern 2003About the artistBecause no one has ever seen Susi Pop, there are no known facts about her appearance, her origins, or her artistic career. The person is nothing; the name is everything. Susi Pop's artworks have been included in solo and group exhibitions throughout Europe, most recently in the Städtische Galerie Nordhorn and the Hamburger Bahnhof, Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin.About her workIn her universally pink artworks, Susi Pop playfully and sarcastically explores the values of the art world itself. She questions the concept of original artworks vs. reproductions, and also tackles historical and political themes. Susi Pop is especially known for her interpretation of Gerhard Richter's 1988 painting cycle, "18. Oktober 1977", which paid tribute to the German left-wing terrorist group, Red Army Fraction (RAF). Susi Pop reproduced the artworks as pink silkscreens on a magenta background, and titled them ''The Moustache of Ulrike Meinhof,'' making reference to Marcel Duchamp.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Above: Eske KathDisintegration / Volcano 2003About the artistEske Kath was born in 1975 in Haderslev, Denmark and attended The Royal Danish Academy of FineArts from 1997-2003. He had recent solo exhibitions at Galerie Mikael Andersen in Copenhagen and at Galerie Schuster in Frankfurt, and his work has been featured in recent group exhibitions at the Vensyssel Museum of Modern Art, Denmark, Momentum, Moss, Norway and the 'Premio del Golfo' biennale, La Spezia, Italy. Eske Kath lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark.About his workEske Kath's paintings frequently explore themes of natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes and tidal waves, as well as the relationship between the universal and the personal. In the artist's exhibition entitled “My Tsunami,” lava floats, tornadoes rage and the earth trembles expressing the “everyday catastrophes” of normal life. Architectural elements with sharp edges coexist softly and poetically with organic shapes and triangular mountaintops and suggest the delicate balance between manmade and natural, peace and chaos, stability and catastrophe.www.gma.dk----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Above:Mikio TakaTauziehen 2003About the artistMikio Taka was born in 1978 on Hokkaido, the northern-most island of Japan. He was one of the youngest finalists to be selected for the 1998 Sapporo Contemporary Art Award. His work has been featured in group exhibitions at The Proposition Gallery, New York, The Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, The Super Deluxe Gallery, Tokyo and The CAI Gallery, Hamburg. In the summer of 2004, The Hamburg Department of Cultural Affairs awarded Mikio Taka an artist residency to produce artworks that will be included in a group exhibition about Japanese contemporary art at the Kunsthaus Hamburg in 2005.About his workMikio Taka's artwork combines figurative and draughtsman-like drawing with dreamy landscapes. He has a broad range of styles ranging from minimalist watercolour paintings to three dimensional pieces. Repetitive shapes and forms merge symbiotically to create a visually precise paradise that seems digitally generated. All of these elements illustrate the artist's view of landscapes as amoeba-like organisms that hypnotize and mesmerize the viewer.www.cai-hamburg.de------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Above:Gitte SchäferWithout Title 2003About the artistGitte Schäfer was born in 1972 in Stuttgart. She attended the Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee and the Chelsea College of Art in London. A fellow from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes from 2001-2003, Gitte Schäfer had a recent solo exhibition at Mehdi Chouakri, Berlin. Her work was also featured in a recent show at Kirkhoff Gallery in Copenhagen. She lives and works in Berlin.About her workGitte Schäfer explores cultural symbols in her intimate paintings and drawings of interiors, landscapes, and architectural scenes. Using romantic or romanticized icons, such as old magazine clippings and flea market postcards as well as furniture and found objects, Gitte Schäfer presents the dichotomy of nature and culture. She is greatly influenced by the applied arts, and frequently experiments with different artistic techniques such as pencil on gesso, perforated and painted metal and painted boxes.www.mehdi-chouakri.com------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Above: Angela BrennanMontblanc 2003About the artistAngela Brennan was born in 1960 in Ballarat, Australia. She attended the University of Melbourne and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and has been awarded studio residencies in Spain, France and China. Her work is represented in major public, corporate and private collections throughout Australia and overseas, including the National Gallery of Australia and the World Bank Collection in New York. Angela Brennan lives and works in Melbourne, Australia.About her workAngela Brennan's oeuvre includes portraits and landscapes but she is best known for her abstract paintings. Philosophical, astronomical, literary and musical concepts are of personal interest to her and are frequently examined in her work. The ideas and emotions expressed in her paintings always provoke a reaction, ranging from affirmation to intrigue or bemusement. In her latest works, text overlays the drips, splashes and stripes of paint. The words dominate the canvas but simultaneously blend into the cacophony of the background.www.niagara-galleries.com.au-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jan ChristensenSuperimposed stars 2003About the artistJan Christensen was born in 1977 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He studied at The National College of Art and Design in Oslo,Norway until 2000 and has been based in Berlin since 2001. He has received several Scandinavian grants and art prizes and was given two periods of residency at the International Artists Studio Programme in Sweden (IASPIS) in 2003. In 2004, he held residencies at the Villa Arson in Nice, France and the National Art Studio in Seoul, South Korea. He currently has a residency at The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin.About his workDrawing inspiration from artists such as Michael Majerus and Franz Ackermann, Jan Christensen's wall paintings either refer to the aesthetics of media-based culture or function as site-specific installations that reflect the surrounding architecture. His compositions are often layered and colorful and fuse graphics and words. At first they appear decorative but ultimately debate notions of content, context, intention and perception of works of art.www.janchristensen.org www.atlegerhardsen.com----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
