Rainer Ganahl

Mother Father Daughter

May 14 - June 14

http://www.ganahl.info/paulpetro2008.html

Since the early 1990's Ganahl has considered the study of foreign
languages to be a major part of his art practice. His interest lies in the
social and political dimensions, rather than the linguistic properties,
of language. His work addresses eurocentrism, the complicated
relationship between power and knowledge and their institutions,
the intellectual arrogance associated with educational ideologies and
nation-building, and the specific/particular value systems that are
inscribed in languages. Ganahl's language-related works take on a
variety of different forms and include actual language studying over
time (Japanese, Russian, Korean, Modern Greek, Chinese etc.),
interviews, seminars/lectures, videos, objects, works on paper and
on line (www.ganahl.org) as well as photographs and performances.

In "motherfatherdaughter" the work turns towards personal narrative,
and the consequences of immigration and borders, with an exploration,
through photography and video, of a broken family. The exhibition
consists of fifteen large format photographs and three single-channel
DVDs.

For a complete description of this show please visit the following:

http://www.ganahl.info/motherfatherdaughter.html

Rainer Ganahl is an Austrian/American artist based in New York City.
In 1999 he exhibited in the Austrian Pavilion at the 48th Venice Biennale.
Ganahl exhibited "Basic Canadian" at Paul Petro Contemporary Art
in 2000. In 2005 he exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in Vienna.
Ganahl's "Seminars/Lectures" work was included in the Arsenale and
the Italian Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale (2007). Other recent
exhibitions include the Wallach Gallery, Columbia University Museum,
New York (2005), Kunstmuseum, Stuttgart (2006), and the Tensta
Konsthall, Stockholm (2008) (see below):

http://www.ganahl.info/tensta.html

In addition to Venice, Ganahl has recently participated at biennials in
Seville (cur. Okwui Enwezor, 2006) and Moscow (2007) and
upcoming in Shanghai (September 2008). "motherfatherdaughter"
is Ganahl's third exhibition at Paul Petro Contemporary Art.