Candida Höfer: Liechtenstein

Candida Höfer has created a new series of works in Liechtenstein. It forms the starting point and the centrepiece of the first exhibition conceived jointly by Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein and the Hilti Art Foundation. Höfer shot the photographs, numbering 20, in the autumn and winter of 2021 specifically for the show. The series reflects the artist’s ongoing exploration of scenes of cultural life and architecture. In conjunction with selected works from classical modernism to the present, the result is a mutually enriching dialogue between Höfer and the collections of both institutions.

A member of the Düsseldorf “Becher School,” the acclaimed artist (b. 1944 in Eberswalde, Germany) has previously created a number of site-specific groups of images, for example in Brussels and Düsseldorf. The photographs taken in Liechtenstein follow in this tradition, as the exhibition’s curators explain:

“Inspired by the architecture of the museum, Höfer has developed this series of works in and for Liechtenstein. Shot at different locations, the spaces depicted serve cultural purposes in the narrow and broad senses. Höfer focuses on the infrastructure of art, not only presenting outdoor situations but also storage areas, luminous ceilings, goods lifts and staircases. After all, what would a museum collection be without storage or an exhibition without lighting? She also photographed the off-premises store of the National Library of Liechtenstein. Her mode of looking allows us to experience places and spaces afresh and to perceive them more consciously. Höfer’s photographs set the tone for us, as curators. They are the starting point and the inspiration for dialogues with both collections, which offer a wealth of fascinating and astonishing affinities.” —Christiane Meyer-Stoll, Letizia Ragaglia and Uwe Wieczorek

Characteristic of Höfer’s photographic oeuvre is an objective, sober visual idiom, a pronounced interest in structures and the ordering of space, and a remarkable attention to detail. To create her images, she makes use of available light at the various locations and spaces (not using any spotlights), which in many cases results in long exposure times. Höfer’s photographs are the opposite of snapshots: they are carefully planned and precisely executed. The subject matter speaks of human presence and influence, even if most of the spaces captured by the artist are deserted. Her latest works also testify to an increasing level of abstraction, in which colour, surface and form and their dissolution gain in relevance.

Candida Höfer: Liechtenstein will be the first exhibition to span all four skylight galleries of the Kunstmuseum and the three exhibition rooms of the Hilti Art Foundation—a total of around 1600 square metres.

Höfer’s photographs are juxtaposed in an open dialogue with more than sixty artworks from the two collections. The artist’s works form the starting point for the selection made by the curatorial team: one particular work or group of images sets the theme for each of the seven exhibition spaces. This aspect is emphasised by the grey wall colour. By allowing expansive, atmospheric associative fields, Höfer’s photographic oeuvre can engage in a dialogue with works from different genres from more than one hundred years of art. Conversely, the unfamiliar contexts allow visitors to experience the broad range of her photographs from a fresh perspective.

A production of Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein and the Hilti Art Foundation curated by Christiane Meyer-Stoll, Letizia Ragaglia and Uwe Wieczorek.

Exhibiting artists
Saâdane Afif, Josef Albers, Polly Apfelbaum, Joseph Beuys, Umberto Boccioni, Bill Bollinger, Nina Canell, Andreas Christen, Gianni Colombo, Edith Dekyndt, Latifa Echakhch, Luciano Fabro, Helmut Federle, Dan Flavin, Lucio Fontana, Günter Fruhtrunk, Gerhard von Graevenitz, Gotthard Graubner, Donald Judd, Kerstin Kartscher, Konrad Klapheck, Julije Knifer, Imi Knoebel, Anna Kołodziejska, Gary Kuehn, Fernand Léger, Barry Le Va, Verena Loewensberg, René Magritte, Kasimir Malewitsch, Rita McBride, Piet Mondrian, François Morellet, Charlotte Moth, Bruce Nauman, Giulio Paolini, Steven Parrino, Dan Peterman, Emilio Prini, Pamela Rosenkranz, Fred Sandback, Keith Sonnier, Yves Tanguy, André Thomkins, Rosemarie Trockel, Gilberto Zorio.

The exhibition is accompanied by a publication featuring numerous illustrations and a literary adaptation of a production diary documenting the process of creating the exhibition.

Höfer has created two editions for Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein to accompany the exhibition.

Free Wednesday! Admission to Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein and Hilti Art Foundation is free every Wednesday.

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