Lara Nickel: 12 Horses – Homage to Jannis Kounellis
Skira 2019
Italian, English and French translations of the exhibition catalogue by Scriptum
The Horse has been represented in the History of Art by almost every culture in every time period. In 1969, Jannis Kounellis (member of the Italian art movement Arte Povera) brought twelve living horses inside a gallery space in Rome, creating an awkward, dreamlike experience and a very re-interpreted image of the Horse in an art context. Lara Nickel’s homage consists of twelve life-size horse paintings, all presented realistically with white backgrounds which mimic the “neutral” gallery wall. They are displayed in a similar manner to Kounellis’ live horses: positioned on the ground and installed perpendicularly to the wall so they appear to be standing in the room, making the architectural space itself the setting of the painting.