Marlene Dumas “open-end” at Palazzo Grassi, Venice
27 March 2022 - 8 January 2023
The solo exhibition, "open-end," curated by Caroline Bourgeois in collaboration with the artist herself, is a formidable celebration of Marlene Dumas' vast pictorial production, spanning from 1984 to the present day. With over 100 works, including previously unseen pieces from the last few years, this comprehensive showcase leaves visitors breathless with the sheer magnitude of Dumas' artistic genius.
Born in Cape Town, South Africa, during the oppressive Apartheid regime, Marlene Dumas' journey from her turbulent homeland to Amsterdam, where she now resides, has undoubtedly shaped her unique artistic perspective. Her early career was defined by collages and texts, but she has since transitioned to predominantly work with oil on canvas and ink on paper, with portraits emerging as her artistic language of choice. These portraits serve as universal reflections of the human condition, encompassing a range of emotions from suffering and ecstasy to fear and desperation. Moreover, Dumas masterfully integrates her commentary on the act of painting itself, inviting viewers to contemplate the essence of art-making.
What makes this exhibition truly extraordinary is its emphasis on the feminist lens through which Dumas reinterprets art history, particularly the works of male artists. We see examples of this in the works of “Magdalena” referencing Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and “Red Moon” which references John Millais’s Ophelia. By confronting the historical representations of women and women's issues, Dumas presents a potent contemporary feminist perspective. This audacious move resounds with a powerful resonance on an international stage, as Palazzo Grassi boldly steps up as the facilitator of this groundbreaking narrative.
Dumas' choice to utilize second-hand images and first-hand emotions imparts a profound layer of intimacy to her work. As viewers, we become part of a visual dialogue that grapples with themes of love and death, gender and race, innocence and blame, and violence and tenderness. Through her canvases, Dumas deftly weaves together the personal and the socio-political, drawing from newspapers, magazines, film stills, her own photographs, and even art history itself. Her paintings unveil the pervasive impact of the ceaseless barrage of images that surround us daily, subtly shaping our perception of self and society.
The exhibition at Palazzo Grassi is a testament to Dumas' astute understanding of the medium of painting as a profoundly physical and sensual experience. Her artworks pulsate with an inherent eroticism, interwoven with a rich tapestry of historical references, both artistic and cultural. With every brushstroke, she transcends the boundaries of time and space, creating a visceral and emotive connection that lingers long after leaving the exhibition.
"open-end" is more than a mere collection of artworks; it is a journey into the soul of a remarkably insightful artist. Marlene Dumas beckons us to question, to challenge, and to redefine our perceptions of the world and our place within it. Palazzo Grassi is to be commended for providing a platform that amplifies the powerful voice of contemporary feminist art and for celebrating Marlene Dumas' indelible impact on the contemporary art scene.
In a world where the struggle for gender equality continues, "open-end" stands as a beacon of hope, offering a glimpse of a future where feminist art thrives on an international stage, forever challenging the status quo.
