JULIAN OPIE. Recent Works

Edited by Peter Noever, with texts by Bettina M. Busse, Timothy Clark, Sandy Nairne and Peter Noever.

Since the beginning of his artistic career, Opie has been concerned with expanding the means of artistic expression. Early on, he consciously crossed the genre boundaries between painting and sculpture, for example by basing his steel objects on everyday objects. Elements from comic strips and pop art become an important part of his work. It is a key concern for him to move away from the classic forms and genres of art and find a different medium, a different language and reading. Julian Opie has come much closer to this goal with the help of digital imaging technology. The independence gained from the material image carrier means that a wide variety of materials can be used. This gives his work direct access to the consumer world / the applied area (postcards, posters, stickers, record covers, etc.). Opie's motifs, on the other hand, are firmly anchored in the tradition of the history of images: portraits, nudes, half- and full-length images and landscapes. He uses his image subjects flexibly and places them on different media depending on the context. They are arranged in series that clearly follow the traditional image genres.

German/English, approx. 160 pages, numerous color illustrations
MAK Vienna/Hatje Cantz Ostfildern, 2008