Thomas Mllenbach20052013HalboriginaleSemi-originals Semi-originals

ORIGINALE Einladungskarten 2005 2013 is about Thomas Mllenbachs series Halboriginale (Semi-originals), which he worked on from 2005 2013. The point of departure for this series was the countless invitations to exhibitions and other art events that the artist found in his mailbox every day documentary evidence, as it were, of the day-to-day art scene. Mllenbach has transposed this documentation, which heavily influences his work as it is, into pictures, or more precisely watercolors, of his own. From Drer to van Gogh, Swiss to foreign artists, figurative treatments to abstract color compositions, these works play on their recognizability. Mllenbachs semi-originals are neither forgeries nor copies, but unusual interpretations or, in the artists own words, handmade appropriation. This reference to Appropriation Art is significant, given the huge influence the latter has had on contemporary artwork and, as a result, on the everyday life of the art scene where artist and viewer converge. Thomas Mllenbach has made his mark on Swiss art and culture since the 1970s. In his capacity as a professor at Zrichs Hochschule der Knste, he has for years made an important contribution to current discourse about art. In 1985 he figured prominently in setting up the Kunsthalle Zrich association, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year featuring among other things Mllenbachs acclaimed solo show T.F.T., which devotes one whole room to his semi-originals. Each book cover is unique, individually designed by Thomas Mllenbach.