Disaster: Warhol's Absence and Collective Destruction at Thaddaeus Ropac

Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac's vast new Pantin space hosts a group exhibition curated by Michael Bracewell, exploring death and catastrophe in art before and after Warhol. Warhol is notably absent, but works by Barry X Ball, Zhang Huan, Liza Lou, Banks Violette, Harun Farocki, and Amos Gitaï fill the void. Ball's onyx busts depict horrified envy and veiled purity, visually rotting. Zhang Huan's Ash Banquet (2011) presents atomic ashes from Christ's last supper. Liza Lou's The Damned (2004) shows bodybuilder Adam and Eve expelled from Paradise. Banks Violette's Mirror Wall, a metaphor for capitalist collapse, and Farocki's Respite (2007), shown on a small monitor in bright light, are less successful. Gitaï's Kippur (2010) depicts soldiers carrying a comrade under bombardment. In a second space, Erwin Wurm invites visitor participation: using knees and elbows to destroy clay architectures, following his instructions. The exhibition runs March 2 – June 1, 2013 (main space) and March 2 – April 27, 2013 (Wurm space).