Gregor Hildebrandt exhibition at Wentrup Gallery Venice includes boat tour

Wentrup Gallery, founded in Berlin in 2004 by Jan and Tina Wentrup, opened a new Venice space near Ospedale SS. Giovanni e Paolo during the 2024 Venice Biennale, directed by Lucia Longhi. Following the inaugural group show Capriccio featuring Mary Ramsden, Anastasia Samoylova, Marion Verboom, and Enzo Cucchi, the gallery presents a solo retrospective of Berlin-based artist Gregor Hildebrandt (born 1974 in Bad Homburg). Titled Stern und schwärzliche Fahrt (Star and Blackish Journey), the exhibition is held in the former studio of fashion designer Giuliana di Camerino, a greenhouse in the Castello district with large windows and natural light. The show features works made from VHS tapes, vinyl records, and magnetic tape, including the 2021 piece We are sad to say (Carny) depicting the facade of the San Michele cemetery in Venice, referencing Nick Cave's song The Carny from his 1986 album Your Funeral... My Trial. The exhibition title comes from a poem by Austrian poet Georg Trakl. On September 21, the exhibition extends onto the water: sails made by the artist in 2017 from cassette ribbons will be hoisted on a Grand Soleil 40 sailboat for public tours in the Bacino di San Marco, Canale della Giudecca, and southern lagoon. Part of the proceeds will go to the Fondazione Tara Ocean, a scientific expedition researching marine ecosystems.