Images et (re)présentations at Le Magasin: A Critical Look at the 1980s

From May 31 to September 6, 2009, Le Magasin – Centre d'art contemporain in Grenoble, France, hosted the exhibition 'Images et (re)présentations.' This event, the second focusing on the 1980s, delves into themes of imagery, representation, appropriation, and spectacle. It showcases surrealist artwork, neo-geometric abstraction from artists like Peter Halley and David Diao, and the recycling of artistic imagery by Thomas Lawson. Comic-influenced pieces by Raymond Pettibon and Jim Shaw, as well as kitsch representations by Nina Childress and Rhonda Zwillinger, are also included. The exhibition prioritizes painting, featuring video work by Dara Birnbaum and installations by Tony Cragg. Critic Caroline Engel remarked that it has a museum-like quality and lacks a critical viewpoint, despite presenting notable pieces such as Childress's Pizza Paintings and works from Czech artists Milan Kunc and Jan Knap.