Joseph Kosuth Curates 'Matter, Grey' at Galerie Almine Rech

Joseph Kosuth organizes the exhibition 'Matter, Grey' at Galerie Almine Rech in Paris, running from February 25 to April 22, 2006. The show brings together conceptual artists like Kosuth and Hanne Darboven alongside René Magritte and younger artists such as Seamus Farrell, Tino Sehgal, Ann-Sofi Sidén, and Haim Steinbach. The title refers to grey matter—brain cells—and the works are largely achromatic, engaging with the mind and postmodern priorities. Kosuth presents his 1987 neon work 'The Solution of the Riddle' from the 'Zero and Not' series, which uses text from Sigmund Freud. This piece was first shown in France at the Musée d'Art Contemporain de Lyon and later at the Festival de Lyon in 2000; the current version was originally installed at Leo Castelli Gallery in 1986. A never-before-seen work by Magritte is included, courtesy of the Fondation Magritte. Kosuth discusses the evolution of conceptual art into a common ground for postmodern practice focused on meaning rather than form. He distinguishes between being a good painter and a great artist, citing Magritte as the latter. The exhibition is not part of his 'Curated Installations' series but shares intentions with larger museum shows, questioning the ontology of curatorial meaning.