MUDAM Exhibition Links Contemporary Art to W.G. Sebald's Literary World

The exhibition 'L'imagine papillon' at MUDAM in Luxembourg, running from March 23 to September 8, 2013, draws inspiration from the writings of W.G. Sebald, the German author exiled in England known for his nostalgic narratives interspersed with black-and-white photographs. Curated by Carole Boulbès, the show features fifteen artists across two levels and four sections, each paired with a Sebald book opened to an illustrated page. Works include photography, video, sculpture, drawing, 16mm film, and sound installations. New commissions include Moyra Davey's 'L'Image fantôme', Tris Vonna-Michell's double slide projection 'Postscript I', and Mathieu Kleyebe Abonnenc's ring 'Kannibalen I'. The exhibition explores themes of loss, memory, and transformation, with pieces by Zoe Leonard (anatomical models, apple trees, wall photographs from 1988-2003), Félix Gonzalez-Torres (light bulb curtain, candies, unlimited posters), and Tacita Dean's film 'Sound Mirrors' (1999) featuring concrete listening ears on the English coast. Other artists include Danh Vo (Vietnamese photographs by Joe Carrier), Lonnie van Brummelen and Siebren de Haan (double 16mm projection 'Subi dura a rudibus', 2010). The show also references Walter Benjamin and surrealism, linking Sebald's use of photographs to André Breton's 'Nadja'.