(April
1-10,
2011)
-
London,
England.
Whitechapel
Gallery
1.The
Whitechapel
Gallery
presents
the work
of
Andrea
Büttner,
the
winner
of the
third
Max Mara
Art
Prize
for
Women in
collaboration
with the
Whitechapel
Gallery.
Andrea
Büttner
is
fascinated
by the
life of
religious
communities.
Her work
explores
the
crossover
between
religion
and art,
and the
similarities
between
religious
communities
and the
art
world. During
her
Italian
residency
after
winning
the Max
Mara Art
Prize
for
Women,
Büttner
spent
time
living
alongside
orders
of
nuns.
She
previously
observed
Carmelite
nuns in
London,
giving
them a
camera
with
which
they
filmed
themselves
making
works
such as
crochet
baskets
and
small
religious
figures.
The
Whitechapel
Gallery
exhibition showcases
new works
of art
made
after
winning
the
Prize,
inspired
by her
encounters
with
monastic
groups,
Giotto’s
frescoes,
and
works
from the
Maramotti
Collection
of early
Arte
Povera
artists
including
Alberto
Burri,
Enrico
Castellani
and
Piero
Manzoni.
Andrea
Büttner
transforms
the
Gallery
into
a contemplative space.
She uses
the
traditional
technique
of
woodcuts
to
depict
religious
iconography
such as
a loaf
of
bread, a
table
and St.
Francis.
Alongside this
traditional
imagery, everyday textiles from
the
uniforms
of park
wardens,
policemen
and
refuse
collectors
create
colourful
‘paintings’
when
stretched
like
canvases. These
paintings
form
part of
her
exploration
of the
symbolic
use of
fabric
in
Italian
religious
art.
Simple
benches offer
a place
to sit
and
reflect,
drawing
parallels
between
the
spaces
of a
church
and a
gallery.
Also on
display
are
posters,
cloth
and
leaflets,
all
inspired
by
Andrea
Büttner’s
time
spent in
monasteries,
convents
and
retreats.
The Max
Mara Art
Prize
for
Women
promotes
and
nurtures
female
artists
based in
the UK,
enabling
artists
to
develop
their
potential
by
producing
new
works of
art
during a
6-month
residency
in
Italy. The
judges
included
Iwona
Blazwick
(Chair), artist
Fiona
Banner;
gallerist
Alison
Jacques; art
collector Valeria
Napoleone;
and
curator
Polly
Staple.
Luigi
Maramotti,
Chairman
of Max
Mara
said,
‘The Max
Mara Art
Prize
champions
and
supports
female
artists
and it
gives me
great
pleasure
to be
able to
give the
winner
the rare
and
precious
commodities
of time
and freedom
to
create
new
works of
art. We
are
delighted
the
exceptionally
talented
Andrea
Büttner
won the
Prize
and that
she has
been so
inspired
by the
Italian
art she
encountered
on her
residency.’
Iwona
Blazwick
OBE,
Director,
Whitechapel
Gallery
said,
‘The
Whitechapel
Gallery
has a
long
tradition
of
premiering
female
artists
and so
we are
pleased
to show
the work
of
Andrea
Büttner
at the
Whitechapel
Gallery. It
was her
fascinating
practice,
which
draws
parallels
between
the
rituals
of
religious
belief
and of
making
art that
won the
judges
over. It
is
absolutely
of the
moment;
the
range of
media
she uses
references
art from
German
Expressionist
woodcuts
to
photography.
She is a
beacon
for the
sheer
calibre
of art
being
made by
women in
Britain
today.’