Thomas Trummer

Cabaret Crusades Drawings is an extraordinary limited-edition pop-up book by Egyptian artist Wael Shawky (born 1971).

The pop-ups are based on seven drawings by Shawky that in turn are inspired by the Arabian calligraphers, colorists and storytellers working just before the First Crusade. Thus, a two-headed animal bears castles upon its back; a gigantic camel straddles mountains. Meticulously precise yet dreamlike, Shawky’s drawings swarm with waxen incident and narrative detail, displaying show more worlds equally alien and familiar, diffuse and present. A virtuoso work of book art, and an exquisitely conceived sculptural extension of drawing, Cabaret Crusades Drawings includes essays by Thomas D. Trummer and Omar Berrada explore the historical foundations and current relevance of Shawky’s drawings and the particular role of draftsmanship within Shawky’s body of work as a whole. show less

The transformation of everyday and urban detritus is one of Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates’ (born 1973) fundamental artistic strategies. It is an approach that the works in this volume, some of which have been especially created for Kunsthaus Bregenz, encompassing sculptures and what are often large-scale installations, also adhere to. For the first time, elements of a collection that Edward J. Williams had assembled over many years and which Gates has titled Negrobilia, will be on show more public display. Williams’ aim was to remove these objects from the market and thus from any obvious visibility. Gates’ multilayered Black Archive and its critical engagement with political issues are addressed in a contribution by Romi Crawford, while Thomas D. Trummer focuses on expounding Gates’ artistic concept underlying the exhibition in Bregenz. Gates himself also provides a rumination on his own artistic practice. show less

Following the most enthusiastically received and successful exhibition of 2015 at Kunsthaus Bregenz, the small bibliophilic book »Joan Mitchell – Kunsthaus Bregenz« has been published, with a text by Thomas D. Trummer.

Edited by Kunsthaus Bregenz, Thomas D. Trummer
With an essay by Thomas D. Trummer
Graphic design by Stefan Gassner
In German only
Hardcover, 9 x 18 cm, 76 pages