Olaf Breuning / Switzerland

Switzerland born 1970, works in United States 2002–

Olaf Breuning’s playful images address the absurdities, anxieties and excesses of contemporary life. The digital photo-collages in the NGV Triennial show the artist acting as an enthusiastic representative of the generation connected to the internet 24/7. Everyday life is represented here as a set of chaotic, dreamlike vignettes in which the characters look back at the viewer inquiringly, while seeming to be in the process of undertaking a task or playing out a role. The artist uses collage and familiar phrases to navigate between ‘high’ and ‘low’ artistic practices with sarcastic wit.

BIO

In 2016 the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf organised a retrospective of Breuning’s work. Breuning has held solo exhibitions at public institutions, including the Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Chisenhale Gallery, London; and Kunstverein Freiburg, Freiburg am Breisgau. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions, including the 2008 Whitney Biennial in New York as well exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin; and Whitechapel Gallery, London.