William Kentridge is one of the most renowned interdisciplinary artists working today. He stands for a multi-layered visual oeuvre that deals with oppression and exclusion as well as rebellion and the desire for freedom. On the occasion of his 70th birthday, the Museum Folkwang is dedicating an exhibition to the South African filmmaker, director and storyteller, focusing on more recent works and works that can be linked to Essen's history.
The exhibition at Museum Folkwang presents drawings, graphics and sculptures as well as animated short films. Multi-channel projections, which Kentridge conceived especially for exhibition purposes, provide an insight into his work for music theater. Selected works from the museum's collection also illustrate the role models to which Kentridge turned at the beginning of his career. These include works by German expressionists such as the painter, graphic artist and sculptor Max Beckmann as well as Russian avant-gardists such as the painter, designer and typographer El Lissitzky.
The survey exhibition "William Kentridge. Triumphs and Lamentations" is part of a major joint project between the Museum Folkwang and the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.
