PAALEN, LIMP OAK, PINK

British artist Ian Kiaer is known for sprawling installations that combine architectural models, everyday objects, and paintings to form disjointed narratives. For a number of years, his work has been inspired by historic thinkers known for their resistance to the dominant ideology of their time. “Limp Oak” (the title of this work and the installation it was part of earlier this year) is a phrase Kiaer encountered in the work of Austrian-Mexican painter Wolfgang Paalen, which combined contradictory words as a critique of power. This atmospheric work features an authoritative building resting on an empty horizon, and the pale pink color, craggy windows, and confusing space all seem to undermine the ideas the structure aims to communicate. Kiaer’s work has been the subject of solo exhibition at institutions worldwide, and he has been included in multiple biennial exhibitions.