Gagosian is presenting “Punctum,” the first exhibition in the United States solely dedicated to the photographic works of Anselm Kiefer, an artist known for his engagement with history and memory. Opening on April 25, 2024, at the Gagosian’s Madison Avenue gallery in New York, the exhibition will run until July 3. Despite being an integral part of his artistic practice since 1968, Kiefer’s photography has often been overshadowed by his large-scale paintings and installations. “Punctum” seeks to rectify this by showcasing how Kiefer has consistently used the camera to explore themes of decay, rebirth, and the metaphysical interplay of materials.
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The title of the exhibition, “Punctum,” refers to a concept from Roland Barthes’ seminal work “Camera Lucida,” which describes the aspect of a photo that pierces the viewer. This concept perfectly encapsulates Kiefer’s photographic approach, which often features enigmatic and haunting images that evoke a sense of past narratives rewritten and reimagined through visual cues. His works, such as the Merkaba series and the poignant Jericho pieces, display his characteristic use of symbolic imagery ranging from sunflowers and snow-laden fields to urban sprawls, each layering historical context with personal symbolism. These photos are also physically manipulated through methods like solarization and the addition of materials like lead and silver.
Kiefer’s use of photography as an exploratory space for his recurring motifs of destruction and renewal is exemplified in works like “Osiris” and “Feldblumen.” In these, he transforms the photographic surface through the application of heavy metals or tonal shifts, infusing the images with a textured, almost sculptural quality that challenges the viewer’s perception of the depicted subjects. The exhibition also revisits some of Kiefer’s earlier controversial series, such as “Besetzungen,” where he used photography to confront and reinterpret Germany’s Nazi past.
