AMSTERDAM.- This fall, the Stedelijk Museum presents the exhibition Reading Dust, by Swiss artist Miriam Cahn. She evokes powerful emotions with simple brushstrokes and a vigorous drawing style. Her paintings and drawings depict human atrocities with brutal reality. Her provocative work has been exhibited worldwide, drawing critical acclaim at documenta 14 (2017), the Venice Biennale (2022) and Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2023).

Miriam Cahn uses very different formats, bursts of color and enigmatic human forms to portray universal emotions such as anger, fear, loss, vulnerability and power. Cahn paints indistinct, semi-abstract figures – often fragmented and ghostly – in otherworldly landscapes, where she confronts the complexities and primary emotions of human life. From the vulnerable to the powerful, from perpetrators to victims. Her skill in creating maximum impact with minimal means underscores her unique place in the art world.

WAR AND VIOLENCE, CONFLICT AND SORROW

Cahn’s work shatters taboos and, in a world in turmoil and violence, serves as a stark warning against war, sexual violence and racism. Her in-your-face paintings and drawings don’t sugarcoat the truth. Cahn’s work deliberately provokes and unflinchingly seeks out confrontation. She provides social and political commentary on global crises by forcing viewers out of their comfort zone and prompting them to evaluate their own opinions and beliefs. She doesn’t shy away from painting grief and similarly intense states, always alternating between subjective expressions of emotion and universal themes.

Rein Wolfs, director Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam: “We would like to thank Miriam Cahn for working with us so closely on this exhibition. Drawings and films, as well as paintings, will also be on display. Her work addresses the complex realities of our rapidly changing world. In the solo ‘Reading Dust’ and the accompanying publication, Cahn explores the various forms of oppressions individuals face and their methods of resistance. Her work is also deeply rooted in feminist thinking and her Jewish identity. Cahn’s confrontational oeuvre and advocacy of social justice make her a vital force in contemporary art.”

FEMINIST VOICE

What does it mean to be a woman? Who controls my body? Shaped by feminist theory, the artist unapologetically depicts all the facets of womanhood. She depicts the female body nude and with a raw intimacy, rejecting unrealistic ideals of female beauty. With this she reclaims the female body from the male-dominated system that consistently objectifies, criticizes and seeks to control women’s bodies.

PUBLICATION

The exhibition is accompanied by a short publication with a foreword by Rein Wolfs, director and curator of the exhibition, and a text by Miriam Cahn. As a special feature, the publication includes a number of the artist’s drawings in facsimile-print, some of which are also on view in the exhibition.