AMSTERDAM.- Sotheby’s Amsterdam announced the opening of S|2 x NL – the inaugural exhibition organised by Sotheby’s S│2 Contemporary art gallery in the Netherlands.
Coinciding with the fourth edition of Amsterdam Art Weekend on 26-29 November, S|2 x NL showcases new paintings and sculpture by four young, emerging contemporary artists: Matteo Callegari (b. 1979, Italy), Austin Lee (b. 1983, USA), Michael Manning (b. 1985, USA) and Rafaël Rozendaal (b. 1980, Netherlands). In recent years, they have all established names for themselves as rising stars on the international contemporary arts scene; the exhibition marks the first time any works by Callegari, Lee and Manning are shown in the Netherlands. All the works are available for private sale.
Curated by Sotheby’s Nicholas Cinque, S|2 x NL highlights the developing role technology has to play in contemporary art. From synthesizing three-dimensional sculpture with a printer to sketching on an iPad, computers and digital technology have enhanced traditional painting and artistic practices.
In their own unique ways, all four artists have incorporated into their work the new possibilities and processes technology offers. Callegari structures his paintings by digitally reconfiguring Renaissance images into painterly matrices; Lee's airbrushed canvases are prepared on screen using digital functions like augmented reality and virtual renderings; Manning uses touch screens to generate his gestural abstract works; and Rozendaal, a proponent of Internet Art, transforms websites into canvases.
“S|2 x NL will introduce some of today’s most exciting - and interesting - emerging artists to a brand new audience in the Netherlands. All proponents of technology and the creative possibilities it offers, they provide a glimpse into the future of artistic production. we have selected fresh, new works directly from the artists’ studios, and very much look forward to seeing how they are received in Amsterdam.” - Sasha Stone, Specialist in Modern and Contemporary Art, Sotheby’s Amsterdam
