Ikemura und Nolde

Leiko Ikemura (b. in Tsu, Japan; lives and works in Berlin) has carefully studied various positions in classic European modernism, including the art of Odilon Redon and Emil Nolde. She has long been fascinated by Nolde’s oeuvre, and some of her themes and motifs show remarkable similarities to his, though these parallels are not readily apparent to the casual beholder and the artist doesn’t consciously pursue them. Their complexity is heightened by the fact that they reflect the relevance to Ikemura’s art of the European context in which she works as well as a lasting echo of her Japanese roots. The exhibition at Kunstmuseum Ahrenshoop, which was produced in close collaboration with the Nolde Foundation in Seebüll, is the first to present paintings and works on paper by these two outstanding artists in dialogue. The accompanying book explores various aspects of the affinity between them. With essays by Katrin Arrieta, artistic director, Kunstmuseum Ahrenshoop, and Astrid Becker, assistant director, Nolde Foundation, Seebüll.