Gregor Hildebrandt · forests of silence
Gregor Hildebrandt - A horse on the lake white - 2022
From 8 April to 28 May 2022, the Perrotin Gallery Shanghai presents "Where You Love Me Begins the Forest", an exhibition of works by German artist Gregor Hildebrandt.
Source: Perrotin Shanghai. Image: Gregor Hildebrandt (Germany, 1974). "A horse on the lake (white)" (detail), 2022. VHS magnetic coating, acrylic glue, acrylic on canvas. 74 x 107 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin
Born in Bad Homburg in 1974, Gregor Hildebrandt studied at the University of Mainz and the University of the Arts in Berlin, where he still lives with his partner, fellow artist Alicja Kwade. The exhibition marks Hildebrandt's return to China after his solo exhibition -also in Shanghai- in 2016.
Perrotin Gallery explains in a press release: "Exploring aesthetic and conceptual possibilities of obsolete recording media, Hildebrandt constructs his visual vocabulary through the usage of vinyl records, audio and videotapes. His creation is always very personal, imbued with a multitude of references drawn from music, cinema, art, and literature he enjoys. Hildebrandt’s monumental collages and architectonic landscapes build up a visceral experience, a song sung in silence. In his own words, they become ‘a memorial to different songs that are important to me.’"
"The exhibition's title ‘Wo du mich liebst beginnt der Wald,’ translated as ‘Where you love me begins the forest,’ is a verse from the song ‘Dolores’ by German band Anne released through Grzegorzki Records. Hildebrandt and Alicja Kwade founded the label in 2018, testifying their passion for music. In response to the title, poetic references to forest are present throughout the exhibition. From the recurring lyrics in paintings, the overall color theme, to the site-specific installation featuring an array of distinctive record columns and walls, the theme of forest unfolds itself, formulating a unified conceptual impression."

Read the full article