Los Angeles

Phillip Zach

Cities

Phillip Zach is a German artist currently based between Frankfurt and Istanbul. His work explores mechanisms with which the human mind divides the world and thus creates structures of hierarchy. Entertaining non sequitur, anti-synthetic poetics, often stressing structural contradictions, his work investigates the dialectics through which cultures are formed. Questions of personal self-construction, authenticity, science-fiction and the plasticity of matter and mind permeate his recent practice. Comprising various media such as text, objects, installations, curatorial projects, process based exhibitions and collaborations, his work performs on a line of inconsistent decisions that challenge the economy of recognizability and the self-branding as an artist. „It is some kind of mind game I am playing with myself. Observing how far it is possible to lose myself and lag behind to then catch up again. Leaving what I have done before and doing something that initially seems really far away and different, is always an exercise to observe where all the connections lie.“

Zach is currently based in Istanbul in a one-year residency with the Hessische Kulturstiftung (Hessian cultural grant). He studied at the University of Fine Arts, Hamburg and at Städelschool Frankfurt, where he graduated in 2012. Previous solo exhibitions include Content is Fiction, New Jerseyy (Basel, 2013), Hospital Postures at Johan Berggren Gallery (Malmö, 2013), When a boat runs ashore the sea has spoken at Flute Douce Artspace (Frankfurt, 2012) and Why is Bad nice? at Frankfurter Kunstverein (2011). His work has been shown internationally including exhibitions at Freedman Fitzpatrick Gallery (Los Angeles, 2014), White Flag Projects (St. Louis, 2014), Grand Century (New York, 2014), Paramount Ranch (Los Angeles, 2014), Greene Naftali Gallery (New York, 2013), Sandy Brown Gallery (Berlin, 2013),  M/L Artspace (New York, 2013), Halle für Kunst and Kunstraum of Leuphana University (Lüneburg, 2012), Museum of Modern Art (Frankfurt, 2012), Museum of Contemporary Art (Roskilde, 2012), Bas Fisher Invitational Gallery (Miami, 2012) and Kunstverein Heidelberg (2011).