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Zoe Leonard: A View from the Levee

Past exhibition
18 March - 16 April 2022
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  • Works
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Overview
Zoe Leonard, A View from the Levee

Opening: Friday, March 18, 5 – 8 pm

 

Across sculpture, photography and installation, Zoe Leonard (b. 1961, Liberty, New York) examines the conditions of image making while exploring themes such as gender and sexuality, migration, displacement, and the urban landscape. Leonard self-reflexively considers the role which the medium plays in the construction of society and history, encouraging the viewer to re-consider the act of looking and observation.

 

Since 2016, Leonard has photographed along the 2,000 km long river Rio Grande (as it is named in the United States) or Río Bravo (as it is named in Mexico) which is used to demarcate the international border between the two countries. The artist followed the river from the border cities Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, to the Gulf of Mexico.

 

The exhibition A View from the Levee, Leonard’s first solo presentation at Capitain Petzel, features a selection of works from this project. Presented in the main hall of the gallery is the 40-piece Prologue, a depiction of the rivers’ surface meandering along the staggered walls.

 

Taking the unique location and architecture of the gallery – a modernist glass pavilion on Karl-Marx-Allee – as a point of departure for her selection, Leonard centers her show on the idea of lines of demarcation, in the political sense. In the once bisected city of Berlin a river flows from East to West, with as much potential for connection as for division. The b/w photographs on view at Capitain Petzel provide an understanding of the terrain and dynamics of border wall construction as well as dams, irrigation systems, detention centers and checkpoints. Leonard considers the paradox of “asking a natural feature to perform a political job”.

 

The political, social and natural collide as the river flows through changing landscapes. Leonard took these photographs from both sides of the border, from points accessible to the public – observing what is in plain sight. Engaging with traditions of documentary photography and investigating the complexities of a subjective gaze, Leonard observes her subject with unwavering precision.

 

Since the beginning of the project, the U.S.-Mexican border has increasingly become a central theme of political discourse. Correspondingly, physical changes reflect the growing tension; military presence has increased significantly on the border, while new infrastructure is being constructed to surveil and control the passage of goods and the movement of people. In this way, the photographs depict not only the varied terrain through which the river flows but also a changing socio-political landscape.

 

Al Río / To the River, an epic work of over 500 photographs drawn from the same project along the Río Bravo / Rio Grande, premiered in Zoe Leonard's eponymous solo presentation at Mudam Luxembourg - Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, where it is on view until June 6, 2022, traveling to Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris in October 2022. The exhibition is accompanied by a two-volume publication (Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2022).

 

This exhibition was realized in close collaboration with Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne.

 

 

Zoe Leonard is among the most influential artists of her generation. Her work merges photography, sculpture, and installation, balancing rigorous conceptualism with a distinctly personal vision. 

 

Leonard has exhibited widely in the U.S. and internationally since the early 1990s. Her participation in Documenta IX (1992) brought her work to international attention. She has been the subject of solo shows at MOCA – Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2018), Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2018), MoMA, New York (2015), and Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland (2007–08), among other institutions. Leonard was a finalist for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2010 and was awarded The Whitney Museum Bucksbaum Prize in 2014. In 2020 she was named a Guggenheim Fellow. The artist taught in the MFA program at Bard College where she served as Co-Chair of Photography from 2011-2015.

 

Zoe Leonard’s works are held in many public institutions, including the Centre Pompidou, Paris; Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich; Pinault Collection, Venice; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Staatsgalerie Stuttgart; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Tate Modern, London, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

 

Zoe Leonard  (*1961 in Liberty, New York) lives and works in New York City and Marfa, Texas.

 

Download Exhibition Dossier

 

–

 

18. März - 16. April 2022

Eröffnung: Freitag, 18. März, 17 - 20 Uhr

 

In ihren Skulpturen, Fotografien und Installationen untersucht Zoe Leonard (*1961, Liberty, New York) die Bedingungen der Bildproduktion und setzt sich mit Themen wie Gender und Sexualität, Migration, Verdrängung und der urbanen Landschaft auseinander. Leonard unterzieht die Rolle, die das Medium bei der Konstruktion von Gesellschaft und Geschichte spielt, einer selbstreflexiven Betrachtung und fordert das Publikum dazu auf, den Akt des Sehens und Beobachtens zu hinterfragen.

 

Seit 2016 fotografiert Leonard entlang des 2.000 Kilometer langen Flusses Rio Grande (wie er in den Vereinigten Staaten genannt wird) bzw. Río Bravo (wie er in Mexiko genannt wird), der die internationale Grenze zwischen den beiden Ländern markiert. Die Künstlerin ist dem Strom von den Grenzstädten Ciudad Juárez, Mexiko, und El Paso, Texas, bis zum Golf von Mexiko gefolgt.

 

A View from the Levee, Leonards erste Einzelpräsentation bei Capitain Petzel, umfasst eine Auswahl von Werken aus diesem Projekt. Im Hauptraum der Galerie wird das 40-teilige Werk Prologue gezeigt, eine Darstellung der Wasseroberfläche des Flusses, die sich entlang der gestaffelten Wände der Galerie schlängelt.

 

Ausgehend von der einzigartigen Lage und Architektur der Galerie – einem modernistischen Glaspavillon an der Karl-Marx-Allee – legt Leonard den Fokus ihrer Ausstellung auf politische Demarkationslinien. In der einst geteilten Stadt Berlin fließt ein Fluss von Ost nach West, der ebenfalls das Potenzial hat, sowohl zu verbinden als auch zu trennen. Die bei Capitain Petzel gezeigten S/W-Fotografien vermitteln einen Eindruck vom Terrain und der Dynamik des Grenzmauerbaus sowie von Dämmen, Bewässerungssystemen, Internierungszentren und Kontrollpunkten. Leonard spricht in diesem Sinne von dem Paradoxon, „ein natürliches Element mit einer politischen Aufgabe zu betrauen“.

 

Während sich der Fluss durch wechselnde Landschaften windet, prallen das Politische, das Soziale und das Natürliche aufeinander. Die in der Ausstellung präsentierten Fotografien hat Leonard von beiden Seiten der Grenze aus aufgenommen. Von öffentlich zugänglichen Punkten aus hat sie beobachtet, was sich vor ihren Augen abspielt. Während sie sich mit den Traditionen der Dokumentarfotografie auseinandersetzt und die Vielschichtigkeit des subjektiven Blicks untersucht, beobachtet die Künstlerin ihr Sujet mit unerschütterlicher Präzision.

 

Seit Beginn des Projekts ist die Grenze zwischen den USA und Mexiko zunehmend in den Mittelpunkt des politischen Diskurses gerückt. Dementsprechend spiegeln die physischen Veränderungen die wachsenden Spannungen wider: Während neue Infrastrukturen zur Überwachung und Kontrolle des Waren- und Personenverkehrs gebaut werden, hat die Militärpräsenz an der Grenze deutlich zugenommen. Auf diese Weise dokumentieren die Fotografien nicht nur das abwechslungsreiche Terrain, durch das der Fluss fließt, sondern auch eine sich verändernde sozio-politische Landschaft.

 

Im Rahmen desselben Projekts entlang des Río Bravo / Rio Grande entstandLeonards episches Werk aus über 500 Fotografien Al Río / To the River. Es ist erstmalig im Rahmen ihrer gleichnamigen Einzelpräsentation im MUDAM Luxembourg - Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean zu sehen (bis 6. Juni 2022) und wird im Oktober 2022 im Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris präsentiert. Die Ausstellung wird von einer zweibändigen Publikation begleitet (Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2022).

 

A View from the Levee ist in enger Zusammenarbeit mit der Galerie Gisela Capitain, Köln, entstanden.

 

Download Ausstellungsdossier

 

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Works
  • Zoe Leonard Prologue, 2017/2022 C-prints, 40 parts Each numbered verso; signed, dated and titled verso on the last print Each 35.4 x 50.5 cm / 13.9 x 19.9 inches Unframed, behind glass Edition of 3
    Zoe Leonard
    Prologue, 2017/2022
    C-prints, 40 parts
    Each numbered verso; signed, dated and titled verso on the last print
    Each 35.4 x 50.5 cm / 13.9 x 19.9 inches
    Unframed, behind glass
    Edition of 3
  • Zoe Leonard Standing on the levee, Ciudad Juárez, 2018/2022 Gelatin silver print Signed, dated and titled verso Paper dimensions: 67 x 95.1 cm / 26.4 x 37.4 inches Framed dimensions: 75 x 103 cm / 29.5 x 40.6 inches Edition of 3
    Zoe Leonard
    Standing on the levee, Ciudad Juárez, 2018/2022
    Gelatin silver print
    Signed, dated and titled verso
    Paper dimensions:
    67 x 95.1 cm / 26.4 x 37.4 inches
    Framed dimensions:
    75 x 103 cm / 29.5 x 40.6 inches
    Edition of 3
  • Zoe Leonard From the levee, Ojinaga, 2017/2022 Gelatin silver print Signed, dated and titled verso Paper dimensions: 67 x 95.2 cm / 26.4 x 37.5 inches Framed dimensions: 75 x 103 cm / 29.5 x 40.6 inches Edition of 3
    Zoe Leonard
    From the levee, Ojinaga, 2017/2022
    Gelatin silver print
    Signed, dated and titled verso
    Paper dimensions:
    67 x 95.2 cm / 26.4 x 37.5 inches
    Framed dimensions:
    75 x 103 cm / 29.5 x 40.6 inches
    Edition of 3
  • Zoe Leonard Untitled, 2020/2022 Gelatin silver prints, 2 parts Signed, dated and titled verso Each 42.1 x 60.3 cm / 16.6 x 23.7 inches Unframed, behind glass Edition of 3
    Zoe Leonard
    Untitled, 2020/2022
    Gelatin silver prints, 2 parts
    Signed, dated and titled verso
    Each 42.1 x 60.3 cm / 16.6 x 23.7 inches
    Unframed, behind glass
    Edition of 3
  • Zoe Leonard From my hotel room in Laredo, 2019/2022 Gelatin silver prints, 4 parts Signed, dated and titled verso Each 42 x 60.4 cm / 16.5 x 23.8 inches Unframed, behind glass Edition of 3
    Zoe Leonard
    From my hotel room in Laredo, 2019/2022
    Gelatin silver prints, 4 parts
    Signed, dated and titled verso
    Each 42 x 60.4 cm / 16.5 x 23.8 inches
    Unframed, behind glass
    Edition of 3
  • Zoe Leonard From Puente El Porvenir, 2019/2022 Gelatin silver print Signed, dated and titled verso Paper dimensions: 67 x 95.1 cm / 26.4 x 37.4 inches Framed dimensions: 75 x 103 cm / 29.5 x 40.6 inches Edition of 3
    Zoe Leonard
    From Puente El Porvenir, 2019/2022
    Gelatin silver print
    Signed, dated and titled verso
    Paper dimensions:
    67 x 95.1 cm / 26.4 x 37.4 inches
    Framed dimensions:
    75 x 103 cm / 29.5 x 40.6 inches
    Edition of 3
  • Zoe Leonard From West Paisano Drive, El Paso, 2020/2022 Gelatin silver print Signed, dated and titled verso Paper dimensions: 78.1 x 95.1 cm / 30.7 x 37.4 inches Framed dimensions: 86 x 103 cm / 33.9 x 40.6 inches Edition of 3
    Zoe Leonard
    From West Paisano Drive, El Paso, 2020/2022
    Gelatin silver print
    Signed, dated and titled verso
    Paper dimensions:
    78.1 x 95.1 cm / 30.7 x 37.4 inches
    Framed dimensions:
    86 x 103 cm / 33.9 x 40.6 inches
    Edition of 3
  • Zoe Leonard A view from the levee, 2018/2022 Gelatin silver print Signed, dated and titled verso Paper dimensions: 67 x 95.2 cm / 26.4 x 37.5 inches Framed dimensions: 75 x 103 cm / 29.5 x 40.6 inches Edition of 3
    Zoe Leonard
    A view from the levee, 2018/2022
    Gelatin silver print
    Signed, dated and titled verso
    Paper dimensions:
    67 x 95.2 cm / 26.4 x 37.5 inches
    Framed dimensions:
    75 x 103 cm / 29.5 x 40.6 inches
    Edition of 3
  • Zoe Leonard By the Railroad Bridge, El Paso, 2018/2022 Gelatin silver prints, 4 parts Signed, dated and titled verso Each 42 x 60.5 cm / 16.5 x 23.8 inches Unframed, behind glass Edition of 3
    Zoe Leonard
    By the Railroad Bridge, El Paso, 2018/2022
    Gelatin silver prints, 4 parts
    Signed, dated and titled verso
    Each 42 x 60.5 cm / 16.5 x 23.8 inches
    Unframed, behind glass
    Edition of 3
  • Zoe Leonard Untitled, 2020/2022 Gelatin silver prints, 4 parts Signed, dated and titled verso Each 42.1 x 60.5 cm / 16.6 x 23.8 inches Unframed, behind glass Edition of 3
    Zoe Leonard
    Untitled, 2020/2022
    Gelatin silver prints, 4 parts
    Signed, dated and titled verso
    Each 42.1 x 60.5 cm / 16.6 x 23.8 inches
    Unframed, behind glass
    Edition of 3
  • Zoe Leonard Boundary Marker No. 1, 2020/2022 Gelatin silver print Signed, dated and titled verso Paper dimensions: 67 x 95.3 cm / 26.4 x 37.5 inches Framed dimensions: 75 x 103 cm / 29.5 x 40.6 inches Edition of 3
    Zoe Leonard
    Boundary Marker No. 1, 2020/2022
    Gelatin silver print
    Signed, dated and titled verso
    Paper dimensions:
    67 x 95.3 cm / 26.4 x 37.5 inches
    Framed dimensions:
    75 x 103 cm / 29.5 x 40.6 inches
    Edition of 3
  • Zoe Leonard On the Gateway to the Americas Bridge, Laredo, 2019/2022 Gelatin silver prints, 5 parts Signed, dated and titled verso Each 42 x 60.5 cm / 16.5 x 23.8 inches Unframed, behind glass Edition of 3
    Zoe Leonard
    On the Gateway to the Americas Bridge, Laredo, 2019/2022
    Gelatin silver prints, 5 parts
    Signed, dated and titled verso
    Each 42 x 60.5 cm / 16.5 x 23.8 inches
    Unframed, behind glass
    Edition of 3
  • Zoe Leonard By the side of the road, Peñitas, 2020/2022 Gelatin silver print Signed, dated and titled verso Paper dimensions: 67 x 95.2 cm / 26.4 x 37.5 inches Framed dimensions: 75 x 103 cm / 29.5 x 40.6 inches Edition of 3
    Zoe Leonard
    By the side of the road, Peñitas, 2020/2022
    Gelatin silver print
    Signed, dated and titled verso
    Paper dimensions:
    67 x 95.2 cm / 26.4 x 37.5 inches
    Framed dimensions:
    75 x 103 cm / 29.5 x 40.6 inches
    Edition of 3
  • Zoe Leonard From the Puente Colombia, looking upstream, 2017/2022 Gelatin silver print Signed, dated and titled verso Paper dimensions: 66.9 x 95.1 cm / 26.3 x 37.4 inches Framed dimensions: 75 x 103 cm / 29.5 x 40.6 inches Edition of 3
    Zoe Leonard
    From the Puente Colombia, looking upstream, 2017/2022
    Gelatin silver print
    Signed, dated and titled verso
    Paper dimensions:
    66.9 x 95.1 cm / 26.3 x 37.4 inches
    Framed dimensions:
    75 x 103 cm / 29.5 x 40.6 inches
    Edition of 3
  • Zoe Leonard From the Puente Colombia, looking downstream, 2017/2022 Gelatin silver print Signed, dated and titled verso Paper dimensions: 67 x 95.1 cm / 26.4 x 37.4 inches Framed dimensions: 75 x 103 cm / 29.5 x 40.6 inches Edition of 3
    Zoe Leonard
    From the Puente Colombia, looking downstream, 2017/2022
    Gelatin silver print
    Signed, dated and titled verso
    Paper dimensions:
    67 x 95.1 cm / 26.4 x 37.4 inches
    Framed dimensions:
    75 x 103 cm / 29.5 x 40.6 inches
    Edition of 3
Installation Views
  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 1 Crop

      

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 1 2

      

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 1 3

      

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 1 4

      

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 2

      

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 6

      

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 5

      

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 3

      

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 4

      

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 7

      

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 8

        

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 12

      

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 9

      

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 14

      

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 11

      

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 13

      

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 10

      

  • Installation View Zoe Leonard A View From The Levee Capitain Petzel 2022 15

      

Press
  • Installation view, Zoe Leonard, A View from the Levee, Capitain Petzel, Berlin, 2022. © Zoe Leonard. Courtesy Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne. Ph: Gunter Lepkowski

    Frieze: "Zoe Leonard's Conceptual Landscapes"

    Jessica Lynne, April 28, 2022
  • Zoe Leonard, Standing on the levee, Ciudad Juárez, 2018/2022

    Art Agenda: "Zoe Leonard’s 'A View from the Levee'"

    April 15, 2022
    This link opens in a new tab.
  • Installation view, Zoe Leonard, A View from the Levee, Capitain Petzel, Berlin, 2022. Courtesy Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne. Ph: Gunter Lepkowski

    Monopol: "Zoe Leonard fotografiert den Río Bravo. Eine Grenze, zwei Perspektiven"

    Brigitte Werneburg, April 8, 2022
  • Installation view, Zoe Leonard, A View from the Levee, Capitain Petzel, Berlin, 2022. © Zoe Leonard. Courtesy Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne. Ph: Gunter Lepkowski

    TAZ: "Mit politischer Aufgabe betraut" (Zoe Leonard)

    April 5, 2022
    This link opens in a new tab.
  • Zoe Leonard, From the Puente Colombia, looking downstream, 2017/2022

    Artforum: "Critic's Picks: Zoe Leonard"

    April 4, 2022
    This link opens in a new tab.
  • Installation View, Zoe Leonard, A View From the Levee, Capitain Petzel, Berlin, 2022

    Art Magazine: "Zoe Leonard - A View from the Levee: Die Grenze der Repräsentation"

    March 28, 2022
    This link opens in a new tab.

Related artist

  • Zoe Leonard

    Zoe Leonard

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