Allan McCollum

The question how we deal with art, how we perceive it and what context we put it in is of central importance in the work of the American artist Allan McCollum. With "Surrogate Paintings," he brought a new concept into the art discussion in the late seventies: that of the surrogate which replaces traditional forms of art in his work. Since the beginning of the nineties, Allan McCollum has been preoccupied in this context with the scientific reworking of cultures of the past, too. In the "Natural Copies," the confrontation with existential human experiences gains importance. Collecting and producing objects, according to Allan McCollum, ultimately serve "to influence our relationship to death and suppress our fear of it". In "Natural Copies" McCollum's more recent work groups are presented and elucidated in detail with pictures and text.