The 50 Most Exciting Artists in Europe Today: Part Two

See who made Part Two of our list.

Jon Rafman and Daniel Lopatin, production still from Sticky Drama (2015).
Photo: Tim Bowditch
Eddie Peake from The Forever Loop Photo: courtesy The Barbican

Eddie Peake, work from The Forever Loop.
Photo: Courtesy Barbican.

It has been an exciting year for contemporary art, with a young generation of artists pushing the boundaries both in terms of materials and subject matters. But with so much going on it’s easy to miss out. In an effort to capture the moment, we at artnet News have put together a directory of the most exciting artists showing, living, and working in Europe at the moment. Here’s Part Two of our list, continuing yesterday’s Part One.

Jeanette Mundt Untitled (2014) Photo: courtesy Société Berlin

Jeanette Mundt Untitled (2014).
Photo: Courtesy Société Berlin.

26. Jeanette Mundt
Mundt’s abstract paintings with figurative elements are alive with color and texture. Through images found online, Mundt’s subjects range from landscapes to portraits.

She has exhibited at Bordeaux’ MusĂ©e d’Art Contemporain, in France, and has had solo shows at The Tunnel Room at John Connelly Presents and Clifton Benevento, both in New York.

Ahmet Ă–gĂĽt, <i> Barricade </i> (2015).<br> Photo: via ahmetogut.com

Ahmet Ă–gĂĽt, Barricade (2015).
Photo: via ahmetogut.com

27. Ahmet Ă–gĂĽt
Ahmet Ögüt is a socially-engaged conceptual artist that has exhibited globally, representing his native Turkey as part of a group show at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009.

His performance at London’s Chisenhale Gallery, Happy Together: Collaborators Collaborating, which took place in April this year, saw him gather a group of ten including a firefighter and an auctioneer.

 

courtesy Laura Bartlett Gallery, London, 2015

Alex Olson, Screen (2015). 
Photo: Courtesy Laura Bartlett Gallery.

28. Alex Olson
Olson’s paintings might seem abstract, but she resists the label. “The way I approach painting is almost the opposite in that nothing is an abstraction of something else: it literally is what it is,” she has said.

This year, she participated in a host of important exhibitions, including LACMA in Los Angeles, Shane Campbell in Chicago, and Laura Bartlett Gallery in London, which also showcased her work at Frieze London 2015.

Eddie Peake with the performers of The Forever Loop at London’s Barbican.Photo: Rebecca Reid via The Evening Standard

Eddie Peake with the performers of The Forever Loop at London’s Barbican.
Photo: Rebecca Reid via The Evening Standard.

29. Eddie Peake
Eddie Peake is fast becoming a darling of the British art world with his recently opened installation The Forever Loop at the Barbican and cross-disciplinary projects like his music video for Gwylim Gold.

His fresh take on sexuality and human interactions and his love of the bright and brash is attracting much deserved attention.

Hannah Perry Volkan Aslan and Anne de Vries Courtesy The Moving Museum. Copyright CHROMA

Hannah Perry, Volkan Aslan, and Anne de Vries.
Photo: Courtesy The Moving Museum. Copyright CHROMA.

30. Hannah Perry
Hannah Perry’s recent solo show at Seventeen Gallery in London’s East End was an impressive mix of film, interventions, and sculptural works.

She has shown her work with Lucky PDF at Frieze London 2011 and at the Zabludowicz Collection.

Heather Phillipson, immediately and for a short time balloons weapons too-tight clothing worries of all kinds (2014) Courtesy the artist and Rowing

Heather Phillipson, Immediately and for a short time balloons weapons too-tight clothing worries of all kinds (2014).
Photo: Courtesy the artist and Rowing.

31. Heather Phillipson
Heather Phillipson is a London-based poet who works across a variety of media, including sculpture, video, and performance.

Her work Un/Fit For Feeling (2015), commissioned for the 14th Istanbul Biennial, explored the nature of the human heart using words, video, and installation.

Przemek Pyszczek, installation view of "Muscle Memory" at Peres Projects.<br> Photo: via przemekpyszczek.com

Przemek Pyszczek, installation view of “Muscle Memory” at Peres Projects.
Photo: via przemekpyszczek.com

32. Przemek Pyszczek
Pyszczek’s brightly colored geometric sculptures have gained him serious attention of late. He uses color and form to create highly aesthetic and intriguing works that examine the architecture, public space, and visual legacy of the Eastern Bloc, focusing on Poland in particular.

His “Playground” series was exhibited alongside works by Donna Huanca as part of the exhibition “Muscle Memory” at Peres Projects this summer.

Jon Rafman and Daniel Lopatin, production still from Sticky Drama (2015). Photo: Tim Bowditch

Jon Rafman and Daniel Lopatin, production still from Sticky Drama (2015).
Photo: Tim Bowditch.

33. Jon Rafman
Jon Rafman works with ideas surrounding gaming and life online. Putting an emphasis on fetish and psychological immersion, his investigations mix new media and sculpture.

He is currently the subject of a fantastic solo show at the Zabludowicz Collection in London.

Mary Ramsden, Anopisthography 2 (2013) Courtesy the artist and Pilar Corrias

Mary Ramsden, Anopisthography 2 (2013).
Photo: Courtesy the artist and Pilar Corrias.

34. Mary Ramsden
A recent Royal Academy Schools graduate, Mary Ramsden is a young abstract painter who creates strong, gestural, often monochrome paintings, focused on the direction and power of her brushstrokes.

Her second solo show at Pilar Corrias, titled “Swipe,” was held in February of this year. Ramsden is currently exhibiting her work in a group show at Tate Britain, and has participated in exhibitions at the Whitechapel Gallery and the Fiorucci Art Trust in London.

Lili Reynaud Dewar, My Epidemic (a body as public as a book can be) at Clearing, BrusselsPhoto: courtesy lilireynauddewar.com

Lili Reynaud Dewar, My Epidemic (a body as public as a book can be) at Clearing, Brussels.
Photo: via lilireynauddewar.com

35. Lili Reynaud Dewar
The performance artist Lili Reynaud Dewar uses language and her own body to raise questions about power and vulnerability.

Her video, performance and installation works have been shown at the New Museum in New York, the 2015 Venice Biennale and the Serpentine Gallery, among many other galleries and institutions.

Alona Rodeh Girl (2015) Photo: Vlad , courtesy the artist

Alona Rodeh Girl (2015). 
Photo: Courtesy the artist.

36. Alona Rodeh
Alona Rodeh lives in Tel Aviv and Berlin. She works mainly in “time based” media, sculpture, performance and sound installations, to examine how various cultural phenomena is given new meaning when appropriated into subculture.

Her exhibition “Safe and Sound (Evolutions)” was shown at the Grimmuseum in Berlin this year, and opens at Rosenfeld Gallery in Tel Aviv in December.

Rachel Rose, still from Everything and More (2015). Photo: Rachel Rose, courtesy Pilar Corrias Gallery, London.

Rachel Rose, still from Everything and More (2015).
Photo: Courtesy Pilar Corrias Gallery, London.

37. Rachel Rose
Rising star Rachel Rose is having a phenomenal year. Her first UK solo show “Palisades” opened at the Serpentine Gallery in London in October and she also won the coveted Frieze Artist Award. She is currently having her first US solo show at the Whitney Museum in New York.

Working with film and installation, her sensory and thoughtful works tackle the human condition in a refreshing and unique way.

Prem Sahib, BUMP, Club Night (2013)Photo: Courtesy the artist and Southard Reid.

Prem Sahib, “BUMP, Club Night” (2013).
Photo: Courtesy the artist and Southard Reid.

38. Prem Sahib
Prem Sahib, another Royal Academy Schools graduate, recently opened his solo show “Side On” at the ICA in London. The exhibition explores sex, architecture, and interactions, which are recurrent concerns in his oeuvre.

Sahib’s work comprises sculpture, installation, and sound pieces. He often collaborates with fellow London-based artists Eddie Peake and George Henry Longly.

Aurora Sander,installation view Photo: courtesy aurorasander.com

Aurora Sander, installation view.
Photo: via aurorasander.com

39. Aurora Sander
Aurora Sander is formed by Bror Sander Berg Størseth and Ellinor Aurora Aasgaard, who are currently living and working in Berlin. The duo creates humorous sculptural works commenting on hipster consumerism and lifestyles.

They have exhibited at Kunstnernes Hus in Oslo and GSL Projekt in Berlin.

Samara Scott, Silks, Eastside Projects (2015) Photo: courtesy The Sunday Painter

Samara Scott, Silks (2015).
Photo: Courtesy The Sunday Painter.

40. Samara Scott
Samara Scott’s piece at the Sunday Painter booth at Frieze London drew more attention than any other at the fair this year. Lonely Planet II (2015) is a dazzling pool—or liquid tapestry as the Guardian called it—filled with brightly colored rubbish appearing to be solid at first.

Scott’s work deals with consumerism and excess in a highly aesthetic and intriguing way.

Marinella Senatore <i>Piccolo Caos </i> (2013)

Marinella Senatore Piccolo Caos (2013)

41. Marinella Senatore
An Italian artist now living and working in Berlin, Senatore works with film, performance, and ideas of openness and inclusion.

She also runs a nomadic, free dance school called The School of Narrartive Dance, which has toured in Italy, Sweden, Germany, and Ecuador.

42. Edward Shenk
Shenk works in a variety of media including video, print, and sculpture. His work often draws on conspiracy theories, web cultures and niche ideologies, such as the new age process of decalcifying the pineal gland.

Shenk created the surreal trailers for the 8th Nordic Biennial this year and exhibited in Berlin, Venice, Mexico City, and New York.

Installation view of "Everythings" at Andrea Rosen Gallery, 2015 <br>Photo: courtesy Société Berlin

Installation view of “Everythings” at Andrea Rosen Gallery, 2015
Photo: courtesy Société Berlin

43. Timur Si Qin
A “post-internet” artist, Si Qin in concerned with the current movements of New Materialism and Speculative Realism using sculpture and installation. Through found imagery and objects he explores our relationship with the images we are surrounded by on a day-to-day basis.

In the past year, Si Qin has exhibited in New York, Berlin, Vienna, London and Beijing.  He is represented by Société Berlin.

HRAFNHILDUR ARNARDOTTIR A.K.A. SHOPLIFTER, Nervescape IV(2015)Photo: courtesy Momentum

HRAFNHILDUR ARNARDOTTIR A.K.A. SHOPLIFTER, Nervescape IV(2015)
Photo: courtesy Momentum

44. Shoplifter a.k.a Hrafnhildur Arnardottir

Icelandic artist Shoplifter works primarily with fake hair with which she creates abstract paintings and installation.

Arnardottir has collaborated with Bjork and shown her work at MoMA. Her large-scale installation featured at this year’s Nordic Biennial with Swedish musician Zhala was one of the standout works of the exhibition.

Lucie Stahl, Critic's Pick (2014) Photo: Michael Underwood, Courtesy of the artist and Freedman Fitzpatrick

Lucie Stahl, Critic’s Pick (2014)
Photo: Michael Underwood, Courtesy of the artist and Freedman Fitzpatrick

45. Lucie Stahl
Lucie Stahl uses collage, found objects, imagery from advertising, and textured surfaces. She scans and re-sizes, highlighting the abstract, and also repurposes found objects as sculpture.

Sometimes incorporating text into her work, she creates a commentary on her own thoughts and experiences while exploring our relationship with luxury consumer goods.

She is represented by Galerie Meyer Kainer in Vienna.

Daniel Steegmann Mangrané presented by Esther Schipper

Daniel Steegmann Mangrané presented by Esther Schipper.
Photo: © Alexander Forbes.

46. Daniel Steegmann Mangrane
Spanish born Steegmann lives and works in Brazil, creating sculptural installations and new media works.

His work Phantom (kingdom of all the animals and all the beasts is my name) (2015)—which combined film with bodily experience on an Oculus rift—was featured in both the New Museum Triennial and the Nordic Biennial.

Amalia UlmanPhoto via: @amaliaulman Instagram

Amalia Ulman
Photo via: @amaliaulman Instagram

47. Amalia Ulman
Amalia Ulman first drew critical attention with her fictitious Instagram work. Her witty and surreal take on the Social Media realm of selfies and boasts was covered heavily in the press, as the lines between reality and constructed narratives were increasingly blurred.

She also drew a lot of attention with her new video work at Frieze Projects this year.

Chloe Wise Photo: via whatweadore.com

Chloe Wise
Photo: via whatweadore.com

48. Chloe Wise
Chloe Wise’s Chanel bag made of bread, Bagel No. 5 (2015) was actually featured on the Chanel runway. Aside from her witty takes on food and branding, she also creates new media works.

The European art crowd encountered the Canadian artist’s work at Salon 94 x Smiley Face Museum at Frieze London 2014 and, more recently, at Galerie SĂ©bastien Bertrand in Geneva. Wise has three upcoming presentations at Art Basel Miami this year.

Guan Xiao, Action (2014) (Three stills) Photo: Courtesy Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler

Guan Xiao, Action (2014) (Three stills)
Photo: Courtesy Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler

49. Guan Xiao
Guan Xiao creates internet-influenced video works, sculptures and installations using mixed-media. Seeking to combine the old and the new, she is concerned with sourcing extremely different elements and making them work together.

This year she has presented her work the New Museum 2015 Triennial and at the critically acclaimed 13th Biennale de Lyon: La vie moderne.

Guy Yanai, Bye Torino (2014-15)Photo: Courtesy Alon Segev gallery

Guy Yanai, Bye Torino (2014-15)
Photo: Courtesy Alon Segev gallery

50. Guy Yanai
Guy Yanai has a Hockney-esque style and color palette. His clean, simple, bright paintings often contain reduced angular shapes and lines and blocks of color, reminiscent of simple digital renderings.

Yanai has had an eventful year, which included a successful solo exhibition in New York’s Ameringer McEnery Yohe gallery, a show he curated at Alon Segev Gallery in Israel, and another one at TORRI, Paris. His work was included in  the inaugural group show at  Rod Barton in Brussels, and is now on view in at the gallery’s London location, alongside furniture by Rafe Mullarkey.


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