IKÉ UDÉ ___ Beyond Decorum MAK Gallery (basement) MAK – Austrian
Museum of Applied Arts Six ‘Cover Girls’ for the German language magazines ‘profil’, ‘News’, ‘Wiener’, ‘Der Spiegel’, ‘Stern’, and ‘Playboy’ especially designed for the MAK Gallery will augment the series. The quarterly ‘aRude’ is dedicated to themes like ‘Beauty’, ‘Desire’, or ‘Legends’ and features outstanding personalities from the world of fashion and art, e.g. Isabella Rossellini, Rei Kawakubo, and Viktor & Rolf. The magazine is both a manifesto and a discussion medium for Iké Udé’s artistic work and conveys an impression of his world. Iké Udé’s projects are partly informed by Dada and surrealists like Jean Cocteau and Man Ray and reveal an affinity to contemporary artists such as Yasumasa Morimura, Matthew Barney, and Cindy Sherman. His interest in style, fashion and media echoes Andy Warhol’s work and cultural influence. Like Warhol, Udé is also a filmmaker and style arbiter intrigued by popular culture, the cult of celebrity, and stereotypes. Nonetheless he takes a critical position regarding the world of consumerism and the art market. His most important exhibition contributions include ‘Let the Artist Live!’ (Exit Art Gallery, New York, 1994), ‘In/Sight: African Photographers 1940–Present’ (Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1996), ‘Trade Routes: History and Geography’ (Johannesburg Biennial 1997), and ‘Double Lives’ (Textile Museum, Barcelona, 1999). foto: Untitled #16, 1997, Uli Portraits 1997; Iké Udé/MAK
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