NEW YORK, NY.- Yvon Lambert presents an exhibition of new work by Austrian artist Markus Schinwald. This show will run concurrently with an exhibition by Koo Jeong-a. Both exhibitions open with a reception for the artists on Thursday, January 14, 2010 from 6-8 pm and will be on view until February 20, 2010.

For his first solo exhibition at Yvon Lambert, Markus Schinwald has constructed, in reference to Frederick Kiesler, an installation of pillars and other architectural elements in the exhibition space that serves not only as an artwork in itself, but also as an architectural prosthesis that frames the other works presented. The artist will also exhibit appropriated antique oil paintings that he has manipulated by outfitting them with unidentifiable apparati that translate internal experience into external conditions. Schinwald investigates the role of the body in relationship to its environment by seamlessly adding these intriguing—and often unsettling—elements. The masks, bits, hoods, prostheses, and bandages added to the figures incite contextual curiosity, prompting the viewer to wonder if the objects are medical or sexual, and also to question who is in control of the subjects—if anyone. In addition to paintings, there are several sculptures on wooden pedestals on view. The legs of Chippendale furniture, extracted from their original purpose, are given human attributes through their assembly as sculptures. In his work, Schinwald explores the human condition, circumnavigating the themes of body and space; discomfort; and collective existence. There is a haunting sense of mystery present in Schinwald’s work, which touches on the mythical and historical while also confronting the viewer with the restrictions of his own cultural surroundings.

Markus Schinwald was born in 1973 in Salzburg, Austria and currently lives and works in Vienna and Los Angeles. He has been featured in solo and group exhibitions internationally at institutions including: Kunsthaus Bregenz; Migros Museum, Zürich; ICA Boston; Center for Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki; Aspen Art Museum; Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; Kunsthaus Zürich; Kunsthalle Wien; Tate Modern, London; Frankfurter Kunstverein; and Haus der Kunst, Munich.