Lock up your mannequins, shopkeepers of Edinburgh. The 2014 Edinburgh Arts Festival brings a rare chance to see the work of renowned German artist Isa Genzken – it’s the first Genzken exhibition in the UK outside London, and is taking place in the Scottish capital’s Royal Botanical Gardens. Spread through seven rooms of the Gardens’ Inverleith House overlooking the landscaped grounds, the show features recent work from the artist’s well-known sculptural oeuvre, as well as photography and collage pieces.
Genzken was born in Bad Oldesloe, Germany, in 1948, and is regarded as one of the great living artists. First exhibiting at her alma mater, the State Art Academy in Dusseldorf, in 1974, she was one of the earliest artists to employ computer programs, using them to create geometric wooden sculptures. In the last 15 years Genzken has concentrated on urban themes, using mannequins and cheap found items to create distinctive sculptures that wryly tackle themes of oppression, protest and restricted movement. The exhibition finishes on 28 September.
