Lot Essay
Stan Douglas lives and works in Vancouver. His work investigates the technologies of image and sound as producers of culture, and comments on the notion of the spectacle and the status of the viewer. Rich with historical references including that of literature, cinema and music, Douglas's works analyze the relationship of the filmic image to what takes place off the screen. In 1994, Douglas' work was shown at Witte de With as part of the exhibition Stan Douglas and Diana Thater. Douglas has shown at Documenta IX, X, and XI (1992, 1997, 2002) and has represented Canada at the Venice Biennial in 1990, 2001, and 2004. His work was also the subject of a recent retrospective Stan Douglas: Past Imperfect, Württembergische Kunstverein and Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Stuttgart (2008). His work has been shown in solo exhibitions at Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume, Paris (1991); Musee National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (1994); I.C.A. London (1994); Museo Nacional de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid (1994); Kunsthalle Zürich, Zürich (1994); Kestner Gesellschaft, Hannover (2003); and Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg Kestner Gesellschaft, Hannover (2001). Among many group exhibitions Stan Douglas has been represented in The New Media Collection - Video: An Art, A History - 1965-2005 - (Collection Centre Pompidou), Miami Art Central, Miami (2006) and Samuel Beckett, Centre Pompidou, Paris (2007).