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LOCK DOWN and UP
The Art of Seduction. The Consequences of the Virus.
In 2015, the Zollverein Foundation in Essen began planning a major retrospective of Ulrich Pracht’s creative life’s work, to be hosted within the premises of the former Mixing Plant at the Coking Plant. As the owner and operator of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein Colliery, the Foundation is charged with the public mandate of promoting culture and heritage conservation, as well as animating the monument as a cultural hub and a forward-looking site for structural transformation. The Foundation aims to trace the artist’s career path and his international body of work—under the title "The Art of Seduction: From Coal to Glamour!"—and to shed light on his creative endeavors, situated between art and commerce, as they evolved over the decades. The exhibition is set to feature over 650 exhibits, including photographs, films, and images. Among these will be Ulrich Pracht’s own works, alongside iconic examples of fashion and portrait photography from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, as well as famous visual productions for global advertising campaigns—visual worlds thatare still considered genre-defining and stylistically influential today. Highlights from editorial shoots and ad campaigns featuring renowned supermodels—such as Claudia Schiffer—and works created for luxury labels like Dior and Azzaro will be on display, as will video installations.
Also featured will be Pracht’s work as a director and art director on early music videos, set designs, and photo series featuring international television and film stars. Set against the fascinating architecture of the Coking Plant’s Mixing Plant—an environment ranging from stark to rugged—visitors will navigate through six curated sections covering the artist’s 50-year career. Complementing this, an accompanying program is being planned to explore themes of design, fashion, photography, and lifestyle—situating them within the historical context of the region, but, above all, highlighting the significant and mature perspectives of today’s "creative industries."
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CORONA FASHION
“If you dream it, you can do it.” “We are convinced that we can compellingly convey this difficult balancing act between commercial considerations and artistic emotion,” wrote Hermann Marth, Chairman of the Foundation’s Board, in a 2015 preview of the retrospective. The opening was scheduled for August 2020, but unfortunately, it was not to be. “I view it as a painful defeat that the coronavirus threw a wrench in my plans,” admits Ulrich Pracht—who, like many other creative professionals, has been particularly hard hit by the restrictions of this period. What remains is the hope that this magnificent exhibition will, one day after all, be put on display.
