Ian Wallace’s (1943, Shoreham, UK) fourth solo show in Galerie Greta Meert was dedicated to his Tropismes series (1995 to 1996). For this unique exhibition nearly all the original works of the series have been reunited. They are presented together with several studies and notes. On the occasion of this exhibition, the Greta Meert Gallery has published a special edition of the series.

The most comprehensive publication exploring the oeuvre of Canadian artist Ian Wallace, At the Intersection of Painting and Photography accompanied a major survey of Wallace’s work at the Vancouver Art Gallery, which opened in October 2012.

Wallace’s work has played an important role in contemporary art over the past 50 years, from his early experiments with minimalism to his production of serial photographic tableaux and his subsequent juxtapositions of photography with monochrome painting. Consistently demonstrating conceptual rigour and aesthetic innovation, Wallace’s work can be considered a reflection of his position as social historian, critic and educator, with influences as far reaching as film and literature, the role of the institution, architecture, urban development, gender relations, environmentalism and civil disobedience.

Organised in clear, concise sections that mirror the intersecting motifs that are present throughout Wallace’s practice: Minimalism, narrative, text works, the street, the museum and the studio, At the Intersection of Painting and Photography features essays that chart Wallace’s career over the past five decades by Daina Augaitis, Jeff Derksen, Diedrich Diederichsen, Stan Douglas, Jessica Morgan, Christine Poggi, Kathleen Ritter and William Wood. The book also includes a selection of five essays by the artist himself and an annotated chronology by Grant Arnold, providing the perfect introduction to Wallace’s lasting career and marking his influence on contemporary art today.

Texts by:Renske Janssen, Vanessa Joan Müller, Jacques Rancière, Dieter Roelstraete, Beatrix Ruf, Nicolaus Schaffhausen, Monika Szewczyk, Ian Wallace

Interview by: Renske Janssen

Edition: Monika Szewczyk, Vanessa Joan Müller, Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Beatrix Ruf, Kunsthalle Zürich, Nicolaus Schaffhausen, Witte de With center for contemporary art