Contemporary artists often borrow, steal, recycle or sample from earlier works. The classic fairy tale with its wondrous, sometimes fearsome creatures is one of the themes that is frequently reverted to. Dragons, fairies, gnomes and witches are omnipresent in today's art. Taking advantage of the sociological and psychological impact of fairy tales, artists thankfully tap into this magical universe and combine or alter the fairy tale images in new, contemporary pieces. Age-old castles, hidden caves, forbidden rooms or impenetrable woods are repeatedly seen as backdrops for art installations, video art, paintings or sculptures. For artists, these fantastic stories from the fairy world function as a magical mirror for the complexity of human relations and interactions. In this catalogue, Olivier Duquenne collects, presents and comments on the works of Alice Anderson, Matthew Barney, Catherine Bay, Katia Bourdarel, Will Cotton, Wim Delvoye, Jim Dine, Anna Gaskell, Karen Knorr and Kiki Smith. ILLUSTRATIONS: 85 colour
