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Tal R | Adidas Boy and : tingsted

Tal R, Adidas Boy, 2020

BORCH Gallery & Editions are delighted to present Tal R’s most recent print projects Adidas Boy (2020) and : tingsted (2019) in Berlin.

The imagery for Tal R’s Adidas Boy, a suite of 24 woodcuts, is based on a group of bronze sculptures—the artist’s first foray into this sculpture medium—created for a solo exhibition at Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in 2020. In the prints as well as in the sculptures, the beholder is introduced to a wide array of animals and people from Tal R’s universe. The concept of revisiting his own imagery for a printmaking project is a familiar working method for Tal R. In connection to his sculptures however, this approach seems especially appropriate: the physical act of carving a printing plate and coping with the material’s resistance shares many similarities with the creation of a sculpture.

For Adidas Boy, Tal R carves figures in white lines against monochrome backgrounds, which accentuate the wood grain of the blocks he had been working on. During the test printing process with master printer Julie Dam, he decided not to use pure black ink, but to add a small amount of colour pigment to the individual prints resulting in subtle colour variations. This effect becomes most evident when the suite of prints is installed as a sequence.

Installation view of Tal R’s Adidas Boy (2020) at BORCH Gallery, Berlin, 2021
Installation view of Tal R’s : tingsted (2019) at BORCH Gallery, Berlin, 2021
Tal R, Ting og sager på ternet dug, 2019
Exhibition view Tal R | Adidas Boy and : tingsted at BORCH Gallery, Berlin, 2021

In : tingsted, a series of six prints, the viewer encounters people and objects from Tal R’s immediate surrounding—a male figure, flee market finds like masks and toy animals or a flower vase. We are not provided with any information on what intrigued him about these objects; instead, he translates his fascination for them into a series of prints exuding the calm and tranquil atmosphere of the private space they inhabit.

In recent years, the combination of coarse woodcut and etching has become one of Tal R’s preferred printmaking techniques. While earlier print projects oscillated between figuration and abstraction, the portrayed central figures almost merging with their patterned, decorative backdrops, the : tingsted prints feature thick, graphic lines, shifting the depicted bodies and objects into the foreground and clearly setting them apart from the surrounding areas.

For an online experience, visit our Online Viewing Rooms for the two projects on the IFPDA website:

Tal R | Adidas Boy (2020) || Tal R | : tingsted (2019)

TAL R, born 1967 in Tel Aviv, lives and works in Copenhagen. His solo exhibitions include venues like Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (Copenhagen, 2020) Hastings Contemporary (Hastings, 2019), Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (2018), Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (Rotterdam, 2018), Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (Humlebæk, 2017), Villa Schöningen (Potsdam, 2016), Pinakothek der Moderne (Munich, 2013), and Kunsthalle Düsseldorf (2012). His works are included in collections such as the Hammer Museum (Los Angeles), Art Institute of Chicago, Kiasma (Helsinki), Museum Kunstpalast (Düsseldorf) and Statens Museum for Kunst (Copenhagen). Tal R has been collaborating with BORCH Gallery & Editions since 1995.

Due to the current safety measures 2 visitors at a time can visit the gallery. Please book an appointment online, call us at +49 30 6150 7448 or email gallery@nielsborchjensen.com for appointments.

Learn more about Tal R