Friedrich Kunath - "Home wasn't built in a day"

As the title of this exhibition catalog suggests, German artist Friedrich Kunath specializes in the sly, humorous tweaking of commonplace sentiments and ideas, uncovering an entirely new level of meaning beneath. Whether he's creating drawings, texts, objects, photographs or videos, Kunath deals with themes like longing, loneliness and wanderlust. He combines personal life experiences with highbrow art-historical references into ironic installations that lead the viewer to evocative, metaphorical realizations--and frequently some rueful laughter. Whether it's photos of a disappointed snowman on a beach vacation or a guy in bed reading a book titled ''How to Get Up and Get Dressed,'' this artist has much to say about contemporary life. The full-color catalog, shows works and installations from his recent Kunstverein Hannover show.