Within just the last three years the international art scene has changed with exceptional speed: Artists have rediscovered painting -particularly figurative painting - and have been dealing intensively with political topics in an art world becoming continually more global. ART NOW Vol 2 reflects these two currents as well as other positions that, beyond all common artistic directions, use artistic means to fashion an individual world view. Additionally, ART NOW Vol 2 follows the further development of those artists already discussed in the two predecessor volumes, by showing exclusively newer, post-2002 works when illustrating these artist's works.

Burkhard Riemschneider, my co-editor for the first two volumes, did not assist in compiling the list of 136 artists shown here. In his stead, the publisher Benedikt Taschen participated with great dedication in the compilation.

Also for ART NOW Vol 2 it must be stressed that the choice of artists is ultimately a subjective one, based on close observation of the international exhibition scene and art market, as well as upon an intensive analysis of reviews and publications regarding occurrences in art around the world.

Preface

Vorwort

PrePace

Franz Ackepmann

Eija-Liisa Ahtila

Doug Aitken

Darren Almond

Ghada Amer

assume vivid astro focus

The Ablas Group

Matthew Barney

John Bock

Cosima von Bonin

Monica Bonvicini

Candice Breibz

Cecily Brown

Glenn Brown

Merlin Carpenter

Maurizio Cattelan

John Cuppin

Jeremy Deller

Thomas Demand

Stan Douglas

Marlene Dumas

Martin Eder

Tim Eitel

Elmgreen & Dragseb

Tracey Emin

Yang Fudong

Ellen Gallagher

Anna Gaskell

Robert Gober

Dominique Gonzalez-Foersber

Douglas Gopdon

Andreas Gursky

Jeppe Hein

Jonathan Hernandez

Thomas Hirschhonn

Pierre Huyghe

Emily Jacir

Mike Kelley

Hassan Khan

Jim Lambie

Ulrich Lamsfub

Won Ju Lim

Sharon Lockhart

Sarah Lucas

Vera Lubber

Marepe

Paul McCarthy

Jonabhan Meese

Julie Mehretu

Aernout Mik

Shinbaro Miuake

……