WWTBD – What Would Thomas Bernhard Do

 

WWTBD – What Would Thomas Bernhard Do. This question is deliberately asked without a question mark, and, as such, no singular answer should be expected. Rather, it leaves room for a wide range of statements, explanations, and interpretations. The ten-day festival at the Kunsthalle Wien focuses on the central issues of our society, and draws on Thomas Bernhard’s tradition of critical, and sometimes unsettling thinking. The festival transposes his thinking to the present, spreading it through a variety of disciplines so as to work towards a productive analysis of the present. WWTBD – What Would Thomas Bernhard Do features contributions from practitioners in the visual arts, music, literature, art theory, sociology, philosophy, and economics; presents, films, performances, and concerts. Every day from two in the afternoon until two o’clock in the morning, a marathon – one without a pre-determined finish line – unfolds. This is framed around a set by American artist Barbara Kruger; an installation by Austrian artist Heinrich Dunst; and the sound piece TONSPUR 53 – related to and inspired by both John Cage and Thomas Bernhard's novel Concrete – by Austrian artist Robert Schwarz. Every day, there will be six to twelve acts of different tempos and tonalities. While these are autonomous, they also form part of a unified overall program, unfolding over the course of the ten-day run of WWTBD – What Would Thomas Bernhard Do. Both the performers – who come together in choreographed sequences and various formats – as well as the audience members, are productively involved in the action. Together, they will open room for interpretation along the fault lines of society. Performances will replace lectures and discussion rounds will be replaced by readings, concerts, talks, and sets by famous DJs.

(taken from the press release)

"Give me Five!" at Städel Museum Frankfurt, a focus on Marc Quinn

Sophie von Maltzahn reports from Frankfurt

 

„Give me five“ – for real!

My last visit in the highly respected Museum „Städel“ has delivered an unexpected inner celebration. Something great happened when I entered the exhibition „Give me five“ showing the latest graphic acquisitions of the museum. At the wall I saw prints of flower pictures titled „Six Moments of Sunrise on the Ganges Delta“ by Marc Quinn.

„Give me five“, I thought.

It was a late proof that indeed I was right and my former boss, a respected art critic, - not! Probably anyone who has been a victim of the vain hierarchy of art criticism can understand my former frustration and the final release like balm on a never completely healed wound.

So here’s the anecdote: In my article about the art fair „fiac“ 2011 in Paris I concentrated on rebellious political attitudes in latest art productions. I wrote „also Marc Quinn interrupted his flower series for a „History Painting (London 8th 2011)“ showing a masked protester in front of blood orange flames.“

My former boss became furious: „Why-why-why-on-earth do you write that Quinn paints flowers?“ „Well, I see them on every fair“, I said. My boss looked at me declaring myself being a total clueless: „Quinn painting flowers? Never heard. He is famous for his blood sculptures, not for flowers.“  I presented to my boss each and every art fair catalogue to prove I was right, but surely without success. This statement has never been printed.

Now I can finally say: Why-why-why-on-earth would the highly respected Städel Museum buy Quinn’s flower prints if they weren’t relevant for his Œuvre?

Most likely my former boss will never receive this new judgement: too high in the sky for latest changes on earth. But what’s my pity in comparison to an artist who is caught in a theme-box and hardly ever released by the critics? Thank God I am just a writer.

(devil’s laughter from the off)

By Sophie von Matlzahn

The exhibition Give me Five at the Städel Museum Frankfurt is on until June 23, 2013.

Clerkenwell Design Week 2013

Yesterday the Clerkenwell Design Week once again opened to the public. The fair is much more than just a little insider event, having established as the  UK's leading independent design festival and one of the most acclaimed trade events on the international design calendar. For three days Clerkenwell, EC1 London, the home of many designers, is hosting a vibrant program including workshops, presentations, product launches and debates among the most notable designers, architects and creatives. Last year more than 30,000 visitors were counted and a similar hight attendance is predicted for this years event. More than 150 international brands will once again highlight their newest designs in an area, where more than 60 showrooms, a wealth of creative businesses and more architects per square mile than anywhere else on the planet are located anyway during the year. If you are in London, visit CDW between the 21st- 23rd May, always openen between 10 am - 9pm.

"One After One" at Vilma Gold

 

On our last East London gallery tour, we had to stop by Vilma Gold. Vilma Gold is currently presenting, One After One, an exhibition of works by Eloise Hawser, Lena Henke, Adriana Lara, Marlie Mul, Lucie Stahl and Gili Tal. Two artists of the group show are very familiar to Indechs, as we have covered both Marlie Mul and even spoken with Eloise Hawser previously. All five artists are linked loosely by what Vilma Gold regards "as a sensitised awareness of the artists' subjectivity as artists that consciously underpinned decisions made but without totally foreclosing content".

It is described that the works all seemed to come from a bright awareness of the artist's position as an individual navigating the world and was marked by their ability to work from the inside out rather than working back from an already vetted/validated larger order,- so their ability to 'speak as they go' in a sense and the degree of boldness necessary to do this. Furthermore, their work is described as having something quite practical/sensorial or active to them that they all have in common: It is the resourceful about negotiating and synthesising quotidian experience. This new installment displays today's branded experience of everyday life, products and the idea of commercial styling and display. Another similarity between the artists is their use of  appropriated images/text/objects. Yet, in a way that moves the conversation on from the original Pop initiatives: - rather than re-presenting whole objects etc, there is more of a synthesis at work - a constant absorption and re-formatting- which might betray an acceptance/consciousness of the way commercial visual display has infiltrated everyday life to the point of total inseparability with the personal- so that incorporated, processed, it becomes another aspect of visual language to draw on. "One After One" is on show till the 1st of June, so stop by Vilma Gold.

BANG BANG! William S. Burroughs at Sammlung Falckenberg, Hamburg Harburg

Lavinia Neff reports from Hamburg–Harburg

Exhibition poster WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS – Retrospektive.

„Untitled“, Januar 1988 © Estate of William S. Burroughs, Foto: ONUK

William S. Burroughs, Bunker, New York, May 1981. Foto: © Ulrich Hillebrand

Interior view, Sammlung Falckenberg - Deichtorhallen Hamburg during the exhibition"WIM WENDERS"    

The Falckenberg Collection  is situated in Harburg – a suburb of Hamburg and a rather unusual setting for contemporary art. The entrance is unimpressive and doesn’t prepare the visitor for the generous space. The contemporary art collection and the exhibitions can be visited either during the previews or as part of a guided tour. The private collection includes about 2,000 works of contemporary art, with the emphasis on German and American contemporary art of the last 30 years.

At the moment William S. Burroughs (1914 − 1997) holds court at the Phoenix Hallen. The author of the Beat Generation became famous for his works „Naked Luch“ and „The Soft Machine“. He influenced innumerable artists, filmmakers, and musicians. Burroughs led a wild life including drugs and arms. He shot his wife Joan Vollmer by accident while he was playing a drinking game. This tragedy traumatized him and he claimed that the incident became one of the main reasons for his writings. Burroughs obsessions with weapons never stopped. The painting „Untitled“ (1988) was also made with his gun. The colour explodes through the bullet on the canvas. Shamed be he who thinks evil of it. The guided exhibition gives an impression of an eventful life, which cannot be described in only a few sentences. You might watch “Naked Lunch” (1991) by David Cronenberg to get a deeper insight of his life and work or just see the show.

By Lavinia Neff

SUNDAY READS - Privatzugang by Skadi Heckmüller for Distanz

We are proud to introducing a new category on Indechs, "Sunday Reads"

Sunday Reads will bring you inspirations and ideas, visually and in form of short reviews on books that we and our co authors came across and find worth spreading.

 

 

 

The first one to share with you is Privatzugang "Private access" (Our apologies, this appeals predominantly to our German readership, yet it includes great illustrations as well as a list of all adresses...) Privatzugang was published by Distanz Verlag in 2011, featuring private collections across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It has proven to be a very useful guide through the vast landscape of art collectors across these three countries, unraveling hidden treasures of modern and contemporary art collections in often quite remote locations as well as intriguing stories behind the collection as well as the collectors. All of the 60 chosen collections are open to the public and well worth a visit!

Author: Skadi Heckmüller
Language: German
Format: 15 x 21cm
Feature: 256 pages
              150 color images (approx.)
              paperback
ISBN: 978-3-942405-08-9

Theme Week - The Art of Publishing - Mörel Books

London-based Mörel Books is an independent publisher  specialized in affordable limited-edition art books and zines by established and emerging talent. Its books are produced in close collaboration with the artists and many of its books come with the option of purchasing limited-edition prints. Mörel Books is a nonprofit publisher, aiming at furthering art in print. Some notable publications are A Season in Hellby Rimbaud, Patti Smith, and Robert Mapplethorpe, Wrong by Asger Carlson, and Terry Richardson’s latest endeavor.Alongside artist books and booklets, Pocket Poets LDN is a further initiative by Mörel books: Pocket Poets LDN is a fortnightly publication of 24 different booklets aimed at increasing the publics interest and awareness of poetry.  every other week, 2000 free booklets will be distributed  in a selection of locations and youth groups including underprivileged youths, Universities, cafes, bars and galleries. Each one is dedicated to a sole poet, with a mixture of young-blood poets, established poets and popular culture poets, including Allen Ginsberg, Leonard Cohen, Tim Wells, Pete Doherty, Diane di Prima, Orhan Veli, Rumi, Ray Hollingsworth to mention a few!

Theme Week - The Art of Publishing - Ugly Duckling Presse

And yet another example that hard work and sticking to your dreams pays off: What started off as a school project sometime in the 1990s, has over the years turned into a successful publishing initiative, based in Brooklyn that has published more than 200 titles to date.  Ugly Duckling Presse is a nonprofit art and publishing organization whose mission is to produce artisanal and trade editions of new poetry, translation, experimental nonfiction, performance texts, and books by artists. The people behind are a volunteer collective of artists and writers who champion emerging, international and "forgotten" writers. The editorial office and letterpress workshop are located in the Old American Can Factory in Gowanus bringing our books, chapbooks, artist’s books, broadsides, and periodicals that often contain handmade elements, calling attention to the labor and history of bookmaking.

Amongst other projects, here some examples of what Ugly Duckling Press is about:  The Eastern European Poets Series is dedicated to publishing the work of contemporary Eastern European poets in translation (often in bilingual editions), emigré authors who write in English, and influential poets of the Eastern European avant garde whose work is not widely available in English translation. Furthermore, UDP is committed to rediscovering Lost Literature and bringing it back to live. Hence the Lost Literature Series seeks at publishing neglected works of 20th century poetry, prose, and important & resonant works that fall outside those confines. Showing their interest in collaborations, 6×6 contains six poets who are each given six pages to present their work; encouraging projects that specifically explore the format. Besides publishing poets of all ages from all over the U.S. and abroad, UDP  aims to include a poet in translation in every issue as well as encouraging  submissions year round. Moreover, UDPs website  houses a very special catalogue of original web books and an online chapbook archive; for instance, you can read Daniil Kharms’s The Blue Notebook in its entirety.