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English summary June 2 - 8
Grand Palais: Monumenta 2008. Richard Serra
Weighty emptiness
Static steel artworks have tradition in Paris: the Eiffel Tower, large train stations, and the impressive world exhibition-pavilion Grand Palais at the Place de la Concorde. This year, American-born Richard Serra, has been invited to show his work at the ‘Monumenta’ in the Grand Palais.
In 2007 Anselm Kiefer created the first installation in the ‘Monumenta’ series. Next to Carl Andre, Donald Judd, Eva Hesse, and Bruce Nauman, the 69-year old Serra is among the leading figures of Minimal art.
The structure of the empty Grand Palais (which is much more familiar when it accommodates a multitude of exhibition stands) is a mixture of architecture, public space, and a landscape bathed in light. This makes it a remarkable and at the same time problematic venue: Serra positioned five rectangles vertically into a horizontal space. Each of these monumental plates weighs 75 tons, have a height of 17 meters and are only 4 meters wide - but the huge steel plates seem filigree, sway as if they were about to fall or withdraw themselves. They protrude out of the concrete floor like giants, but the 45 m high glass-iron construction of the Palais surpasses them by far.
Clara-Clara – another one of Serra’s steel sculptures, purchased by the City of Paris in 1983, is currently exhibited at the entrance to the Tuileries. This early work - made of two arches, which are positioned between the Louvre-Pyramid and Napoleon’s Obelisk – easily asserts itself at this famous venue.
Monumenta – Grand Palais
75008 Paris, Avenue Winston Churchill, until 15. 06. 2008
www.monumenta.com
hilger contemporary: Miha Strukelj – Virtual networks
Painting is code
Miha Strukelj lets the onlooker impressively take part in the development of his works by tracing and painting the different stages of photo coding. When looking at a photograph of poor quality enlarged to one and a half square meters and thereby attaining the effect of a pixel array, it is no longer possible to recognize what was originally depicted.
However, this process of abstraction does not always succeed in producing consistent compositions. Only the smaller black and white works on paper are remarkably harmonious. In two of these one can easily recognise the underlying street scenes. They are the most remarkable pieces in this exhibit and remind of Cartier-Bresson motifs.
The artworks, which are dissected into pixels, clearly remind us of how digitalised the world is in which we live. The special charm of this exhibit lies in the fact that the works shown are all hand painted.
Could it be a coincidence that those pieces with less coded motifs are the most powerful?
hilger contemporary
1010 Vienna, Dorotheergasse 5, until 19. 06. 2008
www.hilger.at
Galerie Lindner: A. Paola Neumann, Jörg Bürkle – diverging
When painting looks upon itself
The works by Paola Neumann and Jörg Bürkle are examples of actual painting in the proper sense – painting, which refers to nothing but itself. It’s all about the colour, the canvas, and the impact the finished product has. These artworks simply don’t want to imply more than being art and thus develop a subtle but decisively discernible effect. Even if at first sight the works are not at all appealing, the space in which they are displayed emanates a feeling of peace and quiet, a feeling of “resting in itself”. Only at a second or third glance do these paintings reveal their incredible perfection and beauty.
Paola Neumann’s aquarelles, which one can only be viewed upon request, are remarkable: their colour intensity is untypical for aquarelles and normally only attained by acrylic or oil paintings. Provided one is prepared to get involved with the works shown, the exhibit is highly recommendable.
Galerie Lindner
1060 Vienna, Schmalzhofgasse 13/3, until 27. 06. 2008
www.galerie-lindner.at
Krinzinger Projekte: Andy Coolquitt, Frank Haines, William J. O’Brien
Connecting art of meditation
Human beings are human beings, no matter which nationality, culture or religion they belong to. During the past decade the United States has contributed to viewing the world in a different way: by trying to manifest their way of thinking over the entire globe. But some make head against this way of thinking and the current unconventional and courageous exhibit at the Krinzinger Projekte supports these endeavours.
At first sight the show focuses on the pink “rag rug”, which stands for Andy Coolquitt’s, Frank Haines’, and William O’Brien’s entire composition – offering a broad humane spectrum in their confrontation with “black-and-white” morals and customs. Andy Coolquitt’s luminaries are forged trash shining with their content of ideas, intent, and enlightenment of the own “self”. If one values the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine”, William J. O’Brien’s collages and his very personal approach to capitalism and to the exploitation of individual personalities will entertain you. The current political and economic affairs around the globe reflect and constitute the exhibit. Frank Haines, in contrast, has found a metaphysical and meditative approach to his work, and offers relaxation.
Krinzinger Projekte
1070 Vienna, Schottenfeldgasse 45, until 14. 06. 2008
<www.galerie-krinzinger.at/projekte/
Mehr Texte von translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville
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