translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville,
091109: Albertina: Brus & Rainer – On the Horizon of the Senses
Albertina: Brus & Rainer – On the Horizon of the Senses
The art of transforming a lion into a unicorn
This time the initiator also functioned as the transmitter, travelled to Tenerife, packed the half-finished compilation into a suitcase and brought it to Austria for further processing, both artists then met to sign their joint oeuvre. Arnulf Rainer and Günter Brus collaborated in this way in 1984 and their cooperation was presented on the occasion of the opening of Heike Curtze’s new gallery rooms in a downtown Vienna palace. At that time, the press reminded of the earlier cooperation between Rainer with Roth and Brus with Attersee and bitched that one could not be so sure if these elective affinities would not turn into agonized affinities….
In any case, everything worked out fine, and the result of this joint venture is currently displayed at the Albertina.
There was once a white, which was maculated by an artist and a painting-poet, Brus says on one of the pieces and thereby reveals the firm sequence of their cooperation. Rainer, through his self-induced inability to paint on a white sheet of paper, created photographed master illustrations - with the help of laser copies - as primers, whose sizes were limited to A3, and added scarce (brush) strokes onto them. In turn, Brus, the painting-poet, commented with sketches and drawings – at times lyrically, in an art historical context or with a wordplay.
Accordingly, these ideas come across as somewhat caustic. But when proud lions turn into shy unicorns, and a painting, comprising a few lines, titled “A soporific is taken by itself”, - one is inspired to ask if a late work exists based on the principle of “cooperation”.
By Daniela Gregori
Albertina
1010 Vienna, Albertinaplatz 1, until 31.01.10
http://www.albertina.at
Mehr Texte von translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville
091109
Albertina
1010 Wien, Albertinaplatz 1
Tel: +43 1 534 83 -0, Fax: +43 1 533 76 97
Email: info@albertina.at
http://www.albertina.at
Öffnungszeiten: Tägl. 10-18h, Mi 10-21 h
Albertina
1010 Wien, Albertinaplatz 1
Tel: +43 1 534 83 -0, Fax: +43 1 533 76 97
Email: info@albertina.at
http://www.albertina.at
Öffnungszeiten: Tägl. 10-18h, Mi 10-21 h