translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville,
300112: Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe Kunst-Stoff. Textiles in Art Since 1960
Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe
Kunst-Stoff. Textiles in Art Since 1960
12.11.11 to 12.02.12
Everything, but not grounded
Textiles accompany a person their whole life long - quasi from the nappy to the shroud. But does the observer truly have easier access to artistic works whose material is familiar to him on an everyday basis? This hypothesis is anyone's guess.
In "Kunst-Stoff – (Artistic Material) – Textiles in Arts Since 1960" in the Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe, it's about weaving, machine-knitting, crocheting, felting, knotting, embroidering or anything else connected from the fibre to the textile – if only it wasn’t converted by way of a grounding and thereby to a conventional canvas.
In the centre of the exhibition, there's a large pillow picture by Gotthard Graubner, a large canvas by Sigmar Polke (both ungrounded, naturally), a large work by Robert Morris, a sculpture by A.R.Penck, one of Josef Beuys' suits (made of felt), a hanging object by Reiner Ruthenbeck and a installation by Franz Erhard Walter, combined with a knitted picture by Rosemarie Trockel and a material collage by Louise Bourgeois.
Theme exhibitions are not usually easy. The field is often too wide-ranging for it to work comprehensively and clear limits or even a leading hypothesis are all too easily ignored. The result being that such exhibitions occasionally lose themselves in a somewhat insignificant presentation of: a few great names, some newcomers, a little humour, a little kitsch and some gender - none of which may be left out of the crude mixture and of course one sees that the whole thing is underpinned with the correct female quota.
In this respect, Karlsruhe is exemplary, so that in the catalogue, one can read about 20 female artists and just as many men. A closer inspection of the works allow one to conclude that the male creatures of creation sit back whilst the women, on the other hand, slip into the traditional role and take the needle into their hands. This isn't exactly a new revelation and in view of the central room, one puts one's trust rather in the names than in the intentions of the artists concerned.
VALIE EXPORT, Ingrid Wiener and Dieter Roth have also accomplished a division of work. Tapestry weaving was how the two women earned their living following their training in a Vienna textile technical college. For the creation of "Bertorelli B" in the years 1974-1976, a used linen table napkin served as a template. The weave structure, the creases which have been ironed in, the spots showing that the napkin has been used, the artist's felt pen doodles, the signatures of those involved, all that is to be found in a "professionally" embroidered list of names announcing the title of a restaurant on this expertly woven piece. It is to be noted on the inscription that Dieter Roth was born as Karl-Dietrich. Clearly women are never born as the ones they later become. Well, you can just leave out all the other particulars.
By Daniela Gregori
Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe
76135 Karlsruhe, Lorenzstraße 27
Tel: +49 721 133-4401 /-4444
email: staedtische-galerie@karlsruhe.de
300112
Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe
76135 Karlsruhe, Lorenzstraße 27
Tel: +49 721 133-4401 /-4444
Email: staedtische-galerie@karlsruhe.de
https://staedtische-galerie.de/
Öffnungszeiten: Mi-Fr 10-18, Sa, So 11-18 h
Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe
76135 Karlsruhe, Lorenzstraße 27
Tel: +49 721 133-4401 /-4444
Email: staedtische-galerie@karlsruhe.de
https://staedtische-galerie.de/
Öffnungszeiten: Mi-Fr 10-18, Sa, So 11-18 h