|
|
 Margherita Manzelli NOTTEM 2000 |
The artists in Painting at the Edge of the World demonstrate that
a philosophy of painting is found today not only in the medium's traditional
modes, but also in a photograph (Andreas Gursky), in a walk through a
city (Francis Alÿs), in a club culture-inspired application of vinyl
tape on the floor (Jim Lambie), or in paint applied directly to a wall
(Richard Wright, Franz Ackermann). Figuration takes on many forms from
strangely unsettling portraiture (Marlene Dumas, Margherita Manzelli)
to the televisual (Eberhard Havekost) or the merging of art deco and the
cybernetic (Haluk Akakçe). Abstraction is no longer the purely
reductive act popularized by modernism but now begins to look like techno-organic
topography (Udomsak Krisanamis), an explosion of cartoon iconography (Arturo
Herrera), or a blurring of the geometry of architecture with flatness
of the picture plane (Kevin Appel). In each case, painting's traditional
function as a window on the world has been inverted.
 Laura Owens UNTITLED 2000 |
|
The exhibition proposes a few historical markers, emphasizing artists
who began in the 1960s to question the traditional modernist definitions
of painting. Paul Thek and Hélio Oiticica, for example, operated
against the grain of dominant modernist discourses, employing radical
performative and experiential strategies in their work. Martin Kippenberger's
cast rubber paintings, Mike Kelley's works investigating the underside
of the American suburban experience, and Paul McCarthy's videos of his
painting performances evidence a transitional moment between these early
explorations into an extended philosophy of painting and those carried
forward by younger artists working today. Engaging in a wide range of
media, including works easily recognizable as paintings but also more
conceptual practices based on sculpture, performance, photography, and
film, this new generation of artists renegotiates both the fundamental
nature and contemporary relevance of a philosophy of painting in a world
that has been radically altered by the virulence of the electronic image.
FEATURED
ARTISTS:
|
IN
THE WALKER ART CENTER SHOPS
More than an exhibition catalogue,
the publication Painting at the Edge of the World unites a wide
range of critical texts that address the practice of painting in the contemporary
global context from a diverse array of disciplines. Featuring essays by
exhibition curator Douglas Fogle, Daniel Birnbaum, Midori Matsui, Jörg
Heiser, Paulo Herkenhoff, Yve-Alain Bois, and Andrew Blauvelt, among others,
the publication treats subjects as wide-ranging as the historical influences
on new Japanese painting to the strategic similarities of painting and
rock music in their struggle against obsolescence in the digital age.
The catalogue includes selected artists' writings and biographies as well
as full-color reproductions of work by the 30 artists included in the
exhibition. Softcover: $29.95 ($26.96 Walker members).
RELATED EVENTS
FREE TOURS
PAINTING AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD
THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2001, 6 PM
SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2001, 2 PM
Join the Walker Art Center's knowledgeable tour guides for a lively, engaging,
and informative tour of the exhibition.
APRIL
EVENTS
FREE TOURS
PAINTING AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD
THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2001, 6 PM
SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2001, 2 PM
THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2001, 6 PM
SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2001, 2 PM
Join the Walker Art Center's knowledgeable tour guides for a lively, engaging,
and informative tour of the exhibition.
WALKER AFTER HOURS: WHERE CONTINENTS COLLIDE
FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2001, 5:30-9 PM
$14 ($7 WALKER MEMBERS)
Party around the world this month in celebration of the Walker's cutting-edge film series New Asian Currents and the exhibition Painting at the Edge of the World.
MARCH EVENTS
FREE TOURS
PAINTING AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD
THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2001, 6 PM
SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2001, 2 PM
THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2001, 6 PM
SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2001, 2 PM
THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2001, 6 PM
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2001, 6 PM
Join the Walker Art Center's knowledgeable tour guides for a lively, engaging,
and informative tour of the exhibition.
SUNDAY
FUN: MASTER MARBLERS
SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2001, 1-2:30 PM
$8 ($4 WALKER MEMBERS)
Explore fantastic paintings and search for playful patterns in the exhibition
Painting at the Edge of the World. In the Art Lab, make your own marbled
artwork using special paints and papers. Led by Allison Chapman of the
Minnesota Center for Book Arts.
FEBRUARY
EVENTS
PREVIEW
PARTY/WALKER AFTER HOURS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2001, 9 PM-12 MIDNIGHT
$14 ($7 WALKER MEMBERS)
Celebrate the exhibition opening with many of the 30 featured artists.
Exercise your own prowess with the brush and canvas in the Art Lab. Enjoy
the sounds of Chicago's TRS-80 in Gallery 8 Restaurant. And try out the
Martini of the Month: The Brush Stroke.
OPENING-DAY
PANEL
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2001, 2 PM
$8 ($4 WALKER MEMBERS AND STUDENTS)
Join Paulo Herkenhoff, Adjunct Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the
Museum of Modern Art, New York; Jennifer Gonzalez, Assistant Professor
of Art History, University of California, Santa Cruz; and Daniel Birnbaum,
Director of the Städelschule Art Academy, Frankfurt, and its gallery,
Portikus, as they discuss the plurality of painting practices at the beginning
of this century. Moderated by exhibition curator Douglas Fogle.
TEACHER WORKSHOP
PAINTING
AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2001, 4-6 PM
$8 ($6 WALKER MEMBERS; FREE FOR FIRST-YEAR TEACHERS)
The Walker invites educators to a special workshop and tour focusing on
the exhibition Painting at the Edge of the World. Participants
will receive printed materials and slides that explore different approaches
to painting and the relevance of global art in our contemporary world.
Refreshments will be served. Purchase tickets in advance by calling the
Walker box office at 612.375.7622 or by visiting www.walkerart.org/tickets/.
CLASS: COMPLEAT
SCHOLAR
PAINTING
OVER THE EDGE
WEDNESDAYS, FEBRUARY 14, 21, AND 28, 2001, 6:30-8:30 PM
$72 ($64.80 WALKER MEMBERS AND SENIORS)
This class begins with a discussion of traditional ideas of painting and
then explores ways in which contemporary artists from around the globe
have stretched the definition beyond its literal and conceptual edges.
Instructor: Diane Mullin. Offered as part of the University of Minnesota's
Compleat Scholar Program.
FREE TOURS
PAINTING AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2 PM
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2001, 6 PM
THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2001, 6 PM
Join the Walker Art Center's knowledgeable tour guides for a lively, engaging,
and informative tour of the exhibition.
SUNDAY FUN
DANCING
ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2001, 1-2:30 PM
Get inspired during a dynamic dance tour of the exhibition Painting
at the Edge of the World led by dancer-choreographer Derek Phillips.
After learning about the art of movement in faraway lands, put your creative
energy into painting, using colorful acrylics on unlikely surfaces with
artist Ta-Coumba Aiken.
PAINTING AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD IS MADE POSSIBLE
BY GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM THE BETLACH FAMILY FOUNDATION, THE BUSH FOUNDATION,
AMERICAN EXPRESS MINNESOTA PHILANTHROPIC PROGRAM, ROSINA LEE YUE AND BERT
A. LIES, JR., JUMEX FOUNDATION, AND THE ELIZABETH FIRESTONE GRAHAM FOUNDATION.
PROMOTIONAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY MPLS.ST.PAUL MAGAZINE.