ART CITIES:Vienna-Daniel Spoerri
According to the manifesto of “Nouveau Réalisme” formulated in 1960, a work of art must come into being with as little intervention by the artist as possible. Within his circle of fellow artists and friends it was Daniel Spoerri who realized this maxim more radically than anyone else. He would declare a found object, a seller’s trestle table at a Parisian flea market, for example, to be a work of art simply by appending his signature to it.
By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Galerie Krinzinger Archive
On occasion of Anja Salomonowitz’s filmic homage “Dieser Film ist ein Geschenk” (2019) to Daniel Spoerri, Galerie Krinzinger is presenting a selection of his series “Eintagskästchen”. The exhibition will be closed with a screening of the film. Daniel Spoerri is one of the most outstanding representatives of Object Art. Together with Jean Tinguely and Yves Klein, he is one of the pioneers for Nouveau Réalisme; furthermore, he is regarded as the inventor of Eat Art. His “Tableaux pièges” created in the 60s and developed further over decades, preserve a very specific time and comprehensible atmosphere. They are captured settings: an evening with friends, a work desk or a flea market stall. Like a trap („piège“) they hold a piece of everyday reality like in a trap. His artistic work is characterized by a vivid subversive energy, his constant curiosity and love for collecting the most diverse objects. They serve as testimonies of the past, their functions and meanings – seismographs of bygone, yet simultaneously preserved times. Daniel Spoerri’s “Eintagskästchen” can be seen as narratives in which objects develop new relationships with each other, break up familiar contexts of meaning and almost against time they revise their “expiration date”. Daniel Spoerri uses objects he finds at flea markets. He gives objects out of use a new purpose. His work is about giving them a new life by creating compositions and nailing them onto the wall – and rescuing them from disappearing. The works from the series “Eintagskästchen” are small-format collages and assemblages that are usually dated and can be compared to diary-like sketches. “Dieser Film ist ein Geschenk” is a sensitive examination of Daniel Spoerri’s personality, his way of working and his environment. Far more than a usual artist’s biography, Anja Salomonowitz’s filmic dedication to the artist gives a very personal insight into the life of the artist and offers the viewers new perspectives on memory and the associated, often everyday object. For her films, Anja Salomonowitz developed a language where documentary, feature film and thesis blend. Her works received international recognition in form of numerous awards and were recognized in literature on documentary filmmaking.
Info: Galerie Krinzinger, Seilersträtte 16, Vienna, Duration: 18/12/16-18/1/20, Days & Hours: Tue-Fri 12:00-18:00, Sat 12:00-16:00, www.galerie-krinzinger.at
