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Presentation on June 29, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. as part of ALBERT&TINA
Vienna (OTS) – From June 29, the ALBERTINA is showing a floor installation by the well-known US artist Lawrence Weiner on the bastion in front of the main entrance. At first glance, OUT OF SIGHT is reminiscent of classic children’s hopping games such as “Heaven and Hell” and invites you to think lightly on the forecourt of the museum.
By means of poetic pieces of text and graphic visualization, Weiner’s work enters into a relationship with people and stimulates a dialogue. Sentences like SPIT INTO THE WIND AND HOPE FOR THE BEST or IMAGINED THINGS CAN BE ALTERED TO SUIT and the central terms of the installation EXHUBERANCE, ENERGY, HAPPINESS, VISION, VISUALIZATION, ENLIGHTENMENT, SPONTANEITY, SERENDIPITY stand for open-mindedness and optimism in difficult times, as well as for self-determination, equal opportunities and solidarity in an alienated society.
Weiner’s unmistakable typographic text works in the interior and exterior combine mental processes with physical experiences. The artist, who died in December 2021, once said about OUT OF SIGHT:
“The visitors each bring their personal background with them. As soon as they stand in front of the ‘Marelle’ (that’s what this hopping game is called in French) and think about what it’s like to get FROM HERE TO THERE, they realize that they have to do it in their imagination first and thus take a position.”
OUT OF SIGHT is more than a work of art, OUT OF SIGHT is an aesthetic experience, an intergenerational experience. OUT OF SIGHT is a work for everyone.
The work OUT OF SIGHT is available in many language versions such as English, Spanish, Mandarin, Dutch, French and Portuguese. It is now being realized for the first time in German on the ALBERTINA bastion. The installation has been shown at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2017), the Perez Art Museum, Miami (2017), Chicago (2018, 2019, 2020), the National Gallery of Singapore (2021), the Fort Mason Center fort the Arts and Culture, San Francisco (2021) and many other places in the world.
About LAWRENCE WEINER
Lawrence Weiner (February 10, 1942 – December 2, 2021) is a major figure and pioneer of conceptual art from the 1960s to the present. He always emphasizes the power of language in his site-specific sculptures. In Vienna he became known in particular for the controversy surrounding the work SMASHED TO PIECES (IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT, 1991-2019) on the facade of the flak tower in Esterhazypark in the 6th district. In 2022 he was posthumously awarded the renowned Oskar Kokoschka Prize.
Presentation on June 29, 2022 | 6.30 p.m
The floor installation will be presented on Wednesday, June 29, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. on the ALBERTINA bastion as part of the ALBERT&TINA Art Clubbing. Angela Stief, Director of the Albertina Modern, will speak at the opening.
Questions & contact:
Mag. Sarah Wulbrandt
Head of Press and Public Relations ALBERTINA
T +43 1 534 83 512
E S.Wulbrandt@albertina.at
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