21 Jan 2010

Lawrence Weiner at BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, Utrecht

From 24 January to 28 March 2010 BAK, basis voor actuele kunst presents the solo exhibition Dicht Bij by Lawrence Weiner.

The opening of the exhibition takes place on Saturday 23 January, from 18.00 hrs. At 16.00 hrs, prior to the opening, a conversation takes place between Lawrence Weiner and Ann Goldstein, director of the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.

Dicht Bij is an exhibition consisting of new works stemming from Weiner's belief that art is about the 'relationship of human beings to objects and objects to objects in relation to human beings.' The objects in this exhibition, rendered in language as is typical of Weiner's work, both thematize and in their modesty perform the dismissal of the notions of hierarchy and hegemony in all possible forms, whether in the current global political, social, and economic circumstances, or in art and culture. The exhibition is curated by Maria Hlavajova.

Dicht Bij is a research exhibition organized within the long-term, multifaceted project Former West, an international research, education, publishing, and exhibition undertaking (2008–2013). For more information about Former West, please visit www.formerwest.org.

Lawrence Weiner, a key figure of Conceptual art active since the 1960s, is best known for his text pieces and wall installations, but works across a variety of media, which include drawings, books, films, videos, posters, and editions. He is one of those artists who continue to inspire and influence other artists, curators, theorists, and cultural practitioners across generations, genres, and geo-graphic boundaries, which makes him one of the most remarkable and significant artists working today. Weiner lives and works in New York and Amsterdam.

Edition
On the occasion of the exhibition Dicht Bij an edition is designed by Lawrence Weiner. The edition, produced in a limited number, is on sale at BAK.

Conversation between Lawrence Weiner and Ann Goldstein
At 16.00 hrs on 23 January 2010, a conversation between Lawrence Weiner and Ann Goldstein, director of Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, takes place at BAK. Goldstein curated (together with Donna De Salvo) a major retrospective exhibition of Weiner's work Lawrence Weiner: AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE, which was on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2007â?’2008), The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2008), and at K21, Duesseldorf (2008â?’2009). Unfortunately, the limited seats available for the conversation are already fully booked. However a video recording of the conversation will be available at BAK during the exhibition and online after 28 March 2010.