04 Apr 2011

Saprophyt presents Projects and Assignments: Nathalie Koger & John Baldessari

Projects and Assignments

Nathalie Koger, John Baldessari

with

Fahim Amir, Maria Giovanna Drago, Christian Philipp Müller, Simona Obholzer, Su jeong Shin-Goldbach, Sofía Táboas

The trick is to create something physical and transformative with an economy of means.

Something that denies the pure dematerialization of the internet, but as graceful a gesture as an athlete's subtle turn or a beautiful woman opening a window.

Two of the artists come from that slightly more idealistic moment popularly known as the 1960s. The others come from the present moment.

David Askevold's Projects Class came as the immediate inspiration. Canadian artist Askevold held a course at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 1969 where he invited artists to propose an idea to be realized by the class as collaborators.

Some examples from the class:
Robert Barry proposed that the students get together and 'decide on a single common idea. The idea can be of any nature, simple or complex...' Sol LeWitt presented a 'to do' list for the class which included: '1. A work that uses the idea of error 2. A work that uses the idea of incompleteness 3. A work that uses the idea of infinity....' Robert Smithson suggested a work that would involve mud being dumped over a cliff. Lawrence Weiner asked students to 'remove' some unspecified thing Halfway Between the Equator and the North Pole.

Other than how art travels, questions of how art is taught, or if it can be taught come into play. Is teaching as good a way as any in which to exchange ideas? Is doing better than looking?

I imagined it as an exhibition instead of a class at once to have a space that was open, permeable, and without restriction (enrollment and tuition for example) for involvement, but also as a way to underline that materiality and presence (even with a project in the throws of the dematerialization of art) still matters, people gathering in a space to realize an idea, with others being able to participate however passively by coming to the exhibition.

It's not a recreation of Askevold's Projects Class but a gesture to think about art and exchange in a way that depends less on money and more on possibilities.

- Andrew Berardini

Nathalie Koger was born in Oberkirch, Germany. After studies and practice in pedagogy, sociology, philosophy, literature and linguistics, Nathalie has fully committed to her practice as artist with an interest in art and cultural studies and art theory. Her approach and practice can be characterized by the reflection on concept, context, intervention, site-specificity, curating and choreography.

John Baldessari, born 1931. Lives and works in Santa Monica, California.

Fahim Amir (AF/A) is a philosopher and cultural theorist at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. He has formally been Dramaturg for postdramatic theatre, run the performance bar Schnapsloch and is involved in theoretical and artistic collaborations.

Maria Giovanna Drago (GR/I) is currently studying Photography at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, she lives and works in Vienna.

Christian Philipp Müller born 1957 in Biel, Switzerland. Lives and works in Cologne and Brooklyn, New York

Simona Obholzer born 1982 in Hall in Tyrol, lives and works in Vienna. Exhibitions include studio 32 at Macintosh Building GSA, Glasgow 2010; Which life? Between Calling and Career Curator's Project at Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, curated by Sabine Breitwieser 2009

Su jeong Shin-Goldbach was born in 1974 in Seoul, South Korea. Since 2002 Exhibitions and Projects in Germany, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, since 2009 lives and works in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Sofía Táboas, lives and works in Mexico City. Her solo shows in Mexico include Superficie límite at Museo Carrillo Gil, Silvestre at Sala de Arte Público Siqueiros, Soft Kisses at Arena Mexico and Giro espacial at Kurimanzutto gallery .

Andrew Berardini (born 1982) is an American art critic, writer, and curator of contemporary art. He has published articles and essays in publications such as Fillip (Vancouver), Artforum (New York), X-TRA (Los Angeles), Artnet, Frieze (London), MOUSSE (Milan), La Stampa (Turin), Paper Monument (New York), Angeleno (Los Angeles), Art Review (London), Style and the Family Tunes (Berlin), Rolling Stone (Italia), and Afterall (London/Los Angeles). Berardini was recently Adjunct Assistant Curator at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena and is currently Los Angeles Editor for Mousse and Senior Editor for Artslant.