KUB JahresPK 2006 engl5 - Kunsthaus Bregenz

KUB 06

Annual Press Conference 06Kunsthaus Bregenz

Kunsthaus Bregenz

Inside the Work

“The Kunsthaus Bregenz is an open platform for the artworkand the audience alike, a place for deceleration, where thefocus is on the real here and now of newly produced workseries and artists are free to unfold the full potential of their work’s radical right. To the artists, the Kunsthaus is a temporary studio, a research and production site fordeveloping new work series whose validity lies in theiruncompromising artistic accentuation.” Eckhard Schneider

With this idea, the Kunsthaus Bregenz has succeeded inestablishing itself as one of the leading international exhibitionspaces in Europe within just a few years. Artists, the public, and the media all agree that the Kunsthaus can currently claimto have “the most compelling exhibition roster in the German-speaking world” (Monopol, no. 3 [2005]). All in all, the KUB isregarded, especially among artists, as a “signature space”grounded on a persuasive overall idea: the conclusive indivisi-bility of architecture, programming, curatorial approach,publications, and education geared toward the core of art. This unique platform with its radical artistic demands on theartwork remains unparalleled in Europe and in 2006 shallcontinue to set standards and provide challenges for artists and audiences alike.

Kunsthaus Bregenz

Chapman Constructive Provocation

Whiteread

Appelt

Lichtenstein

KUB in NYC

Wild at Heart Cardiff & Miller

For the Kunsthaus Bregenz, 2005 was an important andsuccessful year. In addition to its five exhibitions, the KUBalso presented three large-scale projects which were comparablein size and effort to the exhibitions themselves. The majorthemes of last year’s programming were the dialogue betweengenerations, surprising shifts between sublime, minimalistforms and provocative messages, the exchange of mediabetween disciplines, and, as the highlight of the season, themature classic works of one the heroes of contemporary art.

Last year, along with program continuity, two exhibitionsstood out in particular. On the one hand, there was the Lichten-stein exhibition, with which the KUB introduced a newstrategic and programmatic course; on the other hand, theproject “KUB in NYC,” which was a successful undertaking, has confirmed KUB’s place in the international arena.

2005 marked record attendance levels with a total of81,000 visitors turning out mainly to see the Lichtensteinexhibition. The KUB Arena, the main platform for communi-cation at the Kunsthaus, was once again an important focus,where high thematic standards were maintained for the variousprojects. Moreover, in conjunction with the KUB’s showcaseexhibition in New York, it also served as an ideal platform forconnecting work and audience.

In 2005, as in the past, KUB once again received overallpositive press on its work. Catalogues were published toaccompany all five exhibitions. Of these, the Lichtensteincatalogue was by far the most successful. Proceeds from thepublications, artist’s and special editions, and admissionsgenerated an excellent financial outcome.

On the occasion of the Lichtenstein exhibition, theSociety of Friends of the Kunsthaus Bregenz contributedsignificantly to the educational services by financing an audio guide system and a group tour system.

Review of Activities in 2005

Total number of visitors to the Kunsthaus Bregenz in 2005: 81,000Visitors to KUB in NYC: 4,000Visitors to Janet Cardiff,Johanniterkirche Feldkirch: 11,000

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The two most exemplary events of the year 2005 were theLichtenstein exhibition and the project “KUB in NYC.” With its Lichtenstein exhibition, the KUB opened a range of newprogrammatic possibilities, which arise primarily from itsgeocultural location away from the large urban centers and itsoverall cultural responsibility vis-à-vis Vorarlberg. It turned out to be a good idea to present a historical aspect of contemporaryart by showing a specific selection and incorporating thisposition into the scope of KUB’s overall programming andunderlying radical focus. The positive response from all sideshas brought visitors from new areas. Moreover, the exhibitionwas also a success from a financial point of view.

The special project “KUB in NYC” gave the KUB theopportunity to claim and confirm its status in an internationalarena and to demonstrate that a metropolitan program removedfrom a metropolitan setting can be combined successfully withthe specific reputation and image of the institution and that thekey to success is the logical integral concept of the insepara-bleness of architecture, programming, publications, and arteducation. Furthermore, the show in NYC helped the KUB forgenew supportive partnerships that will represent a new strategiccourse for its activities in the years to come. The networkestablished in New York shall also serve to support new projectsin the future.

Review of ExhibitionsRoy LichtensteinKUB in NYC

Visitors to the exhibitionRoy Lichtenstein: 51,000Visitor analysis Roy Lichtenstein:Germans: 54.5%Austrians: 22%Swiss: 17.5 %Other Europeans: 5.5%Overseas: 0.5%

Catalogue sales Lichtensteintill January 06: 2,640Sales KUB: 2,003European distribution by Walther König: 500USA distribution by D.A.P.: 2,500

Visitors to the exhibitionKUB in NYC: 4,000Visitors to the KUB Arena: 2,150;of those, 600 attended artist talks(Austrian Cultural Forum), 1,250 attended architectural talks (ACF andGreat Hall/Cooper Union), 300 attendedthe forum “Light” (Parsons The New School for Design).

Sponsors and SupportersKUB in NYCLand Vorarlberg,Federal Chancellery Arts Division,Wirtschaftskammer Vorarlberg,Montfort Werbung,Zumtobel Staff,Hypo Landesbank Vorarlberg,Vorarlberg Tourismus,Vorarlberger Medienhaus,ORF Vorarlberg,Mäser Digital Media,Bregenz Tourismus,HS Art Service Austria

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Program 2006Kunsthaus Bregenz

Mission Statement

Since revising its programmatic orientation in 2001, the KUBhas realized twenty-five exhibitions and over thirty projects, allof which were of the museum’s own conception and for themost part premieres in Germany, Austria, and Europe.

The central idea of producing completely new work seriesarising through a dialogue with the building’s architecture aswell as programming that aims at artistic depth and complexityat the interface of contemporary production and discourse has been and will remain the long-term objective of the KUB.Moreover, the KUB will also continue to place importance onbringing together regional identity and international challenge.

In 2006, work will focus on strengthening all areas of what has been established and on planning the approachinganniversary year 2007. In these endeavors, the main guidingactivities will be to continue to develop the second program-matic emphasis begun with the Roy Lichtenstein exhibition and to establish a third emphasis consisting of architecture-specific exhibitions.

Presentation of International Contemporary Art

The exhibition program 2006 is marked by artistic continuity as regards the reputation for showing unique KUB-specificartwork, i.e. the synthesis of specially created new productionsthat incorporate the architecture of the Kunsthaus and thepresentation of outstanding international artists of the youngerand middle generations who have had a lasting effect on thediscourse in contemporary art and society.

Planned for 2006 are a total of six exhibitions and outdoorprojects incorporating the KUB Plaza and the KUB Façade. Thesuccessful KUB Billboard series with its focus on Vorarlbergartists will also be continued this year. As in previous years, allthe exhibitions, with the exception of the Sherman and Bechtoldshows, will be Austrian premieres. Moreover, with the exceptionof the Cindy Sherman exhibition, all will be presentations of theKUB’s own conceptions, with series of work that have in partnever been shown before as well as architecture-specificinstallations.

The summer exhibition will be dedicated to the Irish-British artist Michael Craig-Martin and to one of the mostinteresting artists of the younger generation, Tino Sehgal.Overall, this year’s programming focuses on the refined aspectsof already developed artistic fields. It examines the meaningand role of the use of material in art as well as carefully honedartistic strategies. Finally, with Tino Sehgal it offers a newradical material-free definition of the concept of art.

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GelitinGelitin is made up of four artists. They first met at summercamp in 1978. In 1993 they began exhibiting internationally. In 2005 they changed their name from Gelatin to Gelitin. 13|04|– 28|05|2006Gelitin, the “Good Bad Boys” of the international art scene arefamous for their spectacular performances and installations,e.g. at the Expo 2000 in Hanover and the Venice Biennial 2001.

For their first large-scale museum exhibition, which in-cludes a public restroom and a movie theater made exclusivelyof found material and inexpensive waste products, the fourartists will be coming personally to set up their work with theirown hands, a process they consider very important. On April 12and 13 they will open the exhibition with a two-day event thatincorporates artist-friends and the audience. It will be a crossbetween installation, film, rock concert, performance, happening,and classic exhibition, in which physicality plays a major role.

Exhibitions 2006

Jean-Marc BustamanteBorn in Toulouse, France in 1952. Lives and works in Paris.29|01|–19|03 |2006Jean-Marc Bustamante is one of the most important Frenchartists of his generation. He has contributed repeatedly to thedocumenta and represented France in its pavilion at the VeniceBiennial in 2003.

Bustamante became known for his photographs of urbanlandscapes, of undeveloped sites, urban peripheries, which hecalls simply “Tableaux” (Paintings). From 1987 on, he has createdabstract sculptures and objects, mainly out of steel, glass, metal,and red lead paint, with which he set forth his contemplation onthe interrelations between sculpture, furniture, image, and space.A fundamental theme in his work is the connection between theo-retical, abstract space and real space in nature and architecture.

With a presentation of nine work series, the KunsthausBregenz will be showing the first large-scale solo exhibition ofBustamante’s work in Austria. On display will be enormoussculptures, large-format wall pieces made of perspex, objectsthat are a cross between sculpture and painting (“Trophées”), as well as a choreographic composition of light designed for thefaçade of the building. For the first time, Bustamante will not be showing photographs but will concentrate, instead, on thestaging of sculptures, objects, paintings, space, and light inconnection with the building’s architecture.

Michael Craig-MartinBorn in Dublin, Ireland in 1941.Lives and works in London.10|06 |– 13|08|2006First solo exhibition in Austria. An overall artwork out of painting,drawing, space, and light, created specially for the KUB with newpaintings, “Walldrawings,” that fill the entire room, and a large-scale light installation for the façade. A central theme is the idea of a universal visual language consisting of everyday items andart objects whose immediacy derives from the beauty of modernobjects. At the same time, however, the roots of his work also liein a classical, Renaissance-like tradition of an ideallyconstructed world view, which in the positive view of a pop-related art also depends on communication aimed at a broadaudience. Since his early period as a conceptual artist in the 1960s, Michael Craig-Martin has been considered one of the most importantrepresentatives of an Anglo-American art combining Europeanand US traditions.

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Gottfried BechtoldBorn in Bregenz, Austria, in 1947.Lives and works in Bregenz.01|10|– 19|11|2006Large-scale solo exhibition by the Vorarlberg-based Austrianartist. Five new work series, among them an ensemble ofsculptures consisting of 11 concrete Porsches cast for the KUBPlaza, will show the current state of his examination of an extend-ed concept of sculpture that orients itself on a new experience ofspace, time, material, and language. A long overdue positioning of one of the most consistent Austrian artists in the internationalarena whose work has stood for a new concept of art for more than 40 years.

Tino SehgalBorn in London, GB in 1976.Lives and works in Berlin.17|08|– 24|09|2006First solo exhibition in Austria. Tino Sehgal will use the fourexhibition levels of the Kunsthaus Bregenz for three sculpturalsituations, of which two will be developed especially forBregenz. A work that utilizes the extant conventions of themuseum in order to transform the direct experience into an artproduct through precisely designed pieces consisting oflanguage, bodies, and movement. In this way, Sehgal radicallyredefines the conditions for the production and reception of art.

Cindy ShermanBorn in Glen Ridge, New Jersey/USA in 1954.Lives and works in New York City.25|11|2006– 14|01|2007The American photographer Cindy Sherman is considered oneof the major representatives of staged photography. In her earlyb&w photos “Untitled Film Stills,” Sherman herself slips intodifferent female roles. In doing so, she hides her own identitybehind astonishing masks. None of her works can be seenas self-portraits; rather, she paraphrases woman-specificconventions in front of the camera.

Later, in her color photographs from 1980 on, sexualthemes become more dominant; her backdrops and costumesmore theatrical with a strong turn towards the fantastical. Inprimarily aggressive arrangements, Sherman reflects upon theimage of the woman in a male dominated society – from thefeminine figure in magazine centerfolds to fragmentary fetishobjects with enormous genitals.

In a retrospective with more than 160 works, organizedand compiled by Jeu de Paume, Paris, the Kunsthaus Bregenzwill be showing the first large-scale solo exhibition by the artistin Austria. The presentation spans all of her creative periods,from the early photographs in the 1960s to her current clownseries.

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Jean-Marc Bustamantedispersion29|01| – 19|03|2006Together with the light designer Gilles Conan, Jean-MarcBustamante will be developing a light installation that will cover all four sides of the glazed envelope of the Kunsthaus Bregenz.Controlled by dimmer and computer, the varying intensity andduration of illumination of a total of 200 lights, 50 per side, willproduce an abstract picture with a constantly changing pattern.Zumtobel Staff will contribute significantly to the implementationof this installation.

Michael Craig-Martinlight house/house light10|06| – 13|08|2006In a simple line made of lights, Michael Craig-Martin plans todraw a house with a gabled roof, windows, and doors onto theglazed façade of the Kunsthaus. The work will be done withfluorescent lights in magenta, red, blue, and white mounteddirectly behind the opaque glass panels. In this way, the abstractwindowless flat-roofed structure built by Peter Zumthor will betemporarily transformed into an illuminated representation of asymbolic and popular depiction of a conventional house.

KUB Façade 2006

Gottfried Bechtold01|10| – 19|11|2006Between the Kunsthaus, the KUB Café, and the State Theater,Gottfried Bechtold will fill Karl-Tizian-Platz with eleven newmodels of the Porsche Carrera S. The sports cars, a synonym forspeed and dynamics, have been transformed and renderedimmobile in two senses: through the material – each Porscheconsists of some 15 tons of concrete – and through the thin tarpthrown over them prior to casting, as if they were being put downfor the winter. The exceptional quality of the concrete, the formaland casting workmanship, and the undulation of the thin layer offabric draped over the soft contours of the cars lend thesculptures a strongly sensual and abstract impression. With thesenew works, Bechtold continues the study of the car myth that hebegan more than thirty years ago with the “Concrete Porsche”(1971) and has continued with works like “Crash Porsche” (2001).

KUB Plaza 2006

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KUB Billboards

Since the Kunsthaus Bregenz opened in the summer of 1997, theseven KUB Billboards along the Seestrasse (each measuring 3.42 x 3.42 meters) have been used for art projects speciallydesigned for this site by Austrian and international artists.Because of their prominent location along the busiest street indowntown Bregenz – leading from the train station to the Kunsthaus– the billboards number among the most high-profile andcontroversial artistic interventions in the public space of the city.

For the Kunsthaus Bregenz and the participating artists,the KUB Billboards constitute an important instrument forcommunicating with a wider public. The billboards reach peoplewho are reluctant to enter the Kunsthaus and open a broaddiscussion platform for the discourse of contemporary art andcurrent themes.

For its programming, the KUB Billboards draw from two mainpools: exhibiting artists at the Kunsthaus Bregenz, who in this way are also given the opportunity to present their work outside,and artists from Vorarlberg, who are invited to take advantage of a prominent place to present their current work for discussion.

Contributors invited for 2006 are the graphic artist StefanSagmeister, the photographer Nikolaus Walter, and the artistsMichael Craig-Martin, Gottfried Bechtold, and Cindy Sherman.

The KUB Billboards are sponsored by ÖBB and TypicoMegaprints, Lochau.

KUB ArenaThe KUB Arena of the Kunsthaus is both an art and communica-tion platform, which is implemented in cooperation with ourpartners Montfort Werbung and DMG. It is located in the foyer of the KUB, between the public space of the city and the privaterooms of the exhibition spaces. In 2003, the KUB Arena wasinaugurated with an exhibition by Franz West, and since then it has been the venue for a number of very diverse thematicconcepts. The idea of a discursive arena has been formallyexpanded by the work of Anish Kapoor, Hans Schabus, JanetCardiff & George Bures Miller, and particularly by the exhibition“KUB in NYC.” The KUB Arena defines itself as a space fordiscourse and a platform where interaction takes place andcommunication comes alive. The KUB Arena program for 2006includes contributions by Jean-Marc Bustamante, Gelitin,Michael Craig-Martin, and Gottfried Bechtold.

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PublicationsIn conjunction with its exhibitions, the Kunsthaus Bregenzpublishes catalogues produced in close cooperation with theartists and leading graphic designers such as Walter Nikkels,Stefan Sagmeister, Martina Goldner, Bruce Mau, Mark Diaper, or Monomer. The graphic design harmoniously translates thesubject and the pictorial language of the artist to the page. Each catalogue has its own personal signature and is almost as important as the exhibition and the work itself.

Generally bilingual, the exhibition catalogues are intendedto be sold at the Kunsthaus as well as distributed internationally.

EditionsClose collaboration with the artists at the work and productionstages makes it possible to produce special editions designedexclusively for the Kunsthaus Bregenz. In 2005, the artists andexhibitions featured in this series were Jake and Dinos Chapman,Rachel Whiteread, Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller, RoyLichtenstein, and “Tu Felix Austria.” For the first edition in 2006,Jean-Marc Bustamante will publish a work entitled “Trophée,” forwhich an animal theme was chosen that strikes a characteristicbalance between a naturalistic, recognizable form and a purelyabstract, bold accent of color.

As limited editions, these KUB series will prove especiallyattractive to collectors of contemporary art and are available forpurchase at a special price for the duration of the respectiveexhibitions.

Art EducationThe aim of art education at the Kunsthaus Bregenz is to enable the transfer of artistic ideas and to forge a link between theartists, the work, and the visitors. To this end, the Kunsthausoffers visitors many different ways of learning to appreciate art. In addition to the standard tours (Saturdays at 2 p.m., Sundays at 4 p.m., Thursdays at 7 p.m.), it is also possible to arrangeindividually tailored tours.

Highlights include the director’s and curator’s tours, visitsto artists’ studios, artist’s tours, or architectural and backstagetours. Events like “KUB + Coffee” or subjective tours helpdevelop a sense of one’s own perception. In the special tours forteachers, participants learn different age-specific approaches tohelp students learn about the works of the exhibiting artists. Inaddition to the Art Dragon and the weekly Saturday workshopsaimed at explaining the exhibitions to small children, the KUB also offers a several-day course for young audiences based onthe Munari method.

Exhibition Catalogues 2006:Jean-Marc Bustamante,Gelitin,Michael Craig-Martin,Gottfried Bechtold,Cindy Sherman

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Sponsors and Partners

AFAA – Association Françaised’Action Artistique

Amann Dicht- und DämmsystemeAnkünder – Gesellschaft

Außenwerbung mbHAWECO- Appliance SystemsAXA-Nordstern ArtBerlinger HolzbauBMW GroupBootsvermietung

Seetaxi Hardy FeuersteinBootswer ft HartmannHugo BossBregenzer FestspieleBregenzer SegelclubBregenz TourismusDMGdoka - Die SchalungstechnikerFederal Chancellery Arts DivisionFeycolorFlatz, BrunoHeinrich Ganahl GetränkeKunsthaus BregenzGerrietsGesellschaft der Freunde des

Kunsthaus BregenzGlas MarteHS-Art Service AustriaHypo Landesbank VorarlbergIconI+R SchertlerInstitut Français d’InnsbruckInstitut Français de VienneInterlux Hirsch GmbHKaufmann Holz AGKultour TaxiKUNST - Federal ChancelleryKvadratLandesberufsschule Bregenz 2Lechler CoatingsMäser Digital MediaMerkur VaselineMontfort WerbungNägele BauNECn-tree solutionsÖBBÖKS – Österreichischer Kultur

ServiceORF VorarlbergPfeiffer GerüstbauPI – Pädagogisches Institut

des BundesRadio VorarlbergRhomberg BauRuderverein WikingShiseidoSiemensSpedition BraunTechnogelThe British CouncilTon + BildTypico MegaprintsUNIQAVontobelVAI – Vorarlberger Architektur

InstitutVKS – Vorarlberger Kultur ServiceVKW – Vorarlberger KraftwerkeVN – Vorarlberger NachrichtenVorarlberger MedienhausVorarlberger Holzbau ZukunftVorarlberger IllwerkeVorarlberg TourismusWirtschaftskammer VorarlbergYachtclub BregenzZumtobel Staff

Hauptsponsoren

Sponsor of the KUBArena

Sponsor of the KUBArena

House-sponsor of the Kunsthaus Bregenz

Major Sponsors

Friends and Partners of theKunsthaus BregenzOne key element that has made the successful work of theKunsthaus Bregenz possible is the long-term provision of culturalsupport by the State of Vorarlberg as the KUB’s principalsponsor. The same goes for the Kulturhäuser Betriebsgesell-schaft mbH in their function as commercial intermediary.

The Society of Friends of the Kunsthaus Bregenz has beenan indispensable partner since the Kunsthaus was founded. Itcontributes greatly to helping the Kunsthaus Bregenz implementits concepts, especially its art-educational program.

In time, the Kunsthaus Bregenz has also found importantpartners in Montfort Werbung, DMG, the Hypo Landesbank, and Zumtobel Staff. Their work and dedication enables theimplementation of sophisticated as well as technically andfinancially demanding exhibitions and projects.

Other major contributions have also been made byVorarlberg corporate sponsors and partners, e.g. the VorarlbergerKraftwerke AG; another notable sponsor is Hugo Boss.

Kulturhäuser Betriebs-gesellschaft mbH

Gesellschaft der Freundedes Kunsthaus Bregenz

Kunsthaus BregenzKarl-Tizian-PlatzA-6900 BregenzPhone (+43-55 74) 4 85 94-0

Fax (+43-55 74) 4 85 [email protected]

DirectorEckhard Schneider

CuratorRudolf Sagmeister

Press and Public RelationsBirgit Albers ext. /[email protected] |Melanie Büchel

Art EducationWinfried Nußbaummüller ext. /[email protected] |Kirsten Helfrich

PublicationsKatrin Wiethege ext. /[email protected] |Antje Kühn

EditionsCaroline Schneiderext. /[email protected]

Director’s AssistantBeatrice Nussbichler

OfficeMargit Müller-Schwab

AdministrationUte DenkenbergerPhone (+43-55 74) 5 31 [email protected]

Technical staffMarkus Tembl, MarkusUnterkircher, Stefan Vonier

KUB 06

Annual Press Conference 06Kunsthaus BregenzProgram is subject to change

Kunsthaus Bregenz

Copyright© 2006 by Kunsthaus Bregenz

ConceptEckhard Schneider

TextBirgit AlbersWinfried NußbaummüllerRudolf SagmeisterEckhard SchneiderKatrin Wiethege

Editorial WorkBirgit AlbersMelanie Büchel

TranslationKimi Lum

Photos© by the photographers, artists,and legal successors

Basic Graphic DesignClemens Theobert SchedlerBüro für konkrete Gestaltung

Graphic DesignDalpra & Partner, GötzisRené Dalpra, Joachim Zettl

Opening HoursTuesday – Sunday 10a.m.– 6 p.m. Thursday 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.During the Bregenz Festival:10 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Admission Adults7.00 EuroReduced Admission 4,50 Euro 10% reduction for Ö1 ClubmembersSchool children, apprentices1,50 EuroGroups of 15 or more4,50 Euro per personGuided tours for groups of 15 or more in German 4,– Euro per person; other languages4,50 Euro per personWorkshops or art-educationprograms for children onSaturdays 4,– Euro

Guided Tours Information and ReservationsBeatrice Nussbichlerext. /[email protected]

InquiriesMargit Müller-Schwabext. /[email protected]