in context of room, building and city

>10 names

F.Coldewey, Board, 400 x 160cm, Plywood, Acrylic, Art in public spheres, Lichtparcours Braunschweig, EXPO 2000

Fritz Balthaus: 10 names

>Light-Parcours

 

During his first stay in Braunschweig, the artist wondered how the invitation had come about. Not a question of an incidental nature, since Fritz Balthaus' works usually convey the concrete and constructive environment of art itself. In Braunschweig, this should also happen, but in a new way, because for the first time such persons come into view who are responsible for the way from the artist's Berlin studio to Braunschweig.

 

Names 1 and 2: On the occasion of the art fair "art forum berlin" the artist F.Coldewey recommended a visit to the Düsseldorf gallery owner T.Taubert to the Berlin studio of the artist Balthaus. Since then Fritz Balthaus has been working with T.Taubert and set up a light installation in the rooms of the Taubert Gallery.

 

Names 3 and 4: The Berlin artist G.Zey recommended the work of the artist to the Wiesbaden curator G.Hafemann. Since the latter was preparing an exhibition on the subject of light at the Wiebadener Kunstverein, Fritz Balthaus later contributed an installation in the rooms of the Nassauischer Kunstverein.

 

Names 5,6 and 7: The Düsseldorf artist M.Kuball - also involved in the Wiebaden exhibition - saw Fritz Balthaus' works in both of the above-mentioned exhibitions and drew the attention of the Braunschweig university lecturers and exhibition organizers G.Auer and M.Schwarz to them.

 

Names 8,9 and 10: G.Auer and M.Schwarz belong to the board of trustees of the exhibition project "Lichtparcours", in which J.M.Armleder, H.-P.Conrady and J.-P.Bordaz also nominate artists and decide on artists to be invited. They also decide to invite Fritz Balthaus to Braunschweig.

 

Balthaus proposed to set up 10 light stations with these names in Braunschweig. At the river Oker and in the city itself the artist found 10 places where he would like to realize his light works. The hardware of the light work consists of wooden panels with white backgrounds for the 10 black names. Simple construction lamps on the panels serve as illumination. Similar to station signs, the lamps illuminate the name trains at night. Placed in ten different Braunscheiger environments, the name plates raise questions which, on closer examination of the object, are explained and resolved. Once the viewers have grasped the background of the interventions and names, the self-constructive character of this artistic work becomes visible.