Don’t Miss – London: Castellani/Flavin/Judd/Uecker at Haunch of Venison through October 31, 2009
October 31st, 2009
Installation view of Castellani/Flavin/Judd/Uecker via Haunch of Venison
Currently on view at Haunch of Venison in London is an exhibition that explores the connections between four seminal artists; Enrico Castellani, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, and Günther Uecker. The exhibition includes works from 1964 to today from these four artists who were born within six years of each other and shared aesthetic objects while working on different sides of the Atlantic.
Installation view of Castellani/Flavin/Judd/Uecker via Haunch of Venison
More text, related links and images after the jump….
Installation view of Castellani/Flavin/Judd/Uecker via Haunch of Venison
Installation view of Castellani/Flavin/Judd/Uecker via Haunch of Venison
While these four artists may share similar birth dates, aesthetic objects and similar problems to overcome; they all hail from significantly different backgrounds. Castellani trained as an architect in Brussels, Uecker went to art school and the Kunstakademie in the former German Democratic Republic, while Flavin and Judd studied art history and philosophy respectively in the US.
Enrico Castellani’s ‘Superficie Argento’ via Haunch of Venison
Günther Uecker’s ‘Licht-Schlitz (Light Line)’ via Haunch of Venison
The shared concerns of these artists are cleverly revealed in this exhibition: objecthood, new materials, structure, surface, volume and light all appear as important to these artists. The work of Judd and Flavin converts space into ‘objects’. Both Castellani and Uecker, two artists rarely seen in London, explore the properties of the two dimensional surface by using nails to liberate the surface from compositional restrictions and create space and volume. Uecker and Flavin both share an interest in the use of light and incorporate light sources within their work. The connections between the four artists are manifold and revealing.
Installation view of Castellani/Flavin/Judd/Uecker via Haunch of Venison
Enrico Castellani’s ‘Superficie Rossa’ via Haunch of Venison
Installation view of Castellani/Flavin/Judd/Uecker via Haunch of Venison
Installation view of Castellani/Flavin/Judd/Uecker via Haunch of Venison
From these comparisons, also appear interesting contrasts; the monochrome relief surfaces of Castellani contrast with Uecker’s canvases pierced by nails, and Judd’s immaculate industrial objects.
Donald Judd’s ‘Untitled’ via Haunch of Venison
Günther Uecker’s ‘Weisse Stelle (White Place)’ via Haunch of Venison
In his seminal 1965 text Specific Objects, Judd wrote of an art that was ‘neither painting nor sculpture’, before including both Flavin and Castellani in his survey of the ground–breaking developments in the art of the time. The exhibition promises to be revelatory, setting emblematic works by Judd and Flavin in a European context and asserting the importance of contemporary innovations
Installation view of Castellani/Flavin/Judd/Uecker via Haunch of Venison
Dan Flavin’s ‘Untitled (to Barbara Lipper)’ via Haunch of Venison
Günther Uecker’s ‘Ecke (Corner)’ via Haunch of Venison
Installation view of Castellani/Flavin/Judd/Uecker via Haunch of Venison
Dan Flavin’s ‘untitled (to Donna 5a)’ via Haunch of Venison
Related Links:
Castellani/Flavin/Judd/Uecker [Haunch of Venison]
Video: Günther Uecker interview – Culture Minute [Telegraph]
