giovedì 17 luglio 2014

TOM MARIONI: ACTIONS 1969-2014 - KUNSTSAELE BERLIN




TOM MARIONI
ACTIONS 1969-2014
curated by Marc Glöde
Kunstsaele Berlin
Bülowstraße 90 - Berlin
18/7/2014 - 6/9/2014

Kunstsaele is proud to present the first German overview exhibition Actions (1969-2014) of works by conceptual artist Tom Marioni.
Even though Marioni is a key figure in the development of Conceptual Art since the 1960s, it would be far too short minded to sum up the artist’s work under the category of conceptualism. On the contrary: it is important to acknowledge that Marioni has always been challenging the boundaries of art and its conservativism for over fourty years with clear criticism and humor concerning the dynamics of art institutions and any kind of „-ism“.
This criticallity can be seen in his multifacetted works which will be on display at Kunstsaele, but as well in the fact that also his identity defies categorization: apart from being an artist, Marioni has been a museums director, writer, or curator, since he founded the Museum of Conceptual Art, San Francisco in 1970. And it is fair to say that through the decades, Marioni has continued to, in his words, “observe real life and report on it poetically”, resulting in a body of work comprised of drawings, prints, actions, and writings that articulate his desire to unite people and ideas.
For his Berlin exhibition at Kunstsaele, Tom Marioni will present some of his key works e.g. one of his most prominent artworks "The Act of Drinking Beer with Friends is the Highest Form of Art". This installation, that includes a bar and seating on location, will be combined with a selection of drawings video and ephemera, including some site-specific wall drawings made for the occasion of the exhibition.

Image: Tom Marioni, One Second Sculpture, 1969