Artist as Activist

“The sources of art are not to be found in art, rather art sources live outside the realm of art… by using the artistic means and methods at which I’m adept, I can expose and express my individual perception, my shock, my standpoint. The artwork is a syphon for shock, a code for compassion, for existence, for a rebellious stance in life. It excites me, it ignites me.”

December 14, 2012—March 17, 2013Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

Material Becomes PictureUecker.

Getting the Lay of the Land

The title of the exhibition, Uecker. Material Becomes Picture emphasizes Uecker’s return to certain materials over and over again throughout his career.

To get an overview of the materials Uecker prefers, walk around the exhibition and take a look at the pieces on display.

The materials become images, images imbedded with his message. Which of his compositions make a statement about

What’s your immediate reaction to Uecker’s choices?

aggressiontranquilityactive involvementpaininfinite time

Why Nails?

Uecker’s use of nails originates from an experience he had as a teenager. He grew up in Northern Germany on the Wustrow Peninsula which served as a place for German defence planes to be tested. During WWII, all the men had to leave the peninsula to go to the front and only the women were left behind. When the Russian soldiers invaded, it was he who had to nail boards up over the windows to secure his home.

Many people wonder why he has used nails in so many of his works. Uecker says that in some cases, the nails are an extension of his fingers, in other instances they allow a two-dimensional surface to become a three-dimensional object. Art historian Alexander Tolnay writes, “The energy used to hammer the nails corresponded to his inclination to get involved physically in producing art and to make his own physical effort visible in the work.” Furthermore, Uecker simply uses them as a tool, a consciously chosen material which allows him to express his ideas and feelings about our way of life.

Two Dimensions Become Three

In the 1950s Uecker and other artists wanted to transform the two-dimensional surface of the canvas into a three-dimensional one. When speaking about his initial work he says,

“I was curious how my actions could create something that casts a shadow on paper, on a surface. In the beginning, I used a metal comb to draw furrows into the paint. These identical structures were created alongside each other, using needles and brushes made of iron to carve into the paint.”

Later he substituted the metal comb for a nail, which became his preferred design element. Circle Circles and Interferences are two pieces in a series using this technique.

These works also include an element of kinetic art as what we see changes depending on how close we are or whether we walk around the pieces or stand still.

They bought everything that wasn’t nailed down.

In the 1950s, Uecker also used nails to comment on the tendency of the middle-class to acquire everyday objects, usually status symbols, such as pianos, televisions and household appliances. The nails function as elements to form space, allowing Ueckerto not only comment on materialism, but also giving the objectsa new purpose, transforming them into objects of art.

Art and Everyday LifeDo you find these works funny or serious? Ridiculous or thought provoking? Is the mood light or heavy? Ironicor straightforward? How would you describe them?

Why White?

On Bedside Table the paint enhances the interplay between light and shadow. For Uecker, however, white also holds a much deeper meaning as the visualization of emptiness.

He explored the philosophical implications of white in his work. He painted his whole studio white, even the floor. Since he kept this space inaccessible to outsiders, he became completely absorbed in it, which gave him a sense of security. Later, in 1972, he reproduced this in a performance where at the end, he painted himself white as well*. Becoming a “white person,” however, has no connection with ethnicity. Rather it refers to an individual, who, after gaining experience in the working world, in the world of consumerism, becomes and “empty person.”

*A recording of this performance can be seen in the exhibition.

Why Circles?

When asked what do circle, cycle and circular motion symbolize, Uecker replied,

“The finitude of our existence. We are reluctant to accept the rules of Creation, therefore we are finite. And so the act of walking along a circle may help us transcend our finite existence and perhaps step into another time. However, not as the result of a deliberate action, but by experiencing the spatial-temporal aspect of this circular motion. This experience can convey something that exists beyond finitude.”

Why ZERO?In the 1960s Uecker joined the ZERO group. His connection with them influence pieces he made for several years. After the oppressive experiences of wartime and in distinguishing themselves from gestural painting (in which paint is spontaneously dribbled, splashed or smeared onto the canvas instead of being carefully applied,) the ZERO group consciously dealt with a pictorial language suffused with light. Pure colour or light as an illustration of cosmic powers became a synonym for the liberation of the individual. A third factor prompted experiments with new materials which included new technological achievements of the day. Light and movement became the central point of their art.

Why Ash?

Uecker felt impelled to create these two pictures a few months after the nuclear power plant exploded in Chernobyl, spewing ash into the air before the wind carried it away.

Take a Closer LookUecker explains that when making these two pieces,

“I lay on my back on the canvas and with the help of ash mixed with glue as if in an epileptic seizure I gave code like expression to the unspeakable which is also unthinkable. I thought this is the only option at the point where language fails –that is the point where the picture begins.”

What memories do you have of this disaster?

Did you feel motivated to do something after it

happened? How has this tragedy changed your

thinking?

How important are his choice of materials

and the fact that they are life-sized?

Does one of the pictures seem more connected

to the Chernobyl disaster?

Why Knives?

Uecker’s interest in nature inspired him to travel all over the world. In 1985, he spent time on a Native American reservation in Arizona.

The three works entitled Black Mesa refer to a mountain rich in uranium. Native Americans identify this as a sacred place, feeling that it represents the power of the gods. Nevertheless, the U.S. government wanted to mine it, robbing the Indian community of its spiritual identity.

Easily Hurt and Needing ProtectionUecker uses knives and sometimes nails to show the vulnerability of people and nature. The bowl of water and the rock in the middle of these installations represent the natural resources needing protection.

How does their construction reflect

the vulnerability of nature?

How stable or fragile does the construction of these

objects appear?

Uecker originally created Black Rain for an exhibition in China. The splotches on these five long sheets of paper suggest a written message and refer to radio active rain. Uecker wanted to make a statement about the amount of goods produced in China and the enormous amount of abhorrent pollution emitted by the factories that manufacture them.

Ink and PaperHe also wanted to share his admiration for China’s rich cultural history as writing and drawing with ink on paper was practiced by the ancient Chinese.

Art without EndWhile this is the last work displayed in the exhibition, the end of the paper is nowhere in sight.

Why Writing?

Why do you think Uecker purposely decided not to

show it to us?

Your Art is your Message

Exhibitions don’t have to end when we leave to go home. Maybe you’ve been inspired to create a piece of art about important things that happen to you.

Experiment with all sorts of materials,

shapes and sizes.

Feel free to express yourself, even if others do not immediately

understand. Just tell them your story.

Works of Art and Archive Photographs (details)

On the coverGünther Uecker holding a giant nail in the street. Baden-Baden, 1968

Page 2-3Interferences, 1980. Nails and oil paint on wood

Page 4Circle Circles, 1985. Nails, graphite, and canvas on wood

Page 5Malzeit, 1963. Nails, oil paint, porcelain on wood

Page 6Excerpt from the film Black Room – White Room, 1972. 39 min 34 sec

Page 7Walking in a Circle, 1974 –1975. White latex on canvas

Page 8Ash Man, 1986. Ash, glue, graphite on canvasAsh Man, 1986. Ash, glue, graphite on canvas

Page 9Black Mesa. Hanging Lake, 1985. Various materials, wood, metal, textile, rope

Page 10Black Rain, 2006. India ink on paper

Page 11Günther Uecker working in his studio

Photography: Baschang & Herrmann, München; Philipp Schönborn, München; Nic Tenwiggenhorn, DüsseldorfArchive Photographs: Uecker Photo-Archive, DüsseldorfWritten by Litza JuhaszDesign by David Remsey, Ágnes MegyeriProof-reading: Eszter SzászPublished by Dr. László Baán

Special thanks to Kinga Bódi, the co-curator of the exhibition