Joseph Kosuth
dal 8/9/2011 al 30/9/2011
Segnalato da
8/9/2011
Joseph Kosuth
Monika Spruth Philomene Magers London, London
'The Mind's Image of Itself' is an allegorical re-tracing of the defining elements that make up both the physical context of the exhibition itself (its walls, doors and windows) while simultaneously presenting the various meanings that the space, as an architectural object and a social/culture interface in play, reflects. A reflection on the architecture of the gallery space and of a suggested architecture of the mind.
Sprüth Magers London is delighted to present a site-specific project by internationally acclaimed Conceptual artist Joseph
Kosuth entitled ' 'The Mind’s Image of Itself #3’ a play of architecture and the mind '.
The work is part of a series which was first conceived for an exhibition at the Palazzo Bembo, presented at this year’s 54th Venice Biennale, followed by an artist project which will feature in Frieze Magazine’s 20th Anniversary Issue this September.
'The Mind’s Image of Itself' is both a reflection on the architecture of the gallery space and of a suggested architecture of
the mind. The installation is composed of an off register, a 1:1 wallpapered line drawing facsimile of the gallery rooms
themselves; an architectural plan of the exhibition space visible only due to its off-centre positioning.
Kosuth re-frames a structure that literally replicates and shifts the existing morphology of the once Georgian and Victorian architecture of the London gallery. The mind’s ‘image of itself’ is a reflection within itself, an allegorical re-tracing of the defining elements that make up both the physical context of the exhibition itself (its walls, doors and windows) while simultaneously
presenting the various meanings that the space, as an architectural object and a social/culture interface in play, reflects.
These aspects are articulated by the insertion of a fragmented intellectual discourse made up of more than 150
meticulously selected quotes by diverse thinkers from a variety of sources put in play as wall texts throughout this double
architectural setting. The artist pairs the image of an architectural grammar with that of a multitude of voices and
associations constructing an interior contemplative space where readers, as visitors, enter and dwell in the architecture of a
house of ideas.
Often referred to as ‘the father of Conceptual art’ with works such as One and Three Chairs, Joseph Kosuth is credited
with initiating appropriation strategies, language based works and the use of photography in the 1960’s. His work and
writings consistently explore the production and role of language and meaning within art.
This over forty year inquiry into the relation of language to art has taken the form of installations, museum exhibitions, public commissions and publications throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia, including numerous documentas and Venice Biennales.
His work is in most museum collections in the United States, Europe, Australia and Asia. Awards include the Brandeis Award,
1990, the Frederick Weisman Award, 1991, the Venice Biennale Menzione d'Onore, 1993, and the Chevalier de l'ordre
des Arts et des Lettres from the French government in 1993. Kosuth was awarded a Cassandra Foundation Grant in 1968,
at the age of 23, as the choice of Marcel Duchamp one week before he died. In 1999, in honour of his work, the French
government issued a 3.00-franc postage stamp in Figeac. In 2001, he received the Laurea Honoris Causa doctorate in
Philosophy and Letters from the University of Bologna. In 2003, Kosuth was awarded the Austrian Republic’s highest
honour for accomplishments in science and culture, the Decoration of Honour in Gold. In 2009, Kosuth’s exhibition
entitled ‘ni apparence ni illusion’, an installation work throughout the 12th century walls of the Louvre Palace, opened at
the Musée du Louvre in Paris and will become a permanent work in October 2012. His work on the façade of the Council
of State of the Netherlands will be inaugurated in October this year and he is currently working on a permanent work for
the four towers of the façade of the Biblioteque Nationale in Paris, expected to be completed in 2012.
Recent exhibitions include 'Texts for Nothing (Waiting for )' Samuel Beckett, in play, in connection with ‘A History of
Installations, 1965-2011’ at the Haus Konstruktiv in Zurich (26 May - 1 August 2011) and 'Samuel Beckett, in play' at
Sean Kelly Gallery in New York (30 March - 30 April 2011).
Image: Joseph Kosuth, Self-defined object [green], 1966, Green neon mounted directly on the wall, Wittgenstein series
Opening: Fri, Sept 09 2011, 6-8pm
Sprüth Magers London
7A Grafton Street - London
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 6pm
Free Admission