20/3/2003
Louise Lawler
Portikus, Frankfurt
In her installation at Portikus called 'Probably not in the show', Louise Lawler will show a series of new photographs, all taken in various art institutions during the dismantling of exhibitions, for example when last year's Gerhard Richter retrospective was taken down in New York's Museum of Modern Art. Through her documentary view of art history, Lawler also succeeds in making a subtle reference to Portikus' exhibition history.
PROBABLY NOT IN THE SHOW
Louise Lawler's photographs show artworks in their environment: as objects in
exhibitions, in private or public collections, at auctions, in store-rooms,
archives, or galleries. Lawler selects her motifs in such a way that numerous
details become visible. In some cases it's the specific arrangement within an
exhibition space or the home of a collector, in others it's a particular view of
the wall on which the picture is hanging, the frame, or the title plate.
Completed artworks of other artists are at the centre of Lawler's works. She is,
however, less interested in the original process of creating a work of art than
in the context lying beyond the artist's sphere of influence and in which the
work is subsequently situated. In viewing Lawler's photographs, it also becomes
clear, often in an ironic way, to what extent the meaning of art is shifted on
account of the specific surroundings in which it is displayed and perceived.
With her critical questioning of the concept of an artwork, as well as of the
institutional presentation of art and representation through art, Louise Lawler,
since the beginning of the 1980s, counts as one of the most significant
representatives of American concept art.
In her installation at Portikus called "PROBABLY NOT IN THE SHOW", Louise Lawler
will show a series of new photographs, all taken in various art institutions
during the dismantling of exhibitions, for example when last year's Gerhard
Richter retrospective was taken down in New York's Museum of Modern Art. Through
her documentary view of art history, Lawler also succeeds in making a subtle
reference to Portikus' exhibition history. It was precisely Gerhard Richter who,
in 1989, caused quite a stir with the presentation of his cycle "18. Oktober
1977" at Portikus. With the motif of dismantling an exhibition, Louise Lawler
anticipates the upcoming move of Portikus. Her exhibit at Portikus will be
augmented by a series of posters in public space - Portikus as an institution
will also shift its exhibition activities to various sites in the city until its
new venue is completed.
Louise Lawler (born in 1947) lives and works in New York.
Exhibition opening on Friday, March 21, 2003, at 8:00 p.m.
In the image: 'it could be elvis' 1994, 29 1/4" x 35", cibachrome, ed 1/5
Invitation to a conversation with the press on Friday, March 21, 2003, at 11:00
a.m.
The artist will be present.
The exhibition is supported by Bloomberg
Portikus
Schoene Aussicht 2 D-60311
Frankfurt