Sean Kelly is delighted to announce that Joseph Kosuth’s solo exhibition—'Texts for Nothing (Waiting for—)' Samuel Beckett, in play, in connection with ‘A History of Installations, 1965-2011’—has opened at Haus Konstruktiv in Zurich, Switzerland and will run through August 1, 2011. The exhibition is timed to coincide with Art 42 Basel and would be a convenient stop for those traveling through Zurich en route to the art fair.
This exhibition will include Kosuth’s ambitious new work, ‘Texts for Nothing (Waiting for—)’ Samuel Beckett, in play, a version of which was shown here at the gallery in April. The installation incorporates two of Beckett’s writings, one quintessentially associated with the author—Waiting for Godot—and the other much lesser known Texts for Nothing. Excerpted texts from these two sources are presented in face-dipped warm white neon in a dramatically darkened room along with a black and white reproduction of the Caspar David Friedrich painting Two Men Contemplating the Moon, an oft-cited source of inspiration for Beckett’s Waiting For Godot. Kosuth’s work shares a significant concern with Beckett: both practices manifest a parallel concern with meaning. Beckett approaches the question of meaning by investigating its absence, especially in those locations where we would most hope to find it, while Kosuth approaches meaning as something undeniably present and poses questions concerned with how it is produced—by the artist and by the viewer.
Another new work realized for the exhibition in Zurich belongs to the series entitled ‘Text/Context’, in which Kosuth refers to the language of advertising. In this work, text passages (translated into three languages) will be presented in two contexts. On the street, the texts are presented as anonymous billboard ads in public locations throughout Zurich. The same poster seen on the billboards is then presented at Haus Konstruktiv as part of the exhibition.
The exhibition also includes several historic works, including the dramatic ‘Passagen-Werk’, which will be on view for the first time since its original installation at Documenta IX in 1992 at the Neue Galerie. For the iteration at Haus Konstruktiv, black cloths, screen-printed with quotes relevant to the new exhibition, will hang over works from the museum’s permanent collection.
Generous financial support for the exhibition was provided by the following: the Art Progressive Foundation; ewz, Zurich; Michael and Ellen Ringier, Küsnacht; Ernst Schweizer AG, Metallbau (project donor) and various private sponsors.
For more information about 'Texts for Nothing (Waiting for—)' Samuel Beckett, in play, in connection with ‘A History of Installations, 1965-2011’, please visit the Haus Konstruktiv website at: www.hauskonstruktiv.ch. Museum hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 12pm to 6pm, Wednesday 12pm to 8pm and Saturdays and Sunday 11am to 6pm.