Lawrence Weiner
Solo Exhibition
Hamburg Artforum
Stalke Galleri /Collaboration with Rothenborg Art consult
October 1989
Reviews
Three lines on a wall
The art fair in Hamburg was a success for the three Danish galleries that participated.
100 galleries, 100 artists. That was the offering at the recently concluded international art fair in Hamburg. Among the hundred stands were three Danish ones, namely galleries Asbæk, Faurschou, and Stalke—Malmö Kunsthall was also specially invited, presenting works by two significant Danish artists, Bjørn Nørgaard and Mogens Møller.
The three Danish galleries had chosen vastly different approaches to profile themselves. Most notably, Stalke Gallery, in collaboration with Joachim Rothenborg Art Consult, presented Lawrence Wiener. Wiener is considered one of the founding fathers of conceptual art. The exhibited works, in their striking simplicity of letraset text stuck on the wall along with some drawings, were impressive enough. Stalke had great success—text on the wall sold for as much as 30,000 dollars when it's Lawrence Wiener, the author. However, the gallery also gained economically by showcasing Wiener—plus several international and prestigious contacts. That economics are tied to art is evident, as the gallery sold pieces totaling nearly 100,000 DKK.
Galerie Asbæk chose to present painter Poul Anker Bech, who just had his exhibition debut at Nikolaj in Copenhagen—and Galerie Faurschou, formerly Tiro, had a secure success with its presentation of 23-year-old Balder Olrik's romantic landscapes and portraits.
Otherwise, the main trend at the fair was the new conceptual art's use of ready-mades. For example, industrially manufactured items like wooden objects were redefined as artworks by their mere placement in a gallery. This genre was emphasized by the French artist Cofone, who attracted attention with exhibited vacuum cleaners and cabinets. Among other interesting pieces at the exhibition were works by Norbert Tadeusz, Dieter Rot, Stefan Karlsson, Les Levine, Fred Sandback, and Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd.
By Torben Weirup
Balder Olrik to exhibit at the art fair in Hamburg
Art in Forum
Three Danish galleries are participating in the art fair "Forum," which opens today in Hamburg in the city's special exhibition hall. Galleri Asbæk is represented by the surrealist painter Poul Anker Bech. Galleri Faurschou—a new gallery on St. Strandstræde 21 in Copenhagen—focuses on the neo-expressionist painter Balder Olrik, while Stalke Galleri on Vesterbrogade has chosen an American conceptual artist, Lawrence Weiner, whom the gallery has previously showcased in its exhibitions.
The art fair runs only until September 18, so one must hurry if one wants to observe the sales efforts of the three Danish galleries at this large West German art market. Of the 15 countries participating, the host country, Italy, France, and Sweden dominate, while our Swedish neighbors have managed to bring eight galleries to the fair, whereas the Norwegians, for instance, have only two.
A number of significant German artists are also featured at "Forum," including Sigmar Polke, Dieter Roth, Bernd Koberling, Norbert Tadeusz, K. R. H. Sonderborg (who, incidentally, was born in Sønderborg), as well as Wolf Vostell, who represents no fewer than two galleries—one from Cologne and one from San Francisco—leading the field.
By Peter Michael Hornung
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