Annegret Soltau

Peter Weibel

Galerie Anita Beckers

Braubachstraße 9, 60311 Frankfurt am Main

Phone + 49 69 739 009 67, [email protected], www.galerie-beckers.de

At ARCOmadrid 2020 Galerie Anita Beckers presents major works by ANNEGRET SOLTAU & PETER WEIBEL Annegret Soltau (*1946 Lüneburg) and Peter Weibel (*1944, Odessa / UA) from the 1960s and 1970s, including photography, video and installations, some of which have never been presented before.

The aim is to create a dialogue between the works of these exceptional artists, based on their artistic avant-garde approach during those times and their controversial political respectively feminist themes. Annegret Soltau's search and questioning of her own female identity coincided with Peter Weibel’s political actions and performances concerning the identity of individuals and society. ANNEGRET SOLTAU

Italy in Milan, Darmstadt) study ), Bonn

of to

), Bonn

City Darmstadt

Hochschule für Bildende für Bildende Hochschule Hans Thiemann, Kurt Kranz, Kurt Hans Thiemann, of

Rome the

the Foundation Hesse with by

videos of Lehmden

City

scholarship at Foundation the and Hockney Akademie der Bildenden Künste Wien Bildenden Künste Wien Akademie der

arts

state

by Anton

the awarded

the David at Rome with , in graphic Honor at Villa Massimo,

prize

Kunstfonds (Art and , Frankfurt am Main art and photography Prize Kunstfonds (Art Kunstfonds the

( Prize the Fine Arts) in Hamburg in Hamburg Fine Arts)

Fine Arts) from masterclass Prize fellowship of scholarship

Kunst im Öffentlichen Raum (Art in Public Spaces) Kunst im Öffentlichen Raum

of painting from

the the

Hess Art , Zentralkrankenhaus (Central Hospital), Bremen , Zentralkrankenhaus (Central of Performance, Performance, in Lüneburg, Germany Germany in Lüneburg, Fellowship Residence Studied 1975 Wilhelm Loth Johann-Heinrich-Merck- born Villa Massimo Fellowship Maria Sibylla Merian Winner Attended German Academic Exchange Service German Academic Marielies 1986-87 1989-90 1998 2000 2011 2016 (Vienna Academy (Vienna Academy 1973 since 1982 1984 1986 competition 1946 1967-72 (University Künste Alan Jones Rudolf Hausner, 1972 Annegret Soltau is a pioneer in the field of feminist art and Body Art, however, her works still generate controversy today. Again and again her artworks are considered offensive, are censored or pulled from exhibitions. In the digital age where the internet offers an anyonymous platform to users, such concrete and physical images seem disconcerting. Today, her work boasts an unbroken authenticity.

In her work, Soltau draws her I. However, she does not need pencil and paper for this. Instead she needs a camera, a thread and her body. For over 40 years, the artist has occupied herself with her physical and mental identity. In doing so, she utilizes her environment, her family and children over and over in her work. ANNEGRET SOLTAU

SELF ANNEGRET SOLTAU

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together and she monsters photographs her 1975. Soltau photographs works pin experience photographs However encompasses distorted The PERMANENT DEMONSTRATION ANNEGRET SOLTAU

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pieces

unique , each , 50 x 60 cm photographs

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piece

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3 of , Edition each , 53 x 68 cm callage

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for

Diagram PHOTO - ETCHINGS ANNEGRET SOLTAU

Da-gegen-gehen, 1977/2012, from a series of 13 photo etchings on baryta paper, 60 x 50 cm each, Edition of 5 + 2 AP ANNEGRET SOLTAU

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prints

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tableau Erwartung, 1980, ANNEGRET SOLTAU

ANNEGRET SOLTAU : here

ANNEGRET SOLTAU clicking by

[email protected] at us blinkvideo.com contact

on on free

please , for Video Art Art Video registration

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Soltau‘s for

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If Watch Annegret Annegret Watch https://blinkvideo.de/?scope=artists&id=114 ANNEGRET SOLTAU Contemporary Art, Vancouver 2008 Contemporary Art, Vancouver of Feminist Revolution, The Museum Feminist Revolution, The Museum the

and

Wack! Art PETER WEIBEL

education Vienna. Vienna. Professor in Linz / Art and and " and in Graz / Austria Design Helsinki in Frankfurt/M and theory Media Study, State Media Study,

Electronica Design for film in Paris film in Art Joanneum for Ars

of Media Karlsruhe / Germany Media Karlsruhe / Germany Applied Arts Vienna and

the of

and of Staedelschule Perception

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University for philosophy Design, Halifax, Canada Design, Halifax, , University director the

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1992 logic the

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for "Media College and Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum since

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Visual Media Art at "Große Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich“ "Große Ehrenzeichen für Institut für Neue Medien at Institut für Neue Medien Gesamthochschule Kassel Gesamthochschule "Käthe Kollwitz Preis" "Siemens Medienkunstpreis" "Siemens Medienkunstpreis" of at

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Hochschule für Angewandte Kunst in Vienna für Angewandte Kunst in Hochschule Awarded Awarded

Awarded Granting 1999 Awarded

Visiting born

photography

the 2005 2007 1986-95 Austria 1993-98 1993-99 1997 Since 2002 2004 1981 1979-85 for 1984-89 University 1984-2017 1989-94 1944 1960s/70s Doctoral 1976-84 at 2008 Artistic Director of the Biennial of Sevilla, Biacs3 2008 Awarded with the French Order " Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" (Order of Arts and Literature) 2009 Awarded with the "Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge-Preis uer unkonventionelle Kunstvermittlung" of Stiftung Preussische Seehandlung, the "Verdienstmedaille des Landes Baden-Wuerttemberg“ and the "Europäischer Kultur-Projektpreis" of the European Foundation for Culture 2009 Appointed as full member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts Munich and the Nordrhein-Westfälischen Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Künste Düsseldorf 2009-12 Visiting Professor at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia 2010 Awarded with the "Österreichisches Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst 1. Klasse“ 2011 Artistic Director of the Fourth Moscow Biennial of Contemporary Art 2013 Granting of an Honorary Doctorate from the University Pécs, Hungary

2013 Appointed as Active Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts PETER WEIBEL Salzburg 2014 Awarded with the "Oskar Kokoschka Prize“ 2015 Appointed as member of the Russian Academy of Arts Moscow Since 2015 Curator of the "lichtsicht 5 – Projection Biennale" in Bad Rothenfelde Since 2017 Director of the Peter Weibel Research Institute for digital Cultures at the University of Applied Arts Vienna 2017 Awarded with the "Österreichischer Kunstpreis - Medienkunst“ 2018-19 Guest professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf

Mainly recognized as an art theorist and museum director of the ZKM, Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, Peter Weibel has been creating an extensive body of art since 1964. His work looks into several themes, such as the mechanisms of perception and thought, the properties of the apparatus, the crisis of representation, of the image and the museum, the relationship between art, politics and economics and the conditions under which art operates. Specifically, one of Weibel’s most distinctive contributions was to transform language and media into fields of action, and to emphasize audience participation from an early age. This not only anticipated, but also had a deep impact on the media art of subsequential generations.

As a pioneer of political performance, his works could be said to anticipate the 21st century activism in the arts. In this sense, the nickname ‘media rebel’ is completely appropriate. What his works bring into light is a complexity of PETER WEIBEL themes, namely, technological freedom, ownership, legislative and financial rights, terrorism, revolution, the welfare state and the constitutional state. This last one perfectly illustrated by ‘Rechtsfragen’ (1970-1971), a black and white photo tableaux with provocative statements.

VISUAL POETRY

Peter Weibel started working with visual poetry in the mid 1960s, among many other artists from the Wiener Gruppe. The meaning and the power of the written text will remain crucial in Peter Weibel‘s later work. PETER WEIBEL SELF PORTRAIS FROM THE 1960s

From his series: Self portrait as..., 1967, vintage photographs and reprints, various sizes, unique pieces With his art Peter Weibel created a new theoretical context as a vote for the constructivity of individuality. The body was seen as a medium of the social and not as a biological or psychological medium of expression of the subject. In his persona-performances, which have been the first to be delineated from machines and media and not from painting (like all the other body artists, beginning with Yves Klein), he conjugated the social matrix (title of an action, 1971) of the subject. The aim was not to liberate the body, but to liberate the subject from the body in order to maximize the options of constructability. The body appeared as the prison of space and time. Weibel’s use of media suggested elevating the prison bars of space and time, to escape the prison of space and time, thus from the prison of the body. Medium based and not painting based body art and performances were his singular art practice. Therefore he was capable to turn to social agency as the kernel of the individual. His approach anticipated the future art practices – art since 2000, when media, like photography and video, became the technical carrier medium for sculpture, for the participation of the public, for PETER WEIBEL performance.

SELF ENCOUNTERS PETER WEIBEL

Beobachtung der Beobachtung: Unbestimmtheit, 1973, closed circuit video installation

Selbstbeobachtung als Selbstverdunkelung als Selbstverlust, 1974, 51,5 x 38,2 cm PETER WEIBEL paper on prints

vintage ), 1974, installation

video separated and

(I/II), 1974, Srewed (

Videologie

Torsi

Epistemische

Perspective POLITICAL PERFORMANCES PETER WEIBEL Between 1965 and 1978, in the form of performances, happenings and actions, Weibel pursued a thorough investigation on identity and the effects of art. Deeply connected to the traditions of the avant-garde, for him the process always remained more important than the documentation artefacts resulting from it. He coined the term of the “Viennese Actionism” at that time, as one of their main protagonists. Iconic of this period are also street pieces such as ‘Tap and Touch Cinema ‘ (1968) and ‘From the Portfolio of Doggedness’ (1968), created in collaboration with Valie Export. Fascinated with scientific research and technological progress from an early stage, Weibel’s purpose was always to draw out our affective responses. ‘Raum der Sprache’ (1973) humorously deals with that.

This was followed by an intense research on the relationship between subject and system, individual versus institution; making a case for individuality as a PETER WEIBEL construct, of which the series Anschläge from 1970/71 is a great example. PETER WEIBEL

pieces , Unique sizes

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vintage : Anschläge, 1970-71,

series

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From PETER WEIBEL

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, Edition sizes

various , photographs Sozialmatrix, 1971, 6 PETER WEIBEL

Peter Weibel, “Ich glaube an den Untergang der Welt“ and “Aber nicht an den Untergang des Kapitalismus“(I believe in the end of the world – but not in the end of capitalism), 1975/2003, Metal/Iron plate, 120 x 84,5 cm each, Unique pieces PETER WEIBEL

pieces 62 x 43 cm, Unique

and

, 42,8 x 61,4 prints

photographic Was will der Terrorist, 1979, Unlike other artists whose performance work derived from painting-related issues, Weibel primarily dealt with media and technology. ‘The Social Matrix’ (title of a 1971 action) intended to liberate the subject from the body instead of focusing on freeing the body. Peter Weibel’s work appropriates the technical means and processes ordinarily used in the production of mass media images, to present them under a completely different light. His work addresses the limits and paradoxes of the technological progress, the absurdities and inconsistencies that lay already within them. With humour, again and again, this analytical dimension draws attention not only to the opportunities but also to the shortcomings and inconsistencies of today’s media system.

PETER WEIBEL PETER WEIBEL

With Valie Export, Aus der Mappe der Hundigkeit, 1968-69, vintage photographic print, Unique piece With Valie Export, Tapp- und Tastkino, 1968, Performances in Vienna and Munich 1969 PETER WEIBEL Watch Peter Weibel‘s Video Art for free on blinkvideo.com by pressing here: https://blinkvideo.de/?scope=artists&id=113

If you need help for the registration, please contact us at [email protected] PETER WEIBEL Curious for more?

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Galerie Anita Beckers

Braubachstraße 9, 60311 Frankfurt am Main

Phone + 49 69 739 009 67, [email protected], www.galerie-beckers.de