The Art of Not Making is the title of an acclaimed book published last year by artist/author Michael Petry, who asks; “What does a work of art have in common with a work of craft, and if a link must be found between the two, is it the same person who makes them”? The book examines one of the hottest issues in the early 2000s: idea-based art with a strong visual component in which the artist has not participated in the making of the work, leaving the production instead to specialists.
At Stockholm Art Week, Bukowskis presents an exhibition that is based on the book and features a number of significant works by such artists as Mike Kelley, Gavin Turk, Angela de la Cruz, Rebecca Scott and Haim Steinbach.
“It includes several very strong works by some of the most significant and talked-about artists from the past few decades. Some of the works have never been shown in Sweden before, and during the Art Week they are displayed in our most beautiful rooms, those facing Berzelii Park,” says Ebba Bozorgnia from Private Sales at Bukowskis.
The exhibition is produced in collaboration with the book’s author, Michael Petry, curator Roberto Ekholm and former gallerist Jonas Kleerup. Artists include: Fiona Banner, Per Barclay, Guðrún Benónýsdóttir, Angela de la Cruz, Roberto Ekholm, Carlos Noronha Feio, Mark Hampson, Joseph Havel, Mike Kelley, Liliane Lijn, Michael Petry, Rebecca Scott, Meekyoung Shin, David Shrigley, Haim Steinbach, Gavin Turk, Jan Vercruysse, Richard Wilson and Dan Wolgers.
“I was invited to produce an exhibition based on the book and featuring these great works of art, and I think Bukowskis is the ideal location for it. They had the means to seize the opportunity, and the show will be an exciting and impressive stop on the way to Market at Djurgården.”
The Art of Not Making is a Primary Sale: all works will be on sale at a fixed price, just as at Bukowskis Market.
Short presentation of participating artists (list to be extended later):
Mike Kelley (USA, 1954-2012)
Mike Kelley’s career was one of the greatest of its time and came to an end all too soon. His thematic revolves around human vulnerability and loneliness. Kelley worked often with found objects, stuffed toy animals in particular. During the last years of his life, Kelley distanced himself even more from actual production and had sophisticated installations of art glass made for him. Kelley is also known for his many collaborations with other artists, such as Paul McCarthy. Featured in the exhibition is his work Bowling Ball, Bag, shirt and catalogue (1991).
Gavin Turk (born 1967) is usually reckoned a member of the unofficial group known as Young British Artists. He featured in the legendary exhibition Sensation curated by Charles Saatchi in 1997. Turk’s work revolves around the issues of authenticity and identity. The myth of the artist as a lone genius is also one of his subjects. Turk has created many works in cast bronze that fool the eye into believing that they are real objects: an empty roll of toilet paper, a sleeping bag, a burnt match.
Angela de la Cruz (b. 1965, Spain/UK). Just like many of the other artists featured in the show, de la Cruz too studied at the famous Slade and Goldsmith art schools. Her brilliant career was interrupted abruptly by dramatic childbirth in 2005, when she went into a prolonged coma. When she came to, she had lost her ability to move, but resumed her career in art nevertheless. She is now entirely dependent on assistants who turn her ideas into works of art. In 2010, de la Cruz was nominated for one of the greatest art prizes in the world, the Turner Prize. The work by her featured in the exhibition is Growth 5 (Mud 2), a kind of minimalist object that seems to contain organic life.
Rebecca Scott (b. 1960, UK) presents a work entitled Imperial size blanket for the Developing Countries from 1992, an installation consisting of hospital beds with a crocheted bedspread that extends across three beds. The bedspread was made by a group of craftswomen from Scotland who usually sell their work through craft shops. The blanket was originally made for an exhibition in a hospital that had previously treated sailors for tropical diseases and sexually transmitted diseases. The knitted pattern alludes to the latter.
Haim Steinbach (b. 1944 in Israel, lives and works in NY) began focusing already in the 1970s on ways to distance everyday objects and mass production. He undermines their identity and significance through his choice of material and design, giving rise to new meanings, psychological as well as ritual. A pioneer of postmodern sculpture whose fundamental influences include Schwitters, Duchamp as well as Malevich, Steinbach was one of the artists featured in the extensive surrealist exhibition at Centre Pompidou last year.
Dan Wolgers (b. 1955, lives and works in Stockholm). In 1991, the art scene in Sweden was more or less untouched by postmodernism. Curated by Lars Nittve, the exhibition entitled Implosion that introduced international contemporary art trends at Moderna Museet was not sufficient to prepare the audience for Dan Wolgers’s exhibition at Galleri Lars Bohman. Wolgers had commissioned an advertising agency to create the entire show in his name from scratch. The exhibition has gone in history as the Rififi coup.
The Art of Not Making – Bukowskis at Stockholm Art Week
The exhibition will be on show 4 – 6 April from 12 noon – 6 pm, Berzelii Park 1 in Stockholm. Free admission. Private View 3 April from 5 – 8 pm
Petry has said, ‘Nature dies, flowers die, we die, we can escape morality but mortality always brings with it the floral bouquet. There is no escape from the hands of the florist.’
This print published by Artlyst and the artist Michael Petry coincides with the launch of the artist’s latest book Nature Morte, published by Thames & Hudson. The book is also be available for sale on Artlyst through recommended books on Amazon.
Michael Petry Red Roses Medium: Limited Edition Print
Paper Size: 40 x 40 cm Medium: Lenticular print Edition of 100
Printed by: Imago Publishing Ltd Price: £330 inc VAT.