Kunstverein München exhibits opens an exhibition of works by Andrea Büttner
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, November 22, 2024


Kunstverein München exhibits opens an exhibition of works by Andrea Büttner
Minerva, 2011. Video, sound, 5:40 min, Loop; Courtesy the artist; Hollybush Gardens, London; David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles; Galerie Tschudi, Zuoz. © Andrea Büttner / VG Bild- Kunst, Bonn 2019.



MUNICH.- Andrea Büttner’s new double-channel video leads with the question: what is so terrible about craft? Depending on the intonation and disposition of the reader, the assumption of Büttner’s title is that either craft is already terrible (in fact, ‘so terrible’), or that the title is actually a rhetorical question that seeks to vindicate craft from its supposed terror. But in both cases, the relationship between craft and terribleness is established before the video even begins.

Büttner’s practice has long been preoccupied with the culturally intertwined histories of aesthetics and quality. Her glass painting, woodcuts, and unfired clay sculptures have been described as both borrowing and critiquing the humble, the unfashionable, and the traditional aspects of craft methods. Her videos meanwhile grapple with craft’s historical associations with spiritualism. Büttner, however, is sceptical of craft’s modesty. Indeed, What is so terrible about craft? / Die Produkte der menschlichen Hand seeks to expose the thin veneer of politeness and acceptability that craft mobilizes as a front for its materialist capacities.

Craft is a political issue. From reactionary political movements’ swing towards the regional or ‘the local’ as a solution to societal discontent (namely, the Arts and Crafts movement’s attempt to reform the social and economic lives of people in opposition to industrial and modern capitalism), to the post-WW2 deployment of craft as a collective experience that might heal the trauma of war, craft and its histories are inseparable from the construction of national identities. To critique craft, is thus also to critique nationalism.

Following the two-part title, the video presents parallel documentation of two German interiors. Following the opening question, What is so terrible about craft?, on the lefthand screen is a church; and after the alternative title, Die Produkte der menschlichen Hand, which serves as a counterpart and an acerbic answer to the latter question, is a high-end department store replete with its luxury wares. Both viewpoints track numerous objects in respective places, finding equivalences, patterns and interchangeable human interactions between spiritual site and commercial hub. Witty juxtapositions gradually build up to devastating algorithmic comparisons. But these two spaces are bound together not simply by dint of residing in the same city of Cologne.

They are also united by the video’s lone voice: a nun who’s spiritual and occupational labor was, until recently, divided between both of these environments. The nun describes her calling, employment, and desires. And although the camera captures a group of nuns at prayer, the narrator nonetheless maintains a shadowy presence throughout. Another figure is also captured at the edges of this video; the specter of Karl Marx hangs not simply in the German title – a direct quotation from the philosopher – but also the way in which it is a substitute name for the department store itself: Manufactum.

The traditions of craft have been infused with models of life and ways of being. What is so terrible about craft? / Die Produkte der menschlichen Hand begins with one question while asking another: who do these models serve, and to what end? – Mason Leaver-Yap










Today's News

November 27, 2019

Police hunt suspects in spectacular Dresden jewellery heist

Lebanese businessman to give Hitler hat to Israeli foundation

One of world's first printed Christmas cards goes on display

Newly discovered portrait of Elizabeth I at Bonhams Old Master Paintings Sale

Exhibition of late nude paintings and drawings by Karel Appel on view at Galerie Max Hetzler

Gems, jewels and precious objects spanning centuries and continents come to Rago's Fine Jewelry Auction

Black art has its moment, finally

Return of the auction: Sotheby's announces second sale dedicated to Star Wars

Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac to open its first solo UK exhibition of work by VALIE EXPORT

What Josephine Baker and a Maharajah teach us about design

Getty releases a podcast series about six 20th-century women artists in their own words

Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art in Amsterdam achieves a total of $9,224,955

MAXXI opens a major retrospective of the work of Gio Ponti

Kunstverein München exhibits opens an exhibition of works by Andrea Büttner

Jessye Norman honored with a starry Met Opera memorial

Anna Bottinelli named President of Monuments Men Foundation

Native American & Spanish colonial decorative arts go up for bid at Turner Auctions & Appraisals

Christie's announces December Design Sale including rare Frank Lloyd Wright chairs

DMA receives gifts to establish new department and curatorial position dedicated to works on paper

Exquisite Tiffany lamps light up Morphy's gallery prior to Dec. 12 Fine & Decorative Arts Auction

Nye & Company's Estate Treasures Auction will feature nearly 800 lots that will be auctioned in two parts

Asian Avant-Garde artists achieve top prices at Bonhams Modern and Contemporary Art Sale in Hong Kong

Thu Van Tran's first solo exhibition with Almine Rech on view in Paris




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful