BONN.- The early 1960s were crucial for the development of TV into the first visual mass medium while at the same time they were the prelude of the artistic and theoretical discussion of television, before video art even existed. The “TV tube” was dealt with as a sculptural object (Günther Uecker, César), the TV picture was manipulated and deconstructed (Nam June Paik, Wolf Vostell) and served as a picture generator for drawings, paintings and graphic prints (K.O. Götz, Lawrence Weiner, Paul Thek, Andy Warhol) or as a motive for photography and film (Lee Friedlander, Bruce Conner, Dennis Hopper).

Based on TV’s years of birth 1963/64, the exhibition builds a bridge to the present. The split-up of the once monolithic medium is reflected in painting, drawing, installation, photography and video art as the cross-genre discussion of the “televisual.”

The exhibition spaces divided according to several different topics are dedicated to the analysis, parody and subversion of TV formats: the emotional abyss of talk shows (Christoph Schlingensief, Bjørn Melhus), the danger of addiction to TV-series (Mel Chin, Melanie Gilligan, Julian Rosefeldt), and the flood of information on news channels (Christoph Draeger/Reynold Reynolds, Christian Jankowski, Mischa Kuball, M + M, Ulrich Polster). Another focus will be laid on the construction of studio sets (Thomas Demand, Michel François, Caroline Hake) and the parading on victims on TV (Yvon Chabrowski, Stefan Hurtig).

List of artists: Tauba Auerbach, Christiane Baumgartner, Joe Biel, Angela Bulloch, John Cage, César, Yvon Chabrowski, Mel Chin & The GALA Committee, Bruce Conner, Thomas Demand, Simon Denny, Christoph Draeger/Reynold Reynolds, Harun Farocki, Michel François, Karl Gerstner, Melanie Gilligan, Matthias Groebel, Lee Friedlander, K.O. Götz, Caroline Hake, Vania Heymann, Dennis Hopper, Stefan Hurtig, Isidore Isou, Christian Jankowski, Mischa Kuball, Fabio Mauri, M+M, Bjǿrn Melhus, Bea Meyer, Nam June Paik, Ulrich Polster, Tobias Rehberger, Edgar Reitz, Robert Sakrowski, Christoph Schlingensief, Julian Rosefeldt, Paul Thek, Günther Uecker, Angel Vergara, Wolf Vostell, Andy Warhol, Lawrence Weiner, Tom Wesselmann, Joseph Zehrer, Van Gogh TV

After its presentation in Bonn, the exhibition will be on Display at Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein (19/2/–16/5/2016)

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue available from Hirmer publishers at a prize of 35 euros with essays by Stephan Berg, Ina Blom, Dieter Daniels, Umberto Eco, Ursula Frohne/Christian Katti, Marc Ries and Sarah Waldschmitt.