Exhibited Zero or Few: Mixed Works at the Malkasten Düsseldorf Gallery
The Düsseldorf art scene is buzzing with excitement as the Malkasten Forum unveils its summer exhibition, "Where to, World? ZERO and the Present." This thought-provoking exhibition, open until September 14 at Jacobistr. 6a, invites visitors to explore the enduring impact of the groundbreaking Düsseldorf ZERO movement on contemporary art.
The concept for this exhibition was devised by Barbara Koenches, director of the Zero Foundation. It presents a fascinating fictional scenario where a future archivist of the Zero Foundation in 2050 uses an "Apporteur" to politically adapt an exhibition from 2025, offering a unique perspective on the movement's legacy and its relevance today.
The exhibition is housed in the Malkasten Forum, a new location for the Düsseldorf Art Association, situated on the edge of a park behind the historic Jacobihaus. Till Bödeker's digital room installation "Everything's computer" dominates one room, filled with monitors and a lounge, while Christian Megert's "Mirror in the Square" (2020) can be found in the Malkasten Park.
Inside the Forum, visitors will find works that embody the spirit of Zero in retrospect, such as Hal Busse's glowing painting, Paul Van Hoeydonck's "Black Planet," Jan Henderikse's "Cork Relief," and Peter Royen's "Cross in the Field." Mack's "Time of the Stars" (1963), made of Plexiglas and small lenses, is displayed in a digital room, while Günther Uecker's "Sand Mill" (1970) and Otto Piene's "Sleepwalker" (1966) share space.
Felicitas Rohden's lacquered rings ("Lofted Shell") and 3-D printed ventil-like forms ("Lofted Shell Valves") are displayed in a box with sand, adding a modern twist to the exhibition. One of the most intriguing pieces is Joscha Bender's strangely crushed version of Michelangelo's "David," created using an AI program.
The title "Where to, world?" comes from a science fiction view of British historian Reginald Charles Churchill, who imagined a retrospective look at the future year 2025 from the perspective of the year 6601. This exhibition serves as a reminder that art, like the world, is ever-evolving, constantly looking towards the future while grounded in its past.
Admission to the exhibition is 4 Euro, free for members of the Artists' Association. The exhibition is open Tuesday 5-9 pm, Thursday-Sunday 11 am-5 pm, and Wednesday is closed. Don't miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in the innovative world of ZERO art and contemplate where it—and the world—might be heading.
[1] The Düsseldorf ZERO movement, initiated by Heinz Mack, Otto Piene, and Günther Uecker in 1958, aimed to shed the ballast of the past, free the spirit, and set a new, pure art against the wild abundance of images. [4] The exhibition uses the historical and conceptual foundation of ZERO as a lens to consider where art and the world might be heading now, embodying the movement's ethos of renewal and innovation as it dialogues with the present.
The Düsseldorf ZERO movement's legacy continues to influence contemporary art, as demonstrated by the fictional future archivist's adaptation of a 2025 exhibition in the "Where to, World? ZERO and the Present" show. This home-and-garden setting, housed at the Malkasten Forum, offers a lifestyle immersion into the ZERO art movement, inviting visitors to contemplate its impact on the future.
In the exhibition, visitors can explore various works representing the Zero ethos, such as Felicitas Rohden's modernist rings and Joscha Bender's AI-created interpretation of Michelangelo's "David," showcasing the continuous evolution of art and its ongoing relationship with the past and future.
