Richard Artschwager
No Exit, 2009

Artist
Richard Artschwager

Title
No Exit

Year of creation
2009

Technique and dimensions
Lacquer and latex on glass, 36 ball lamps, Ø 35 cm each, dimensions various

Year of acquisition
2010

Acquisition of the foundation

The works of the American artist Richard Artschwager defy common art historical categories. Since the 1960s, objects, sculptures and pictures have been created that move between the genres of fine art and design and play with visual perception as objective, useful objects. At first glance, reduced cubic objects are reminiscent of pieces of furniture; However, their sculptural autonomy is retained through conscious modifications. The works do not depict elements of the real world, but rather evoke the idea of ​​an object, such as a chair, a table or a chest of drawers. The reduced formal language and the relationship between object and space indicate Artschwager's engagement with Minimal Art. Many of his works are also characterized by a special material and surface character. The painterly surface of sculptures as well as images transformed into three dimensions appear in perception either as an image or as an object. All of Artschwager's works have one thing in common: they reflect the institutional context in which they are exhibited. In this they are closely related to Marcel Duchamp's readymades.

With the installation “No Exit” (2009), Artschwager created a site-specific work that was realized in the long connecting corridor in the Rieckhallen of the Hamburg train station. The existing lighting was replaced by ball lamps with the inscription “Exit”, as you would otherwise find at the emergency exits of public buildings. Although the lettering indicates the transition to the central hall of the museum, the reference character of this sign is lost due to the long row of lamps in the aligned corridor. With his work, Artschwager sets a strong, expansive accent in the exhibition halls.