Warhol, Newman, Wool “Barney is now at another party.“ When exhibitions show artistic developments in a larger context, it is a good thing for every visitor. Such an exhibition can be seen at the moment at Kunsthaus Graz. Under the curatorial direction of Peter Pakesch, the exhibition “Warhol, Wool, Newman” bridges the gap between abstract American expressionism, minimal and pop art, and some of the art of our time. This podcast was realised with the kind support of UNIQUA ArtCercles.

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Abstract American expressionism brought a new image and understanding of space into the world of art. The viewer played a central role here, because the work was no longer possible without his/her presence. In Barnett Newman’s work, this becomes noticeably clear. It positions the viewer as the counterpart and participant in the space of the image and confronts him/her with a physical reality.

Andy Warhol built upon Newman’s understanding of space, according to the director of the Kunsthaus Graz, Peter Pakesch. Pop art – when Warhol is considered to be its most important representative – is, to that extent, not a reaction to American abstract expressionism, but rather, the logical extension of a continuous development. Peter Pakesch has been following this theory for a long time. After a ten-year preparation period, he can now publicly confirm this theory on the basis of original works.

Like Newman, Warhol also plays with the perception of space and time. Through his silkscreen images, which often use newspaper images as source material, he demonstrates that it is pointless to look for references that correspond to reality. There is no independent reality behind these pictures.

He tries to dispel the meaning out of the pictures and thereby produce a counterbalance to mass-media reporting, “Because the more you look at the same exact thing, the more the meaning goes away, and the better and emptier you feel.“

By contrast, in his films, Warhol tries to set the illusion machinery of Hollywood against disillusionism by bringing the films back into the physical. He slows them down, plays with time, and thereby creates a new space of perception for the viewer. Christopher Wool also works in this context. For him, original painting no longer exists. The prototypes are stamped, the writings are painted along with the template. The motif is endlessly repeated. It is exactly through this repetition of the same that identity develops, and this connects Wool with Warhol.

In the word paintings of the New York-based painter and photographer Wool, condensed slogans and shortened messages from the present media world are featured. There often exists a gap thereby between the signs and the original “SENSEISNOLONGERTOBEMADE”. The randomly placed empty spaces obscure meaning and put perceived reality into question. It produces a disturbance and represents an alternative world to the determined everyday life of the media. (jk/jn)

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