PARKETT vol. 77
Trisha Donnelly, Carsten Höller, and Rudolf Stingel
www.parkettart.com
Parketts unparalleled explorations and investigations of important international contemporary artists by acclaimed writers and critics continue in vol. 77, featuring Trisha Donnelly, Carsten Höller, and Rudolf Stingel.
At a recent opening, Trisha Donnelly led a small crowd of spectators around the corner to another gallery where she reportedly fired off a cannon to, in her own words, start time again a surprise gesture, witnessed by only a few, designed to spread like folklore. But Donnelly also produces discrete works meant to be seen, not just gossiped about. Her videos, sound pieces, photographs, and pencil drawings possess a cunning precision, a blend of whimsy and restraint. And with preternatural gamesmanship, Donnelly demands much intellectual rigor form her viewers. Texts by Laura Hoptman, Bruce Hainley, and Beatrix Ruf explore Donnellys work form disparate perspectives.
By disabling our common sense, Carsten Höller aims to undermine our views of the world. Chantal Mouffe asks, Can artistic practices still play a critical role in advanced industrial societies? Of all artists working today, Höller seems intent on asking, if not affirmatively answering, this question, for prior to becoming an artist, he was a scientist (specializing in insect communication). Many of Höllers works literally function as laboratory experiments: optical devices, flying machines, flashing lights, happiness pillsall jury rigged crack-pot inventions of one kind or another. Höller, according to Jennifer Allen in the pages of this issue, creates body invaders that latch onto the users senses. Vol. 77 features texts on Höller written by Jessica Morgan, Jennifer Allen, and Chantal Mouffe.
In Rudolf Stingels latest photo-realistic self-portraits (painted in black and white and in oil), Cay Sophie Rabinowitz observes a man pondering, Who am Iafter all that I have produced and at this stage in my life? In these somber tonal meditations, clearly a break from the artists past works, the only activity, as Stingel humbly confesses, is self-doubt. On a different track, writer Francesco Bonami focuses on Stingels serial, silver, genericseeming paintings, which he strategically considers in relation to an earlier corresponding how-to manual. Stingel, so Bonami beautifully asserts, understands the true nature of the idea of a cottage painting: the ambush of aura over the artificiality of the picturesque. Francesco Bonami, Jörg Heiser, and Cay Sophie Rabinowitz have each contributed articles on Stingels diverse repertoire for vol. 77.
In addition: Christian Rattemeyer writes on Christopher Williams; Claudia Spinelli on Erik Steinbrecher; Christoph Bignens on Zurichs famous night club from the 30s, Corso-Dancing; Sergio Risaliti writes on Grazia Toderi; Caoimhín Mac Giolla Léith on Gerard Byrne; plus US and Europe Cumulus texts by Ali Subotnick and Tirdad Zolghadr. The Insert for vol.77 was done by Beth Coleman and Howard Goldkrand; the spine, by Joo Jeong-A.
For more details on the new Parkett, its content and artist editions, as well as for subscriptions and back issues, please go to www.parkettart.com . The three new artists editions by Trisha Donnelly, Carsten Höller, and Rudolf Stingel are also presented online.
