Sep 9–Dec 17, 2006

John Armleder, About Nothing

About Nothing, 2005, installation view, Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania.
About

An installation of nearly 500 drawings hung wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling, this exhibition presents an expansive and experimental view of drawing itself. Selected from private collections and from the artist’s studio are works in pen and ink; watercolor; gouache; acrylic; oil; and collage on paper, as well as original books and a special edition of wallpaper created especially for the exhibition. Installed by the artist at ICA, this exhibition exists as a work in its own right: temporary and site specific.

John Armleder (b. 1948, Geneva, Switzerland; lives Geneva) is a performance artist, sculptor, and painter, whose multi-faceted activities are connected by drawing. Affiliated with Fluxus in the late 1960s and ’70s, the value of ephemerality and notion that art is the conduction of creative energy are imperative to his work. During the 1980s, his “furniture sculpture” was highly visible within the context of New Geometry or “Neo Geo.” John Armleder is widely known and respected as the co-founder of the Group Ecart, which has been endorsing the work of artists (Christian Marclay and Karen Kilminik among them) since the 1970s through its publications, exhibitions, and representation at art fairs. This is the first major exhibition of John Armleder’s work in the United States. A highly influential, established figure within the international community, Armleder’s work has been exhibited extensively throughout Europe. Although he is partially based in New York, his art and reputation are under-recognized in America.
Armleder 1Armleder 2Armleder 3Armleder 4

Books & Editions
John Armleder: About Nothing. Works on Paper 1962–2007 book cover

John Armleder, About Nothing. Works On Paper 1962–2007 presents drawings by an artist whose work offers vital formulations on the history of abstraction. Includes essays by John Armleder, Parker Williams, Beatrix Ruf, and Christopher Cherix, and acknowledgements by Claudia Gould, ICA Director.

Dimensions
7.75 x 10
ISBN
3905770261
Pages
67
Binding
Softcover
Publisher
Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania
Year
2006
$10.00
ISBN 3905770261
Publication Date
2006
Authors
Parker Williams, Beatrix Ruf, Christopher Cherix
Authors
Parker Williams, Beatrix Ruf, Christopher Cherix
Publisher
Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania
Price
$10.00
ICA acknowledges the generous support of Martin R. Lautman. We are also grateful for funding from: Pro Helvetia, Arts Council of Switzerland; Galleria Massimo De Carlo; Galerie Andrea Caratsch; Donald Taglialatella and World House Editions, Middlebury, Connecticut; and Edition Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Mehdi Chouakri and Vero Munro. Additional support has been provided by The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, The Dietrich Foundation, Inc., the Overseers Board for the Institute of Contemporary Art, friends and members of ICA, and the University of Pennsylvania. ICA is grateful for inkind promotional support from the Consulate General of Switzerland, New York, the Honorary Consul of Switzerland, Philadelphia, and Swiss Roots. We are also grateful for the inkind support of Loews Philadelphia Hotel.