KURT SCHWITTERS: MERZ AT GALERIE GMURZYNSKA ZURICH, SWITZERLAND
EXHIBITION DESIGN BY ZAHA HADID
June 12, 2016 - September 30, 2016
KURT
SCHWITTERS: MERZ AT GALERIE GMURZYNSKA ZURICH, SWITZERLAND
EXHIBITION
DESIGN BY ZAHA HADID
June
12, 2016 - September 30, 2016
Kurt
Schwitters: Merz, is a major retrospective exhibition of the artist at Galerie
Gmurzynska, bringing together a unique selection of seventy works across all
media.
Key
works of each period are presented in a fully transformed gallery space
designed by Zaha Hadid. This collaboration results from the idea of an
architectural homage by Zaha Hadid to the famous Merzbau of Kurt Schwitters.
Having successfully realised a similar project seven years ago, where Hadid
transformed Galerie Gmurzynska, Zurich into a Suprematist space in reference to
Kasimir Malevich, this collaborative project pays tribute to the second
important artistic influence on Hadid’s work – Kurt Schwitters.
Schwitters’
Merzbau has been described as a living, inhabited collage, ever-shifting and
expanding, and this was the starting point for Hadid’s exhibition design which
pushes beyond mere random collage to embrace the unpredictable richness and the
complex variegated order found in nature. Seminal paintings and sculptures by
Schwitters are married with Zaha Hadid’s works to define an evolving ecology
within the gallery; a process of mutual adaptation facilitated by a mediating
connective tissue that morphs between the aggregated objects, receives them,
embeds them and thereby connects them into a complex, unitary spatial
construct.
“This
design process is capable of delivering an intricate order, open ended and
unpredictable, but at any time highly articulate. It is full of contingencies,
but forges a unique, path-dependent identity,” explains Patrik Schumacher, Zaha
Hadid’s collaborator of three decades.
“The
project was only possible through our extraordinary partnership with the late
Zaha Hadid and Zaha Hadid Architects. A partnership that has formed over a
decade. One of our most memorable collaborations was Zaha’s selection of
Suprematist works by the Russian avant-garde juxtaposed with her architecture
at Galerie Gmurzynska. The current Schwitters exhibition with Zaha Hadid’s
exhibition design, is the logical complement to the Suprematism exhibition and
takes place in the same space. Zaha’s spirit is ingrained in the DNA of Zaha
Hadid Architects and this exhibition is a testimony both to her and to the
continuous creative powers of Zaha Hadid Architects under the leadership of
Patrik Schumacher,” said Mathias Rastorfer, CEO and co-owner of the Gmurzynska
Galleries.
As
Galerie Gmurzynska, Zurich, is within the same building complex that once
housed the famous Galerie Dada run by artists Tristan Tzara and Hugo Ball, and
with the city celebrating 100 years of DADA this year, this retrospective is
both overdue and extremely timely. The exhibition is realized in curatorial
collaboration with Adrian Notz, the director of Cabaret Voltaire where the DADA
movement originated in 1916 and one of the main locations of this year’s
centennial festivities. Adrian Notz has created sections devoted to archival
documents covering Schwitters’s important ventures into poetry, theatre, stage
design and sound which complement and further contextualize his unique visual
praxis.
The
retrospective also shines a light on Kurt Schwitters’s significant influence on
a whole range of artistic generations succeeding him – from David Bowie to
Damien Hirst – or as the renowned curator Norman Rosenthal put it: “there is no
artist working today that has not been influenced by Kurt Schwitters”.
The
gallery actively supports the conservation and legacy of Schwitters’s art as a
major donor to the Littoral Arts Trust’s effort in restoring the artist’s
damaged Merzbarn in Elterwater, England.
www.gmurzynska.com/
THEO VAN
DOESBURG WITH KURT SCHWITTERS
KLEINE DADA
SOIREE 1922
Collaborating
Artist: Kurt Schwitters
Medium: Lithograph
Dimensions:
30.2 x 30.2 cm
Credit: Gift
of Philip Johnson
Schwitters and the Dutch artist Theo
van Doesburg embarked on a tour of Holland to introduce Dada to local artists
and the public through lectures and performances. Van Doesburg’s pamphlet
"What is Dada?" was for sale at the close of each stop. The poster for
the Small Dada Evening includes the event program, which
lists ragtime music by the composer Erik Satie, abstract poetry by Schwitters,
and "Dadasofie" by Doesburg. The poster is decorated with
multi-lingual slogans including: "Dada est contre le futur, Dada est mort,
Dada est idiot, vive Dada!" ("Dada is against the future, Dada is
dead, Dada is idiotic, Long live Dada!")
Courtesy of Galerie
Gmurzynska
UNTITLED (OVAL) CA. 1925-26
Courtesy of Galerie Gmurzynska
Courtesy of Galerie Gmurzynska
Courtesy of Galerie Gmurzynska
Courtesy of Galerie Gmurzynska
Courtesy of Galerie Gmurzynska
DAS UNBUILD 1919
MERZZEICHNUNG 156 (CENTRE BLUE) - 1920
MERCURIC
COLLECTION DESIGN BY ZAHA HADID
In the past, artists carved. Today the designer, working with
artisan skills and the technological innovation, can impress form, function and
vision upon marble. Hadid in collaboration with Citco has reinterpreted marble
in her unmistakable idiom.
GENESY FLOOR LAMP - WHITE, OR BLACK
UNTITLED (WHITE, BEIGE, BROWN), 1942
Collage
Dimensions: 41.9 x 32.7 cm
Image Courtesy of Galerie Gmurzynska
Dimensions: 41.9 x 32.7 cm
Image Courtesy of Galerie Gmurzynska
GENESY FLOOR LAMP - WHITE, OR BLACK
The result of the studio’s in-depth
research into the evolutionary forms of the natural world, the sweeping canopy
of the Genesy lamp and its interconnected supporting base, are inspired by the
growth patterns of trees deep within a forest. Robust branches stem from a
central structure, with smaller branches higher up providing support for the
main light source. Genesy offers direct and indirect lighting, with a linear
halogen up-lighter in the head and an LED spot projector concealed in the lower
section. Touchpad power and dimming controls are housed discreetly within the
central body.
http://zaha-hadid-design.com/collaborations/furniture/genesy-floor-lamp-423
GENESY FLOOR LAMP - WHITE, OR BLACK
Courtesy of Galerie Gmurzynska
THE DOUBLE PICTURE (ASSEMBLAGE) – 1942
GALERIE GMURZYNSKA ZURICH, SWITZERLAND
ALLGEMEINES MERZ PROGRAMM 1923
Medium: Letterpress
Dimensions: 30.5 x 21 cm
Credit: Jan Tschichold Collection, Gift of Philip
Johnson
© 2016 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG
Bild-Kunst, Bonn
MERZ
WERBEZENTRALE 1925 - 1927
Medium:
Letterpress
Dimensions:
22.3 x 30.5 cm
Credit: Jan
Tschichold Collection, Gift of Philip Johnson
© 2016 Artists
Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
MERZ 2, 1923
Medium: Letterpress
Dimensions: 22.2 x 14.3 cm
Printer: Dietsch & Brückner, Weimar
Credit: Jan Tschichold Collection, Gift of Philip
Johnson
© 2016 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG
Bild-Kunst, Bonn
ANNA BLUME: DICHTUNGEN (DIE SILBERGAULE, VOL 39/40)
1919
Medium: Illustrated book with one lithograph
Dimensions: Page (Including Flyleaves): 21.9 x 14.4 cm
Publisher: Paul Steegemann Verlag, Hannover
Printer: Edler & Krische, Hannover
© 2016 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG
Bild-Kunst, Bonn
MERZ WERBEZENTRALE 1925 - 1927
Medium: Letterpress
Dimensions: 22.3 x 30.5 cm
Credit: Jan Tschichold Collection, Gift of Philip
Johnson
© 2016 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG
Bild-Kunst, Bonn
DIE KATHEDRALE: (DIE SILBERGAULE, VOL 41/42)
1920
Medium: Eight Transfer Lithographs, One ith Collage
(Cover)
Dimensions: Page: 22 x 14.3 cm; Prints: Various Dimensions
Credit:Gift of Edgar Kaufmann, Jr.
© 2016 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG
Bild-Kunst, Bonn
A
seminal figure among European avant-garde artists of the 1920s, Kurt Schwitters
participated in the Expressionist and Dada movements in Germany and in the
international phenomenon known as Constructivism. The printed word—its
appearance, meaning, and sound—was a constant source of inspiration for
Schwitters. He used printed and stamped letters in his collages and poems, and
by the mid-1920s had become a successful graphic designer. Schwitters's
involvement with traditional printmaking techniques, however, was limited, as
he focused more on ephemeral printed projects.
In
1918, after serving in World War I, Schwitters began publishing his poetry in
the Expressionist journal Der Sturm and associating with the artists
surrounding this journal and gallery of the same name. The title of
Schwitters's book, Die Kathedrale, reflects the Expressionists' embrace of
the Gothic cathedral as an emblem of unification in the arts. The white square
of paper on the cover, part of a wraparound seal added by Schwitters, declares,
"Beware: Anti-Dada." At this point, the Dadaists were antagonistic
toward Schwitters, whom they considered bourgeois and not sufficiently
political.
"Merz,"
a play on the German word for commerce, was an overarching term Schwitters used
to describe collages, poems, and performances he created by combining such
elements as bits of odd paper found in the streets, snippets of overheard
conversation, or fragments of text from everyday sources. Between 1923 and 1932
he also published a journal entitled Merz, which comprised twenty-four issues.
The third issue is a portfolio of lithographs that served as a special edition
of the journal. In typical Dada fashion, he included random elements such as
found typographic fragments and photographic images in these prints. However,
his concurrent incorporation of geometric abstraction demonstrates his growing
involvement with the Constructivist aesthetic.
Publication
excerpt from Deborah Wye, Artists and Prints: Masterworks from The Museum of Modern Art, New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2004
MERZ 1926 - 1927
Medium: Letterpress
Dimensions: 27.9 x 28.1 cm
Credit: Jan Tschichold Collection, Gift of Philip
Johnson
© 2016 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG
Bild-Kunst, Bonn
GALERIE GMURZYNSKA ZURICH, SWITZERLAND
VORTEXX
CHANDELIER DESIGN BY ZAHA HADID
In the same spirit of fluidity that characterises previous
furniture collaborations with Sawaya & Moroni, the Vortexx chandelier is a
twisting ribbon of light. Viewed in plan, the chandelier has a star-like
quality, its protrusions cast outwards as if propelled by a centrifugal force.
Two transparent spirals of light are seamlessly inscribed in the chandelier's
opaque surface, tracing its double helix form. A recessed LED strip provides
animated and immersive light sensations, emitting both direct and indirect
light, which the user can finely tune to create a particular atmosphere. A
sophisticated fusion of beauty and interactive functionality.
VORTEXX CHANDELIER DESIGN BY ZAHA HADID
MERZ DRAWING 83. DRAWING F 1920
Medium: Cut-and-pasted
papers with cardstock border
Dimensions: 32.7 x 24.1 cm
Credit: Katherine S. Dreier Bequest
© 2016 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG
Bild-Kunst, Bonn
MEASURE 1922
Medium: Printed Papers on Paper
DimensionsSupport: 307 x 220 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Accepted by HM Government in Lieu of
Inheritance Tax and Allocated to Tate 2007
TABLE SALT 1922
Medium: Printed Paper on Paper
Dimensions Support: 321 x 233 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Accepted by HM Government in Lieu of
Inheritance
Tax and Allocated to Tate 2007
DIE FRUHLINGSTUR 1938
Courtesy of Galerie Gmurzynska
POSTCARD TO DR. W. DEXEL, JENA
23.3.22
‘’DIE LEIPZIGER MCHAELIS’’
FIREPLACE
DESIGN BY ZAHA HADID
Launched at Il Salone del Mobile 2014, Calla is a
reinterpretation of the classic wall fireplace. Crafted entirely of Negro
Marquina black marble, this design originates from the apparent torsional
forces between its interior and exterior surfaces, defining the formal
composition of the fireplace in a dialogue of curvilinear geometries.
The smooth, polished surface further reflects the fluidity of the form and variations in the flame. Informed by the natural growth systems of Calla Lily petals that softly radiate from a central stem, the fireplace expresses the intricate beauty and sculptural dynamism of natural forms.
The smooth, polished surface further reflects the fluidity of the form and variations in the flame. Informed by the natural growth systems of Calla Lily petals that softly radiate from a central stem, the fireplace expresses the intricate beauty and sculptural dynamism of natural forms.
SANTA CLAUS 1922
Medium: Cut-and-Pasted
Colored and Printed Papers on Paper with Cardstock Border
Dimensions: 28.4 x 20.8 cm
© 2016 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG
Bild-Kunst, Bonn
PICTURE OF SPATIAL GROWTH
UNTITLED (HEAVY
RELIEF) – 1945
SEAMLESS
COLLECTION SERIF SHELVES – PURPLE DESIGN BY ZAHA HADID
Borrowing their name from typography, the Serif shelves are
inspired by calligraphic forms and the swift, purposeful brushstroke of their
designer. In a perfect synthesis of vision and final product, the shelves
appear to be sketched in three-dimensions on the wall. They can be displayed in
a variety of configurations, punctuating space with the powerful sculptural
language of the Seamless collection.
AQ. 10 (GRIND, YOU GRIND, HE GRINDS.), 1919
Courtesy of Torsten Skoetz
ZAHA HADID
Zaha Hadid, founder of Zaha Hadid Architects, was
awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize ( considered to be the Nobel Prize of
architecture) in 2004 and is internationally known for both her theoretical and
academic work. Each of her dynamic and innovative projects builds on over
thirty years of revolutionary exploration and research in the interrelated
fields of urbanism, architecture and design. Hadid’ s interest lies in the
rigorous interface between architecture, landscape and geology as her practice
integrates natural topography and human – made systems , leading to
experimentation with cutting – edge Technologies. Such a process often results
in unexpected and dynamic architectural forms.
EDUCATION
Hadid studied architecture at he Architectural
Association from 1972 and was awarded the Diploma Prize in 1977.
TEACHING
She became a partner of the Office for Metropolitan
Architecture, taught at the AA with OMA collaborators Rem Koolhaas and Elia
Zenghelis, and later led her own studio at the AA until 1987. Since then she
has held the Kenzo Tange Chair at the Graduate School of Design, Harward
University; The Sullivan Chair at the University Illinois, School of
Architecture, Chicago; guest professorsships at the Hochschule für Bildende
Künste in Hamburg; The Knolton School of Architecture, Ohio and the Masters
Studio at Columbia University, Newyork. In addition, she was made Honorary
Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Fellow of the American
Institute of Architecture and Commander of the British Empire, 2002. She is
currently Professor at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria and
was the Eero saarinen Visiting Professor of Architectural Design at Yale
University, New Haven, Connecticut.
AWARDS
Zaha Hadid’ s work of the past 30 years was the
subject of critically – acclaimed retrospective exhibitions at New York’ s
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 2006, London Design museum in 2007 and the
Palazzo della Ragione, Padua, Italy in 2009. Her recently completed projects
include the MAXXI Museum in Rome; which won the Stirling award in 2010. Hadid’
s outstanding contribution to the Stirling award in 2010. Hadid’ s outstanding
contribution to the architectural profession continues to be acknowledged by
the most world’ s most respected institutions. She received the prestigious ‘
Praemium Imperiale ’ from the Japan Art Association in 2009, and in 2010, the
Stirling Prize from the Royal Institute of British Architects. Other recent
awards include UNESCO naming Hadid as an ‘ Artist for Peace ‘ at a
ceremony in their Paris headquarters last year. Also in 2010, the Republic of
France named Hadid as ‘ Commandeur de l’ Ordre des Arts et des Lettres’ in
recognition of her services to architecture, and TIME magazine included her in
their 2010 list of the ‘ 100 most Influential People in the World ‘. This years
‘ Time 100 ‘ is divided into four categories: Leaders, Thinkers, Artist and
Hereos – with Hadid ranking top of the Thinkers category.
ZHA PROJECTS:
Zaha has played a pivotal role in a great many Zaha
Hadid Architects projects over the past 30 years. The Maxxi National Museum of
21 st Century Arts in Rome, Italy; the BMW Central Building in Leipzig, Germany
and the Phaeno Science Center in Wolfsburg, Germany are excellent
demonstrations of Hadid’ s quest for complex, fluid space. Previous seminal
buildings such as the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinati, USA,
have also been hailed as architecture that transforms our vision of the future
with new spatial concepts and bold, visionary forms.
Currently Hadid is working on a multitude of projects
worldwide including: The London Aquatics Centre fort he 2012 Olympic Games;
High – Speed Train Stations in Naples and Durango; The CMA CGM Headquarters
tower in Marseille; The Fiera di Milano masterplan and tower as well as major
master planning projects in Beijing, Bilboa, Istanbul and Singapore. In the
Middle East, Hadid’ s portfolio includes national cultural and research centres
in Jordan, Morocco, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia, as well as
the new Central Bank of Iraq.
You may visit to see others projects news from Zaha
Hadid Architects to click below links from my suggestions.
https://mymagicalattic.blogspot.com.tr/2014/09/crest-design-by-zaha-hadid-architect-at.html
http://mymagicalattic.blogspot.com.tr/2014/04/dongdaemun-design-plaza-ddp-design-by.html
http://mymagicalattic.blogspot.com.tr/2013/11/zaha-hadid-architects-unique-circle.html
