INTERNEDIAL - 401 CONTEMPORARY, BERLIN

INTERNEDIAL
401 Contemporary
Potsdamer Strasse 81 b - Berlin
3/5/2014 - 28/6/2014 

After Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007) and Mary Bauermeister (b. 1934) spent three labour-intensive weeks in Finland completing their score “Originale”, this key work of the 1960s avant-garde movement was first performed in October 1961 over five evenings in the theatre at the cathedral in Cologne.
Only “originals” appeared on the stage, i.e.: the painter was actually a painter in real life - naturally Bauermeister herself - and one young man, who was referred to in the score as the action composer, was a young Korean - completely unknown at the time - named Nam June Paik (1932-2006), who threw peas at the audience and created innovative minute sculptures out of shaving cream.
Given its multifarious nature, this was certainly the most impressive, unpredictable artistic event at the time - one that can justifiably be regarded as one of the first ever “happenings”. We were later able to make the connection to Fluxus because in the previous year, Mary Bauermeister not only performed several works/actions by John Cage (1912-1992) in her studio in Cologne’s Lintgasse, but also the Cologne premieres of works by Nam June Paik, while the avant-garde in WDR radio festivals presented a more conservative vibe in contrast.
But the influence Bauermeister’s personality, activities and artistic works have had on the development of art since the late 1950s, i.e. on music, dance and performance art, even on the artistic climate in Cologne, has not yet been fully investigated. However, the exhibition INTERMEDIAL at 401contemporary, Berlin, is meant to further explore the artistic spirit of the 60s.

On display will be works by Mary Bauermeister, Sylvano Bussotti, John Cage, Hans G Helms, Joe Jones, Nam June Paik, Ben Patterson, Otto Piene, Takako Saito and Karlheinz Stockhausen.