Lawrence Weiner: Dicht Bij

Conversation between Lawrence Weiner and Ann Goldstein, Director, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam: 23 January 2010, 16.00 hrs

From 24 January to 28 March 2010 BAK, basis voor actuele kunst presents the solo exhibition Dicht Bij by Lawrence Weiner.

As a research exhibition within the framework of the long-term, multifaceted project Former West, Dicht Bij can be seen as a temporary becoming-visible of BAK's ongoing dialogue with Weiner about the notion of hegemony in our contemporary world. Based in Weiner's belief that art is about the "relationship of human beings to objects and objects to objects in relation to human beings," Dicht Bij presents objects that are rendered in language, which both thematize and in their modesty also perform the deconstruction, if not dismissal, of the notions of hierarchy and superiority, whether in the current global political, social, and economic circumstances, or in art and culture. Art, according to Weiner, is always "a questioning of implementation" and the reason to make art is to dislodge the prevailing consensus in society, and to offer another pattern, an alternative to the structures that define the way we live now—even if this is not necessarily asked of the artist by society, or even if what he or she has to say is uncomfortable for society to hear.

The notion of (western) hegemony is one such unspoken consensus that Weiner challenges. His proposition—"Not any longer the West, the East, the North, the South"—discards these troubled geopolitical categories as well as the continued exercise of domination to which the so-called West clings in order to preserve its illusory place at the top of the world, and encourages us to engage with our world differently. Although kept determinedly ambiguous and non-prescriptive, the artistic imaginary of Dicht Bij approximates the meaning of that which is "close by" or "near to" and as such introduces another "logic pattern," one that is based on the longing for one world.

The exhibition is curated by Maria Hlavajova.

Dicht Bij is a research exhibition organized within the long-term, multifaceted project Former West, an international research, education, publishing, and exhibition undertaking (2008–2013), which reflects upon the changes introduced to the world by the political, cultural, artistic, and economic events of 1989, and speculates about a "post-bloc" future that encourages differences yet evolves through the political imperative of equality. For more information about Former West, please visit http://www.formerwest.org.

Lawrence Weiner, a key figure of Conceptual art active since the 1960s, is best known for his text pieces and wall installations, but works across a variety of media, including drawings, books, films, videos, posters, and editions. He is one of those artists who continue to inspire and influence other artists, curators, theorists, and cultural practitioners across generations, genres, and geographic boundaries, which makes him one of the most remarkable and significant artists working today. Weiner lives and works in New York and Amsterdam.

Conversation between Lawrence Weiner and Ann Goldstein At 16.00 hrs on 23 January 2010, a conversation between Lawrence Weiner and Ann Goldstein, director of Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, takes place at BAK. Goldstein curated (together with Donna De Salvo) a major retrospective exhibition of Weiner's work Lawrence Weiner: AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE, which was on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2007−2008), The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2008), and at K21, Duesseldorf (2008−2009). Unfortunately, the limited seats available for the conversation are fully booked. A video recording of the conversation will be available at BAK during the exhibition and online after 28 March 2010.

Edition On the occasion of the exhibition Dicht Bij an edition is designed by Lawrence Weiner. The edition, produced in a limited number, is available at BAK during the exhibition.

Lawrence Weiner
Dicht Bij
Kurator: Maria Hlavajova