Exhibition: WILD WEST
SEP 20, 2017 – JAN 22, 2018
Austrian Cultural Forum New York
11 East 52nd Street, New York
open daily, 10 AM – 6 PM
Artists on view:
Franz West, Rudolf Stingel, Urs Fischer, Andreas Reiter Raabe, Mary Heilmann, Rudolf Polanszky, Octavian Trauttmansdorff, Anna-Sophie Berger, Tillman Kaiser, Sarah Lucas, Anne Schneider, Rirkrit Tiravanija, KAYA (Kerstin Brätsch / Debo Eilers)
Curated by Andreas Reiter Raabe
The Austrian Cultural Forum New York is honored to present WILD WEST, a group exhibition commemorating the dynamic legacy of late Austrian artist Franz West (1947-2012). On view from September 20, 2017 to January 22, 2018, the show curated by former West-collaborator Andreas Reiter Raabe consists of works by Franz West, his New York-based contemporaries, and commissioned works by emerging artists from both New York and Austria.
The exhibition’s title acts as a play on words for West’s nonconformist, anarchic approach to artmaking, as well as his critical place in 20th-century Western art history. His deep curiosity for alternative ways of thinking and exhibiting manifested in his numerous collaborations with fellow artists and creatives. During the height of his career in the mid- 1980s, West chose to break the conventions of a traditional “solo show” by offering other—often unknown—artists to exhibit their work alongside his—much to the surprise of the institutions that invited him. This non-hierarchical approach stood in stark contrast to West’s tremendous success in the art world, which is frequently preoccupied with authorship and individual fame.
A key work in the exhibition is Franz West (2017) by Reiter Raabe, a film composed of never-before-seen footage Reiter Raabe shot in West’s studio between 2007 and 2012. The film lends an intimate glimpse into West’s studio practice, affirming the equivocal nature of his thought processes and revealing West’s idiosyncratic approach to art, his wild way of thinking, working, and collaborating.
WILD WEST follows West’s unique approach to exhibition-making by showing not only the works of Franz West, but also of his collaborators and emerging artists. Exhibiting artists include: Rudolf Stingel, Urs Fischer, Mary Heilmann, Rudolf Polanszky, Octavian Trauttmansdorff, Sarah Lucas, and Andreas Reiter Raabe. The exhibition will also feature artists who have not previously exhibited with West, such as Anna-Sophie Berger, Tillman Kaiser, Anne Schneider, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and KAYA (Kerstin Brätsch and Debo Eilers). While the exhibition presents collaborations, such as Reiter Raabe/West’s sculptural lamps Fleur Mal, 2012, it also features new commissions such as Tiravaija’s sculpture untitled (east meets west), 2017, a granite tombstone in West’s body height.
Andreas Reiter Raabe (born 1960 in Grieskirchen, Austria) is an artist and curator living and working in Vienna. In 1994, Raabe started interviewing West and publishing their interviews. From 1995 onwards he exhibited in West’s shows and collaborated with him until his death in 2012. Raabe studied Philosophy, European Ethnology as well as Painting and Graphic Arts in Vienna and is one of the founders of Gesso Artspace, a Viennese exhibition venue where he been curating exhibitions since 2013. Reiter Raabe is also a member of the Executive Board of Vienna Secession and has lectured at USC Los Angeles, the University of Applied Arts Vienna, The Royal Academy of Arts, London, and The University of Art and Design Linz. As an artist, he has exhibited internationally in group and solo shows.
For high-resolution images, please contact new-york-kf@bmeia.gv.at or call (212) 319 5300 ext. 78.
Rirkrit Tiravanija
untitled (west meets east), 2017
Granite, T-shirts
37 ½ x 430 in
Courtesy of Gavin Brown and the artist
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled, 2008
Celotex insulation board, wood, aluminum
36 7/8 x 30 in
Courtesy of the artist
Franz West / Andreas Reiter Raabe
Fleur Mal, 2012
LED – lamp, paper machè, cardboard, acrylic,
metal chain
13.7 x 28.7 x 30 in
Courtesy of Andreas Reiter Raabe
Andreas Reiter Raabe
Wall painting
Mate tea
Dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist
KAYA (Kerstin Brätsch & Debo Eilers)
UNIT 3D [Klar], 2017
Urethane, resin, pigment, enamel,oil
55 x 33.7 x 9 in
Courtesy of Galerie Meyer Kainer
Anne Schneider
Untitled, 2012 / 2017
Jute, oil, foil
82.7 x 45.2 in
Courtesy of the artist
Mary Heilmann
Sunny Chaise #8, 2015
Painted plywood
25.5 x 20.125 x 24.25 in
© Mary Heilmann
Courtesy of 303 Gallery, NY and Hauser & Wirth
KAYA (Kerstin Brätsch & Debo Eilers)
UNIT 3D [Speick], 2017
Urethane, resin, pigment, enamel, oil
55 x 33.7 x 9 in
Courtesy of Galerie Meyer Kainer
KAYA (Kerstin Brätsch & Debo Eilers)
UNIT 3D [Pingi], 2017
Urethane, pigment, enamel, oil
55 x 33.7 x 9 in
Courtesy of Galerie Meyer Kainer
KAYA (Kerstin Brätsch & Debo Eilers)
UNIT 3D [Klar], 2017
Urethane, resin, pigment, enamel,oil
55 x 33.7 x 9 in
Courtesy of Galerie Meyer Kainer
Urs Fischer
Colorful Personal Ecstasies, 2014
Paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, encaustic pigment, aluminum, aluminum powder, wicks
3 1/8 x 96 1/8 x 4 1/2 in
AP 1 of Edition of 2 & 1 AP
Private collection
© Urs Fischer. Courtesy of the artist
Andreas Reiter Raabe
Attachment, 2006-2012
Acrylic on canvas
15.7 x 11.8 in
Courtesy of Charim Gallery, Sarah Cottier Gallery and the artist
Mary Heilmann
Joey’s Red, 2012
Glazed ceramic
11.75 x 15 x 0.625 in
©Mary Heilmann
Courtesy of 303 Gallery, NY and Hauser & Wirth
Tillman Kaiser
Untitled, 2016
Cardboard
13.7 x 13.7 in x 0.1 in
Courtesy of Galerie Emanuel Layr and the artist
Tillman Kaiser
Fever, 2012
Tempera, silkscreen on canvas mounted on wood
82.6 x 63.7 in
Courtesy of Mitchell Algus Gallery and the artist
Anna-Sophie Berger
hunch, 2017
Polyester, thread, cans
dimensions variable
Courtesy of Emanuel Layr, Vienna and JTT, New York
Rudolf Polanszky
Reconstructions/ Symmetry Fragments, 2009
Mixed Media (foils, mirror strips, aluminium and colour on linen)
54 x 48 x 1.5 in
Private collection New York, NY
Courtesy of Gardarin and the artist
Sarah Lucas
Essential Doris, 2011
Concrete, stocking, cotton wool
11 x 11.8 x 3.9 in
Private Collection, Vienna
Anne Schneider
Untitled, 2017
Foil, gesso, acrylic
66.9 x 47.2 in
Courtesy of the artist
Franz West
Ohne Titel, 1974
Acrylic, fabric, cardboard
24 x 21.6 in
Private Collection, Vienna
Anna-Sophie Berger
hunch, 2017
Polyester, thread, cans
dimensions variable
Courtesy of Emanuel Layr, Vienna and JTT, New York
Rudolf Polanszky
Reconstructions/ Symmetry Fragments, 2011
Mixed Media (foils, mirror strips, aluminum and color on linen)
54 x 48 x 1.5 in
Courtesy of Gardarin and the artist
Rudolf Polanszky
Reconstructions/ Symmetry Fragments, 2009
Mixed Media (foils, mirror strips, aluminium and colour on linen)
54 x 48 x 1.5 in
Private collection New York, NY
Courtesy of Gardarin and the artist
Sarah Lucas
Essential Doris, 2011
Concrete, stocking, cotton wool
11 x 11.8 x 3.9 in
Private collection, Vienna
Anne Schneider
Untitled, 2017
Foil, gesso, acrylic
66.9 x 47.2 in
Courtesy of the artist
Franz West
Ohne Titel, 1974
Acrylic, fabric, cardboard
24 x 21.6 in
Private collection, Vienna
Franz West
Lemurenkopf, 1987
Papier-mâché, dispersion
19.6 x 10.2 x 1.9 in
Private collection, Vienna
Urs Fischer
Untitled, 2014
Paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, encaustic pigment, aluminum, aluminum powder, wicks
96 x 21 x 4 1/2 in
AP 1 of Edition of 2 & 1 AP
Private collection
© Urs Fischer. Courtesy of the artist
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled (Franz West), 2010
Ink, oil and enamel on paper
30 x 22 1/4 in
Courtesy of the artist
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled (Franz West), 2010
Ink, oil and enamel on paper
30 x 22 1/4 in
Courtesy of the artist
Mary Heilmann
Navaho, 1985
Glazed ceramic
11.25 x 5.75 x 0.875 in
© Mary Heilmann
Courtesy of 303 Gallery, NY and Hauser & Wirth
Andreas Reiter Raabe
Franz West, 2017
45:35 min
Courtesy of Andreas Reiter Raabe
SEP 19: EXHIBITION OPENING
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM │ARTIST TALK: curator Andreas Reiter Raabe in conversation with Alison Gingeras
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM │OPENING RECEPTION featuring live concert
NOV 14: ARTIST TALK
6:30 PM│POP-UP TALK WITH MARY HEILMANN
What to See in New York Art Galleries This Week | NEW YORK TIMES, AUG. 10, 2017
Critic’s Pick | ARTFORUM, AUG. 2017
Director ACFNY: Christine Moser
Exhibition Coordination: Leonie Bockelmann
Head of Communications: Judith Brand
Images: David Plakke
