Cart
Free Shipping in the UK
Proud to be B-Corp

Witness to Phenomenon Summary

Witness to Phenomenon: Group ZERO and the Development of New Media in Postwar European Art by Joseph D. Ketner II (Emerson College, USA)

Witness to Phenomenon articulates a fresh examination of the German Group Zero-Heinz Mack, Otto Piene, and Gunter Uecker-and other new tendency artists, who rejected painting and introduced new art media in postwar Europe. Group ZERO evolved into a network across Europe- Amsterdam, Milan, Paris, and Zagreb. This pan-European affiliation of artists generated a continuous stream of innovative artistic statements through the 1960s, incorporating non-traditional materials and new technologies to create kinetic art, light installations, performances, immersive multimedia installations, monumental land art, and the communication media of video and television. They transformed the visual arts from the inanimate objet d'art to a sensory experience by adopting the ascendant philosophy of Phenomenology as their conceptual foundation. Drawing from a decade of research on unpublished archives of the artists and critics of this period, this publication positions Group ZERO as a catalytic art moment in the transition from modern to contemporary art.

Witness to Phenomenon Reviews

Ketner's deep dive into previously unmined archival material allows him to convey the nuances of Group ZERO's formation as well as its many ties to international new tendency artists. His impressive research adds considerably to recent exhibitions and publications on ZERO by firmly situating the work of Heinz Mack, Otto Piene, and Gunther Uecker in relation to lively debates about art's social and political relevance in postwar Europe. * Gregory H. Williams, Associate Professor, History of Art & Architecture, Boston University, USA *
A key development in postwar European art, the German Group ZERO - and the work of its core members Piene, Mack, and Uecker - is only recently garnering the necessary English-language attention. In Witness to Phenomenon, Joseph Ketner, a longtime champion of these artists on this side of the Atlantic, chronicles a complex web of exhibitions, performances, and multi-media installations, as well as the notable contemporary critical response, introducing new audiences to ZERO and their international network of collaborators. * Lynette Roth, Daimler Curator of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, and Head, Division of Modern and Contemporary Art, Harvard Art Museums, USA *

About Joseph D. Ketner II (Emerson College, USA)

Joseph D. Ketner II is Foster Chair in Contemporary Art and Distinguished Curator in Residence at Emerson College, USA.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: Europe After the Rain: Un art autre, art informel Chapter 2: Does Contemporary Painting Influence the Shape of the World?: The Problem of Painting and the Question of Reality Chapter 3: ZERO, the New Tendency, and New Media Chapter 4: Artists Actions into Theater Chapter 5: Aistheton: Immersive Multimedia Environments Chapter 6: The Vision of Television Chapter 7: Coda Endnotes Bibliography

Additional information

NLS9781501353994
9781501353994
1501353993
Witness to Phenomenon: Group ZERO and the Development of New Media in Postwar European Art by Joseph D. Ketner II (Emerson College, USA)
New
Paperback
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
2019-06-27
320
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a new book - be the first to read this copy. With untouched pages and a perfect binding, your brand new copy is ready to be opened for the first time

Customer Reviews - Witness to Phenomenon