it is up to us
With 217.5 Arc x 13 by Bernar Venet I think of the remnants of a ship’s hull or a skeleton of a primitive creature. These remains are the concrete proof that the earth is old, that the time goes by into the history until the present moment.
Animals aren’t aware of history; they are just doing what their instincts dictate them. Human beings are aware of history. People are able to learn from history and take this into account in all the different choices they make.
We determine to what extent history plays a role in our live. Is 217.5 Arc a static object which gives no reference to anything? Refers 217.5 Arc to a fact that fits in our field of interest? Is 217.5 Arc a trigger so a lively story appears in our mind? Plays 217.5 Arc a role in a story that reveals a part of our personality?
A lively history calls for hard work. Only if we go into dusty details, empathise with the lives of others, fantasize about a potential impact from outside a history becomes lively. This is what 217.5 Arc x 13 asked us, to make it a lively artwork.
By Theo, www.artatsite.com
Vertaling
het is aan ons
Bij 217.5 Arc x 13 van Bernar Venet denk ik aan restanten van een scheepshuid of een karkas van een primitief wezen. Deze restanten zijn het tastbare bewijs dat de aarde oud is, dat de tijd zich voortschrijdt in de geschiedenis tot aan het huidige moment.
Dieren zijn zich niet bewust van geschiedenis; zij doen gewoon datgene wat hun instinct hun dicteert. De mens is zich bewust van geschiedenis. Mensen kunnen leren van de geschiedenis en dit meewegen in alle uiteenlopende keuzen die zij maken.
Wij bepalen zelf in hoeverre geschiedenis een rol speelt in ons leven. Is 217.5 Arc een statisch object zonder referentie naar het even wat? Verwijst 217.5 Arc naar een weetje dat past in ons interessegebied? Is 217.5 Arc een aanleiding om een levendig verhaal weer voor ons te zien? Speelt 217.5 Arc een rol in een verhaal dat een deel van onze persoonlijkheid blootlegt?
Een levendige geschiedenis vraagt om hard werken. Pas als wij ons verdiepen in stoffige details, ons inleven in andere levens, fantaseren op een mogelijke invloed van buitenaf wordt een geschiedenis levendig. Dit is ook wat 217.5 x 13 Arc van ons vraagt om het een levendig kunstwerk te maken.
Door Theo, www.artatsite.com
www.vancouverbiennale.com:
Venet employs mathematical manipulations of this industrial material to explore the interconnected relationships amongst nature, humanity, and the universe. The repetitive thirteen curves give a resting yet rhythmic sense of movement and fluidity. The raw red-brown rust colour of the unpainted surfaces of the corten steel, an authentic surface upon which Venet insists, facilitates an interaction with the natural elements.
Bernar Venet’s monumental work 217.5 Arc x 13 is part of his Arc series of sculptures which illustrate the beauty, balance, and malleability of raw steel.
The name of this artwork is a precise description of its mathematical composition. All of the beams in the sculpture are nested and curved to the same angle providing a sense of balance and grace.
www.stirworld.com:
French artist Bernar Venet creates works that are devoid of any intended meanings.
Stir speaks with the multidisciplinary artist on the sidelines of his ongoing exhibit,rajectory, at Von Bartha, Switzerland, on ideas of ‘concrete art’ and self- referentiality.
I personally dislike the term ‘abstract art’. If one were to go by the literal meaning, abstract means existing in thought and not having a physical existence. Huh? So, why would anyone refer to a physical work, an object occupying space, one that can be touched and acquired – and call it abstract? ‘Non-representational art’ is a better way to denote what is loosely called abstract. Within the broader context of this genre, concrete art was a movement in mid-1900s to further distinguish the vision of practices that desired to focus on the materiality of the medium used. It was devoid of any symbolism; its manifesto read, 'A pictorial element does not have any meaning beyond 'itself'; as a consequence, a painting does not have any meaning other than 'itself'.
French multidisciplinary artist Bernar Venet works across painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, and performance. His practice erentiality. The artist is drawn to the beauty of the immediate simplicity and purity of a formula, and assigns no further meaning to the canvases and sculptures he creates. His early works from 1960s include Goudron (Tar) paintings and his iconic sculpture Tas de Charbon (Pile of Coal) – commencing his quest for non-representation.
I speak to the artist about his practice and his ongoing exhibit titled Trajectory at Von Bartha, Basel, Switzerland, that features a series of paintings and two new sculptures.
Rahul Kumar (RK): If one must classify your abstract art, it fits the ideology of ‘concrete art’. Would you agree? Do you subscribe to the philosophies of Doesburg, or have you sourced inspiration from the works of artists like Frank Stella?
Bernar Venet (BV): Actually, van Doesburg’s definitions of ‘concrete art’, the lucidity of his theoretical discourse, were of particular interest to me when I found myself needing, around 1971, to define the origins of my work and its evolution onceptual art period. As early as 1961, and in 1963 as well, my tar-covered paintings could already have been thought of as ‘concrete art’ but in a very different way, as I did not paint as my predecessors did. What was concrete in my work was the tar, the material itself, presented for what it was and without any reference to anything external. The tar deposited evenly on the canvas was not used to compose a painting, but was the object of the painting itself. At that time, I did not yet know the work of Frank Stella.
RK: When you conceive of a work, especially sculpture, because of the sheer form and scale, you influence the spatial perception. Do you begin with end in mind?
BV: When I begin to work on a sculpture, my primary objective is to orient myself towards a concept and a configuration that I have not yet mastered. What has not yet been designed is precisely this space that I want to discover! Moments of weakness are those in which we indulge ourselves in the pleasure of what we have alrepartially mastered, and which will give results that we may already expect. My moments of happiness are often those when an ‘accident’ during the production of a work makes me discover a possibility that I had not previously thought of. The secret of this method is to have your eyes and mind open enough to take advantage of these events and to draw conclusions that will benefit what is being created.
www.wikipedia.org:
Bernar Venet (born 20 April 1941) is a French conceptual artist.
Venet’s work has become known internationally, with sculptures exhibited in Belgium, America, Japan, Austria, Switzerland, Germany and more recently New Zealand. Venet is represented by BlainSouthern. In 2005, Venet received the title of Chevalier de La Legion d’Honneur, France’s highe
With 217.5 Arc x 13 by Bernar Venet I think of the remnants of a ship’s hull or a skeleton of a primitive creature. These remains are the concrete proof that the earth is old, that the time goes by into the history until the present moment.
Animals aren’t aware of history; they are just doing what their instincts dictate them. Human beings are aware of history. People are able to learn from history and take this into account in all the different choices they make.
We determine to what extent history plays a role in our live. Is 217.5 Arc a static object which gives no reference to anything? Refers 217.5 Arc to a fact that fits in our field of interest? Is 217.5 Arc a trigger so a lively story appears in our mind? Plays 217.5 Arc a role in a story that reveals a part of our personality?
A lively history calls for hard work. Only if we go into dusty details, empathise with the lives of others, fantasize about a potential impact from outside a history becomes lively. This is what 217.5 Arc x 13 asked us, to make it a lively artwork.
By Theo, www.artatsite.com
Vertaling
het is aan ons
Bij 217.5 Arc x 13 van Bernar Venet denk ik aan restanten van een scheepshuid of een karkas van een primitief wezen. Deze restanten zijn het tastbare bewijs dat de aarde oud is, dat de tijd zich voortschrijdt in de geschiedenis tot aan het huidige moment.
Dieren zijn zich niet bewust van geschiedenis; zij doen gewoon datgene wat hun instinct hun dicteert. De mens is zich bewust van geschiedenis. Mensen kunnen leren van de geschiedenis en dit meewegen in alle uiteenlopende keuzen die zij maken.
Wij bepalen zelf in hoeverre geschiedenis een rol speelt in ons leven. Is 217.5 Arc een statisch object zonder referentie naar het even wat? Verwijst 217.5 Arc naar een weetje dat past in ons interessegebied? Is 217.5 Arc een aanleiding om een levendig verhaal weer voor ons te zien? Speelt 217.5 Arc een rol in een verhaal dat een deel van onze persoonlijkheid blootlegt?
Een levendige geschiedenis vraagt om hard werken. Pas als wij ons verdiepen in stoffige details, ons inleven in andere levens, fantaseren op een mogelijke invloed van buitenaf wordt een geschiedenis levendig. Dit is ook wat 217.5 x 13 Arc van ons vraagt om het een levendig kunstwerk te maken.
Door Theo, www.artatsite.com
www.vancouverbiennale.com:
Venet employs mathematical manipulations of this industrial material to explore the interconnected relationships amongst nature, humanity, and the universe. The repetitive thirteen curves give a resting yet rhythmic sense of movement and fluidity. The raw red-brown rust colour of the unpainted surfaces of the corten steel, an authentic surface upon which Venet insists, facilitates an interaction with the natural elements.
Bernar Venet’s monumental work 217.5 Arc x 13 is part of his Arc series of sculptures which illustrate the beauty, balance, and malleability of raw steel.
The name of this artwork is a precise description of its mathematical composition. All of the beams in the sculpture are nested and curved to the same angle providing a sense of balance and grace.
www.stirworld.com:
French artist Bernar Venet creates works that are devoid of any intended meanings.
Stir speaks with the multidisciplinary artist on the sidelines of his ongoing exhibit,rajectory, at Von Bartha, Switzerland, on ideas of ‘concrete art’ and self- referentiality.
I personally dislike the term ‘abstract art’. If one were to go by the literal meaning, abstract means existing in thought and not having a physical existence. Huh? So, why would anyone refer to a physical work, an object occupying space, one that can be touched and acquired – and call it abstract? ‘Non-representational art’ is a better way to denote what is loosely called abstract. Within the broader context of this genre, concrete art was a movement in mid-1900s to further distinguish the vision of practices that desired to focus on the materiality of the medium used. It was devoid of any symbolism; its manifesto read, 'A pictorial element does not have any meaning beyond 'itself'; as a consequence, a painting does not have any meaning other than 'itself'.
French multidisciplinary artist Bernar Venet works across painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, and performance. His practice erentiality. The artist is drawn to the beauty of the immediate simplicity and purity of a formula, and assigns no further meaning to the canvases and sculptures he creates. His early works from 1960s include Goudron (Tar) paintings and his iconic sculpture Tas de Charbon (Pile of Coal) – commencing his quest for non-representation.
I speak to the artist about his practice and his ongoing exhibit titled Trajectory at Von Bartha, Basel, Switzerland, that features a series of paintings and two new sculptures.
Rahul Kumar (RK): If one must classify your abstract art, it fits the ideology of ‘concrete art’. Would you agree? Do you subscribe to the philosophies of Doesburg, or have you sourced inspiration from the works of artists like Frank Stella?
Bernar Venet (BV): Actually, van Doesburg’s definitions of ‘concrete art’, the lucidity of his theoretical discourse, were of particular interest to me when I found myself needing, around 1971, to define the origins of my work and its evolution onceptual art period. As early as 1961, and in 1963 as well, my tar-covered paintings could already have been thought of as ‘concrete art’ but in a very different way, as I did not paint as my predecessors did. What was concrete in my work was the tar, the material itself, presented for what it was and without any reference to anything external. The tar deposited evenly on the canvas was not used to compose a painting, but was the object of the painting itself. At that time, I did not yet know the work of Frank Stella.
RK: When you conceive of a work, especially sculpture, because of the sheer form and scale, you influence the spatial perception. Do you begin with end in mind?
BV: When I begin to work on a sculpture, my primary objective is to orient myself towards a concept and a configuration that I have not yet mastered. What has not yet been designed is precisely this space that I want to discover! Moments of weakness are those in which we indulge ourselves in the pleasure of what we have alrepartially mastered, and which will give results that we may already expect. My moments of happiness are often those when an ‘accident’ during the production of a work makes me discover a possibility that I had not previously thought of. The secret of this method is to have your eyes and mind open enough to take advantage of these events and to draw conclusions that will benefit what is being created.
www.wikipedia.org:
Bernar Venet (born 20 April 1941) is a French conceptual artist.
Venet’s work has become known internationally, with sculptures exhibited in Belgium, America, Japan, Austria, Switzerland, Germany and more recently New Zealand. Venet is represented by BlainSouthern. In 2005, Venet received the title of Chevalier de La Legion d’Honneur, France’s highe