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‘Dependent Objects,’ and the CCAE throws a conference
BY RANDI HOPKINS
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In the era of the psychedelic lounges and disco balls of Assume Vivid Astro Focus (a/k/a artist Eli Sudbrack), and of Carsten Höller’s big slides and dark corridors, it’s hard to remember that it wasn’t so long ago that "sculpture" just sat there in museums and galleries. Maybe it creaked or moved a little, but mostly you could count on it to be made of materials that reeked of permanence, to have been crafted and polished to immortalize matters and figures of consequence and beauty. When did this all change? Well, one step into the delightful "Dependent Objects" at Harvard’s Busch-Reisinger Museum takes you right back to the — or at least a — precise place and time where sculpture hovered between self-confidence and the doubt that began to set in as the 1960s dawned. Organized by Busch-Reisinger curatorial intern Kirsten Weiss, "Dependent Objects" presents five West German artists whose work had an impact on the development of art worldwide: Franz Erhard Walther, Hans Haacke, Charlotte Posenenske, Gerhard Richter, and Thomas Schütte. This quintet explored the novel idea that rather than existing as a precious object on a pedestal, art work should acknowledge its own context, reflecting and interacting with its physical, social, and political environment. Their efforts resulted in sculpture that now looks so earnest it’s almost humorous but that was made in a spirit of both playfulness and intellectual rigor. Hans Haacke’s Wave (1964/2004) is a slim acrylic rectangle suspended from the ceiling and filled with water that creates lovely waves when viewers push it from side to side. Thomas Schütte’s Red Garland (1979) is a bright red strip of fabric cut in a jaunty pattern and encircling the gallery "at the point where the wall meets the ceiling," as per the artist’s instructions. Both are refreshingly quiet and purposeful, especially as seen now at a remove of several decades of interactive and environmental art of all sorts. On October 26 at 6 p.m., Haacke and Schütte will give a free lecture, "From Object to Context," about their work at Harvard’s Arthur M. Sackler Museum. Getting your work out there as an artist seems to get harder and harder: the competition is tough, the venues are limited, and the media outlets are few and far between. If these woes speak to you, check out the Cambridge Center for Adult Education’s "Living and Working As a Visual Artist in Boston" on October 30. A series of panels and workshops allows artists to talk with curators, journalists, grant makers, and other arts professionals, including yours truly, who will be one of many running discussions on topics like "Meet the Media," "Finding Funding," and "Creating Your Own Website" and meeting one-on-one with participants in special "10 Minute Dates" to address individual concerns. And on October 29, the CCAE will open "CCAE Students Display Art Work" at two locations in Harvard Square. New work by students from two of the CCAE’s art classes will be featured alongside work by two of the instructors, Anthony Riccardi and Barbara Baum. "Dependent Objects" is at Harvard’s Busch-Reisinger Museum, 32 Quincy Street in Harvard Square, through January 2. Hans Haacke and Thomas Schütte give a free lecture, "From Object to Context," in the Arthur M. Sackler Museum lecture hall, 485 Broadway in Harvard Square, on October 26 at 6 p.m. Call (617) 495-9400. "Living and Working As a Visual Artist in Boston" is an all-day conference at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, 56 Brattle Street in Harvard Square, on October 30 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; the cost is $35. "CCAE Students Display Art Work" is at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education in two locations, 42 Brattle Street and 1 Story Street in Harvard Square, October 29 through November 24, with a free opening reception on October 29 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. For information on the CCAE conference and exhibitions, call (617) 547-6789 extension 1.
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