AKTION: Conceptual Art And Photography (1960 - 1981)

AKTION: Conceptual Art And Photography (1960 - 1981)

41 Dover Street London, W1S 4NS, United Kingdom Friday, July 13, 2018–Friday, August 17, 2018 Opening Reception: Thursday, July 12, 2018, 6 p.m.–8 p.m.

Group show

selbstverstrickung/selfentangle by günter brus

Günter Brus

Selbstverstrickung/selfentangle, 1965

Price on Request

kindefotos by hans peter feldmann

Hans Peter Feldmann

Kindefotos, 1977

Price on Request

pin-up girls by hans peter feldmann

Hans Peter Feldmann

Pin-Up Girls, 1979

Price on Request

untitled (sunday pictures) by hans peter feldmann

Hans Peter Feldmann

Untitled (Sunday Pictures), 1976

Price on Request

bilder books by hans peter feldmann

Hans Peter Feldmann

Bilder Books, 1969

Price on Request

mobil: on the right track by hans haacke

Hans Haacke

Mobil: On the Right Track, 1980

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upstairs at mobil: musings of a shareholder by hans haacke

Hans Haacke

Upstairs at Mobil: Musings of a Shareholder, 1981

Price on Request

glove garden ii by nigel henderson

Nigel Henderson

Glove Garden II, 1958

Price on Request

box 2: selbstverstümmelung: aktion günter brus by kurt kren

Kurt Kren

Box 2: Selbstverstümmelung: Aktion Günter Brus, 1965

Price on Request

munich grass by tony morgan

Tony Morgan

Munich Grass, 1969

Price on Request

action privee - cont. 1975 by gina pane

Gina Pane

Action Privee - cont. 1975, 1975

Price on Request

in oelper scheperts (braunschweiger landschaft mit kasebaumen) by dieter roth

Dieter Roth

In Oelper Scheperts (Braunschweiger Landschaft mit Kasebaumen), 1973

Price on Request

 Richard Saltoun Gallery presents AKTION: CONCEPTUAL ART & PHOTOGRAPHY (1960 – 1980), an exhibition which explores the global Conceptual art movement over two decades of photography, through the work of 26 artists from 13 countries. The presentation investigates different conceptual uses of photography within practices dealing with Feminism, political activism, performance and social critique.   

FEATURED ARTISTS: Eleanor ANTIN, Keith ARNATT, Renate BERTLMANN, Marcel BROODTHAERS, Günter BRUS, James COLEMAN, Ger VAN ELK, Hans-Peter FELDMANN, Robert FILLIOU, Barry FLANAGAN, Hans HAACKE, Nigel HENDERSON, Ed HERRING, John HILLIARD, Kurt KREN, John LATHAM, Roelof LOUW, Ana MENDIETA, Tony MORGAN, Otto MUEHL, Dennis OPPENHEIM, Gina PANE, Liliana PORTER, Dieter ROTH, Rudolf SCHWARZKOGLER, Marie YATES.   


Highlights include…   

Eleanor ANTIN’s 100 BOOTS (1971): Antin travelled the US photographing 100 black rubber boots in different scenarios, as a comment on the displaced people in America. To advertise her photos, she distributed them as postcards in a revolutionary global mail-art project.    

Ger van ELK’s The Co-founder of the Word O.K. (1971): Comprising three photographs taken on Hollywood Boulevard of the artist miming the word ‘O.K’, this work which makes light of tourist attractions, was described by Van Elk as “touristic expressionism”.   

Hans-Peter FELDMANN's Sunday pictures (1976): A dedicated collector of images, Feldmann is famous for grouping found photographs and writing them a new narrative. This work gives a romantic collective meaning to what originally were throw-away images.   

Hans HAACKE’s Upstairs at Mobil (1981): Comprising a photo-etching of images and text across 10 panels, this work voices the artists politically driven satirical exposé of the marketing strategies of oil company Mobil.   

Nigel HENDERSON’s Photograms (all c.1958): Also known as ‘Hendograms’, these rarely exhibited early examples of experimental British photography were made using an enlarger given to Henderson by Eduardo Paolozzi, and the debris he found walking the streets of London’s east end.    

John HILLIARD’s She Observed Her Reflection In The Glass (1976): A triptych of photographs taken inside London’s National Portrait Gallery of Velázquez’s The Rokeby Venus (1647-51) and a woman in the foreground observing the work; playing with ideas around the art object, reflection and gaze.   

Kurt KREN’s Video Stills (1960s-1970s): A collection of highly experimental films of actions and performances by the Austrian pioneer of structural film-making, spanning two-decades.     

Roelof LOUW’s Mirror Fragmentation (1977): A large-format photograph which depicts a broken mirror carefully placed on the floor of an empty room, integrating and expanding the interior architectural space.   

Dennis OPPENHEIM’s Reading Position for Second Degree Burn (1970): Where we see the artist sunbathing for 5 hours, a book placed over his chest, recording the change in his skin tone before and after.   

Rudolf SCHWARZKOGLER’s Aktion mit seinem egenen Korper [Action with one’s own body] (1966): The Viennese Actionist was 25 when he staged this performance, just 4 years before his death. In a sequence of 15 photos he embodies a despairing feeling toward the cruelty of the world. The work belongs to his Aktion series, which also takes the title of the show.    

Marie YATES’ Waterfall Working Islawr-dref (1975): The visual and textual documentation of a journey in the wild, this marks the first time this work has been on public view since 1975, when it was produced for the British Council exhibition "Time Words and the Camera".   

AKTION: CONCEPTUAL ART & PHOTOGRAPHY (1960 – 1980) precedes a presentation of the photographic and video work Voyage to Italy (2008) by the British artist Victor BURGIN, opening 30 August 2018.