NOTHINGTOSEENESS – Void/White/Silence

John Cage described the equivalent of silence in the visual arts as “nothingtoseeness” and circumscribes nothingness through seeing and feeling. The “NOTHINGTOSEENESS - Void/White/Silence” exhibition is dedicated to this experience of seeing and the broad spectrum of meanings of the colour white, emptiness and silence.

The works of 75 international artists selected as examples deal with the relationship between material composition and surface and context, tone and silence, fullness and emptiness, complexity and simplicity, meaning and meaninglessness. The artisticaesthetic practices of the 1950s/60s, shaped by monochrome painting, developed simultaneously in exchange between the USA and Europe and are still relevant today.

After art reception shifted to virtual space because of the pandemic, paintings, photographic works, videos, film and sound works, sculptures and site-specific installations can now be explored in the analogue experiential space of the exhibition halls on Hanseatenweg.

Further information and online catalogue at www.nothingtoseeness.de

With works by: Peter Ablinger, Absalon, Frank Badur, Mirosław Bałka, Rosa Barba, Gerhard Bohner, George Brecht, Trisha Brown, Klaus vom Bruch, Günter Brus, John Cage, Enrico Castellani, Rutherford Chang, Max Dax, Ulrike Draesner, Maria Eichhorn, Olafur Eliasson, Ulrich Erben, Ceal Floyer, Lucio Fontana, Sam Francis, Katharina Fritsch, Heinz Gappmayr, Jochen Gerz, Raimund Girke, Eugen Gomringer, Gotthard Graubner, Katharina Grosse, Hans Haacke, Marcia Hafif, David Hammons, Oskar Holweck, Stephan Huber, Alfonso Hüppi, Pierre Huyghe, Ray Johnson, Isaac Julien, Ellsworth Kelly, Per Kesselmar, Astrid Klein, Yves Klein, Harald Klingelhöller, Bernd Koberling, Christina Kubisch, Raimund Kummer, Mark Lammert, Henning Lohner, Inge Mahn, Piero Manzoni, Joseph Marioni, Sara Masüger, Reiner Maria Matysik, Bruce Nauman, Yoko Ono, Roman Opałka, David Ostrowski, Nam June Paik, Otto Piene, Thomas Rentmeister, Bridget Riley, Robert Ryman, Karin Sander, Hanns Schimansky, Michael Schirner, Gregor Schneider, Jan J. Schoonhoven, Nina Schuiki, George Segal, Qiu Shihua, Strawalde, Mark Tobey, James Turrell, Günther Uecker, Timm Ulrichs, Lothar Wolleh

As part of Berlin Art Week
Funded by Gesellschaft der Freunde der Akademie der Künste
Media partners: Berlin Art Link, Cee Cee, Das Filter, Exberliner, Kaltblut Magazine, Mint Magazin, Monopol, Flux FM, Tip Berlin

Events

7 November Peter Ablinger and Brandon LaBelle
Concert and Artist Talk

13 November Showing Black and White – Practices for a Choreographer
Adaptation from Cesc Gelabert after Gerhard Bohner’s works

25 November Literature and NOTHINGTOSEENESS
Reading and Discussion

4 December All or Nothing
Film Programme and Artist Talk

11 December Sound Effects
Closing Event with Concert and Live-Performance

Accompanying the exhibition, a trailer as well as two artist talks with Katharina Grosse and Louisa Hutton on the themes of colour and space (in English) and with Ulrike Draesner and Karin Sander in the exhibition (in German), both moderated by Anke Hervol, are available as videos.