DENNIS OPPENHEIM - ELECTRIC CITY
Duration: 19.05 - 09.09.2012
Curator: Valerio Dehò
One year after his death, Merano arte will be holding the first memorial exhibition in Italy of the great American artist Dennis Oppenheim.
The name of his native town near Washington, Electric City, seems to anticipate the power, the electrifying, mobilizing force of Oppenheim’s works. The energy flow in his works is the greatest legacy Dennis Oppenheim has left us.
For ten years, starting in the mid 1980s, his works were marked by his studies on establishing a new type of sculpture. Oppenheim had never been keen on repetition. It is discontinuity that distinguishes his works—and lends his entire oeuvre its character.
The works presented in Merano, too, exemplify his decision not to offer the viewer any solid points of reference, but a problematic, yet fascinating view of contemporary art. His interest in symbols and machines led to unusual installations. Covering Land Art, videos, Body Art, and Conceptual Art, Dennis Oppenheim always sought out and found his own personal approach. The only coherent element in his development is the idea of art as an infinite quest.
Displaying ten of his works and a comprehensive video show, the exhibition at Merano arte constitutes an homage to the brilliant irony and creativity of this artist.
The exhibition is a joint project between Amy Plumb Oppenheim from the Oppenheim Studio in New York and Galleria Fumagalli in Bergamo. It is curated by Valerio Dehò.
Catalogue: “Dennis Oppenheim—Electric City”, edited by Valerio Dehò, Grafis Bologna 2012.
In cooperation with:
Dennis Oppenheim Studio, New York
