Fridericianum – from a museum to a Kunsthalle
Landgrave Friedrich II did not build a palace of residency at the newly generated parade ground, the Friedrichsplatz in Kassel, but –in the terms of the enlightenment – a public museum in neo-classical style.
The halls on the ground floor hosted a collection of antiques and a „gallery with modern statues“. This gallery consisted of a hall with copies of antiques made out of marble, bronze and plaster and cabinets with displayed statuettes, cameos and vases.
Additionally cabinets with medals, automatons, timepieces and cork reproductions of Roman buildings were on display.
The Beletage domiciled the Hessian county library. Like a splendiferous gallery it reached from one main wing to the other and could actually store over 100.000 books. Both side wings on the upper floor gave access to an etching cabinet, a room for calligraphy and a hall for cartographies, as well as rooms displaying scientific instruments.
On May 23rd 1779, after 10 years of construction, the opening of the first public museum building on the European continent - the museum Fridericianum – was celebrated. Almost thirty years later the youngest brother of Napoleon, Jérôme Bonaparte, by then king of Westphalia, converted the museum into the „Palais des Ètats“, a house of parliament with representation rooms. After his banishment in 1813, the building was turned back into a museum, but then no longer followed the idea of art and science penned by the dynasty, instead now fully concentrated on its museal collection.
But due to the Prussian leadership in 1913 this public service was also shut down and the Fridericianum lost its museal mission. Almost all the collection pieces were transferred to Berlin, the Prussian centre. Henceforth it was a library until it went up in flames in 1941.
A good decade later the ruins of the Fridericianum became the cultural heart of the first documenta exhibition, founded by Arnold Bode in 1955. The successful history of documenta is well-known; its 12th edition just closed the doors on September 12th 2007.
For the development of the Kunsthalle Fridericianum it is of major interest that it is used since 1988 as a space for permanent and temporary art shows which take place in-between the world exhibition documenta. „Kassel does not have to turn off the light anymore after documenta”, like Harald Szeemann used to comment in 1972.
The museum Fridericianum turned into a Kunsthalle in 1988 when Veit Loers, the first artistic director, established this new image with his exhibition Schlaf der Vernunft. This title was of course remarkably chosen, if one considers that it was a confrontation of objects of the time of enlightenment with contemporary art. The transition from a historical building to the young Kunsthalle Museum Fridericianum was created rather smoothly. Exhibitions like Wiener Aktionismus(1988), Italiens Moderne (1990) and Shapes and Positions (1993) as well as presentations of the works of Pierre Soulage (1989), Laszlo Mohlogy-Nagy (1991)or Gustav Klucis (1991) followed.
After documenta X René Block was elected as artistic director and signed responsible for its renaming into Kunsthalle Fridericianum in 2001. He therewith stated the function of the building as an exhibition space for contemporary art. Thematically his focus lied on the internationality of the house in form of a confrontation with the periphery of global art happenings.
Besides the exhibitions which were dedicated to his long-time passion and affiliation to Fluxus, he put major emphasis on theme exhibitions and large-scale group shows, such as Das Lied von der Erde (2000), Looking At You (2001) and In den Schluchten des Balkan (2003). In 2003 he organized a close cooperation with the apexart Curatorial Program New York and therewith opened the Kunsthalle for the next curatorial generation by launching the Kuratorenwerkstatt (curatorial workshop).
Since 2008 Kunsthalle Fridericianum underlies the artistic direction of Rein Wolfs and resumes highly ambitious and fully energetic the new in-between period of contemporary art exhibitions after documenta 12 and König Lustik!? The focus will lay on solo shows of young, international artists dealing with humanity in all its facets, which sometimes also provokes and can be unconventional. Above all it will be the artistic attitudes that shall draw the attention. The social and political background of art shall and will come to the fore.

Minorities, outsiders, troublemakers and other human beings

Art is more important than one thinks and art is less important than one thinks. Primarily important is the tension. As the new artistic director of the Kunsthalle Fridericianum I aim at perceiving and designing the spaces in between the one and the other. One tension already hides in the unique architecture of the Museum Fridericianum, another – and this is even more substantial - in the actual conception of art and culture, and their inherent nature of difference.

Not as program filler in between documenta exhibitions, but as a serious and distinguished formulation of utmost ambition, the Kunsthalle prepares for a restart. As from the fifth of September the neoclassical facade of the oldest public museum on the European continent will regain its function as a mock-up for contemporary and sometimes future-oriented contents, like it happened before during the eras of my predecessors Veit Loers and René Block and during the past twelve documenta exhibitions. This energetic tension between the outside and the inside of this building of 1779 bears at the same time the rare chance to be unique and distinctive.

The Kunsthalle Fridericianum will be presenting art that strives to be ambitious and committed. It shall be human with a spark of grandeur here and there, a pleading for the preconditions of humanity in the 21st century, yet to be defined. This sounds profoundly and then again not, because in its essence it is very common. Artistic positions shall come to the fore, grand gestures, a reflection on the performative and its reassessment and most of all more than just a bit of world. Besides that also art which provocatively celebrates a formalisation in terms of a metaphorical implementation of the artistic existence; less works which seem to be only interested in their own formal practice, but art which strongly believes in its communicative capabilities to speak a human language. Very often this language will be rough, here and there bohemian and sometimes even minimalist, but it always will be somewhat loud, so that it can be heard. The art we aim to present shall believe in the quality of its communicative potential. Though: art which believes? Of course art may also doubt. Important is that an artwork is well-founded and human, yes, maybe even superhuman – and like already mentioned – sometimes a little sublime.

Art does not have to be friendly and shall not at all be comfortable. A Kunsthalle namely is still a place where fragile truths, delicate suggestions and energetically charged provocations meet and converge and where the unconventional finds shelter. It will be quite hard to find luck and happiness in such a space. More likely we will spot abysses and dark profundities in the Fridericianum – or other parallel worlds and not quite tangible domains. Good art is beautiful and yet not beautiful, but always efficacious. Good art quite often has provocative and revolutionary qualities; good art can also be maladjusted.

Art is more important than one thinks, because it reaches far more than one can tell at first sight and art is less important than one thinks, because it is in the end only human and therefore not necessarily extraordinary. Our program will focus on these principles starting with Christoph Büchel who will totally reconstruct the interior of the Fridericianum in September followed by the existential metaphors, symbols and signs of Klara Lidén, Cyprien Gaillard and Marc Bijl in December and, and, and …. The Kunsthalle Fridericianum will first of all be a place for artistic attitudes.

Rein Wolfs
April 2008

Korean Business Directory 1975-76
Published by Christoph Büchel & Kunsthalle Fridericianum on the occasion of the exhibition Deutsche Grammatik of Christoph Büchel, 5 September until 16 November 2008.
Production, distribution: Snoeck Verlagsgesellschaft mbH.
mail(at)snoeck.de; www.snoeck.de.
368 Seiten, Hardcover.
ISBN 978-3-936859-97-3
€ 35,- (at the Kunsthalle Fridericianum)

The Balkans Trilogy
This publication covers the exhibitions, projects and discussions which were realized from 2003 until 2005 in the Kunsthalle Fridericianum in Kassel and many other sites on the Balkans. It does not only contain a documentation of the Balkans Trilogy initiated by René Block, but also theoretical contributions to the Balkans discourse, the new political order of Europe and a narrated chronic of the political and cultural events of the South-eastern countries from 1878 until today. Texts by Marius Babias, René Block, Boris Buden, Barbara Heinrich, Nataša Ilic, Rastko Mocnik and Bojana Pejic. Published by René Block and Marius Babias. Publishing company: Silke Schreiber, München.
2007, German-English edition, various images, Soft-cover, 448 pages.
ISBN 978-3-88960-089-9
€ 35,-

Gerhard Rühm: Weit weg und ganz nah
Catalogue on the occasion of the exhibition Gerhard Rühm. weit weg und ganz nah in the Kunsthalle Fridericianum, 19 March until 14 May 2006. Exhibition concept: René Block and Birgit Eusterschulte.
2006, various images, Soft-cover, 72 pages.
ISBN 3-927015-48-2
€ 8,-

Endre Tót : Semmi sem semmi
Catalogue on the occasion of the exhibition Endre Tót. semmi sem semmi in the Kunsthalle Fridericianum, 19 March until 14 May 2006. Exhibition concept: René Block and Barbara Heinrich. Concept of the catalogue: Endre Tót.
2006, various images, Soft-cover, 74 pages.
ISBN 3-927015-46-6
€ 8,-

Gülsün Karamustafa: Memory of a square
Catalogue on the occasion of the exhibition Gülsün Karamustafa. Memory of a square, Videoworks 2000 – 2005 in the Kunsthalle Fridericianum, 12 April until 14 May 2006. Exhibition concept: René Block.
2006, German-English edition, various images, Soft-cover, 66 pages.
ISBN 3-927015-48-2
€ 8,-

Selbstauslöser (Selftimer)
Catalogue on the occasion of the exhibition Selbstauslöser in the Kunsthalle Fridericianum, 21 December 2005 until 26 February 2006. Preface: René Block and Marketta Seppälä. Exhibition concept: René Block and Birgit Eusterschulte.
Participating artists: Elina Brotherus, Aino Kannisto, Sanna Kannisto, Fanni Niemi-Junkola and Salla Tykkä.
2005, German-English edition, various images, Soft-cover, 144 pages.
ISBN 3-927015-44-X
€ 16.-

Igor & Svetlana Kopystiansky: The Day before Tomorrow
Catalogue on the occasion of the exhibitions Igor & Svetlana Kopystiansky at the University Gallery of the Fine Arts Center, University of Massachusetts in Amherst, 13 September until 30 October 2005 and Igor & Svetlana Kopystiansky: The Day before Tomorrow at the Kunsthalle Fridericianum, 21 December 2005 until 26 February 2006. Realization in Kassel: René Block and Solvej Helweg Ovesen.
Catalogue Editorial: Igor & Svetlana Kopystiansky.
2005, German-English edition, various images, Soft-cover, 119 pages.
ISBN 978-0-929597-1-95
€ 19,-

Kollektive Kreativität/Collective Creativity
Catalogue on the occasion of the exhibition Kollektive Kreativität/Collective Creativity in the Kunsthalle Fridericianum, 1 May until 17 July 2005.
Participating artistic collectives and artists: 3NÓS3, AA Bronson, Allegoric Postcard Union, Pawel Althamer in Collaboration with Artur ?mijewski & Nowolipie Group, Art & Language, B+B, Bankmalbekrau, Joseph Beuys, Bijari, Bokhorov/Gutov/Osmolovsky, Collective Actions, Contra Filé, Escape program, Etcétera…, Flyingcity, Freud’s Dreams Museum, General Idea, Gilbert & George, Gorgona, Group of six Artists, Grupo de Arte Callejero, Gruppo Parole e Immagini, Guerilla Art Action Group, Dmitry Gutov, Irwin, Kleines Postfordistisches Drama, Maj 75, Moscow Portraits, Neue Slowenische Kunst, Oda Projesi, Oho, Pages, Radek Community, The Revolution will not be televised, Mladen Stilinovi?, Škart, Superflex, Taller Popular de Serigrafía, Temporary services & Angelo, Tucumán Arde Archive (Graciela Carnevale), Urucum, Zagreb – Cultural Kapital 3000, What is to be done?
Artistic direction: René Block and Angelika Nollert. Curators: WHAT, HOW & FOR WHOM/WHW.
Texts by Art & Language, Colectivo Situaciones, Charles Esche, Ljiljana Filipovi?, Jon Hendricks, Brian Holmes, Ana Longoni, Viktor Misiano, Angelika Nollert, Suely Rolnik, WHAT, HOW & FOR WHOM/WHW and Stephen Wright.
Publisher: Kunsthalle Fridericianum (René Block), Siemens Arts Program (Angelika Nollert). Publishing company: Revolver – Archiv für aktuelle Kunst, Frankfurt/Main.
2005, German-English edition, Soft-cover, 383 pages.
ISBN 3-86588-089-4
€ 29,-

t.b.c.

4. September – 15. November 2008
Christoph Büchel Deutsche Grammatik

7. Dezember 2008 – 4. Januar 2009
Daniel Knorr Scherben bringen Glück

17. Januar – 15. März 2009
Cyprien Gaillard PRUITT-IGOE FALLS
Klara Lidén NEVER COME BACK
Marc Bijl The simple complexity of it all
+ Rirkrit Tiravanija LESS OIL MORE COURAGE

4. April - 21. Juni 2009
Pawel Althamer Frühling
Micol Assaël Fomuška
+ Rirkrit Tiravanija LESS OIL MORE COURAGE


29. August - 15. November 2009
Meschac Gaba Museum of Contemporary African Art & More
Latifa Echakhch Les sanglots longs


5. Dezember 2009 – 14. Februar 2010
Carlos Amorales Nuevos Ricos
Navid Nuur THE VALUE OF VOID


5. März – 30. Mai 2010
Thomas Zipp Mens sana in corpore sano

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