Dia Art Foundation strikes a perfect balance in pairing the late German conceptualist Hanne Darboven with Kishio Suga, founder of Mono-ha (School of Things) and Japan’s foremost sculptor in the latter's first solo museum exhibition in the US. Both are closely aligned to cultural and societal movements that defined the 1960s and 70s, a period that saw the emergence of post-minimalism, land art and arte povera, and a focus of Dia’s collection.
Hanne Darboven’s Kulturgeschichte 1880–1983, a reinstallation of her magnum opus, consists of 1,590 sheets in a grid formation. Filtering personal history alongside a sweeping record of historical events, weaving in cultural and social issues of the day, Darboven used everyday objects, found materials, photographs and newsworthy items such as Der Spiegel covers with 19 strategically placed sculptural elements.
'Kulturgeschichte 1880–1983', by Hanne Darboven
Darboven referred to herself as a writer, but dismantled the written word. She devised Konstruktionen, a series of complex linear numeric concepts (influenced by her musical training) used as a non-descriptive artificial language for transcribing words. Darboven’s inventiveness didn’t stop there. Concerns with time and space lead to the formation of patterned text images handwritten in a cursive script, a u-shaped letter, repeated multiple times.
Next door, Kishio Suga’s Law of Halted Space (2016) is a commissioned, site-specific installation that responds to the building’s natural surroundings. A group of wooden rods of varying height spaced irregularly are bound with steel to create an interdependent stable network. Arranged to resemble a labyrinth, visitors can duck under for a meditative walkthrough. Earlier works show Suga’s concern with balance in countering external forces and his use of elemental materials.
Kulturgeschichte 1880–1983, by Hanne Darboven. © 2016 Hanne Darboven Foundation, Hamburg/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. New York. Courtesy of Dia Art Foundation, New York
Kulturgeschichte 1880–1983, by Hanne Darboven
Law of Halted Space, by Kishio Suga, 2016
Left, Diagonal Phase, by Kishio Suga, 1969/2012. Right, Space Transformation, by Kishio Suga, 1968
Kulturgeschichte 1880–1983, by Hanne Darboven
INFORMATION
’Hanne Darboven: Kulturgeschichte 1880–1983’ and ’Kishio Suga’ are on view until 29 July 2017. For more information, visit the Dia:Chelsea website
ADDRESS
Dia:Chelsea
541 and 545 West 22nd St
New York, NY 10011
-
SMAC Venice hosts a substantial show about celebrated Australian modernist Harry SeidlerA comprehensive overview of the life and work of the late architect Harry Seidler helped inaugurate Venice’s new SMAC gallery in Piazza San Marco
-
Sex, scent and celebrity: what perfume ads of the 2000s reveal about consumer culture todayIn All-American Ads of the 2000s, the latest instalment of Taschen’s book series chronicling print advertising across ten decades, a section on perfume is a striking precursor for consumerism in the age of social media
-
Shola Branson draws from the antique and modern for his must-have jewellery piecesShola Branson's jewellery in SMO gold combines a range of eclectic influences
-
Technology, art and sculptures of fog: LUMA Arles kicks off the 2025/26 seasonThree different exhibitions at LUMA Arles, in France, delve into history in a celebration of all mediums; Amy Serafin went to explore
-
Inside Yinka Shonibare's first major show in AfricaBritish-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare is showing 15 years of work, from quilts to sculptures, at Fondation H in Madagascar
-
Inside Kyotographie, Japan’s world-renowned photography festivalKyotographie 2025 embraces the theme ‘Humanity’ in Kyoto – Amah-Rose Abram reports with the highlights, from major and emerging photographers
-
Inside Jack Whitten’s contribution to American contemporary artAs Jack Whitten exhibition ‘Speedchaser’ opens at Hauser & Wirth, London, and before a major retrospective at MoMA opens next year, we explore the American artist's impact
-
Frieze Sculpture takes over Regent’s ParkTwenty-two international artists turn the English gardens into a dream-like landscape and remind us of our inextricable connection to the natural world
-
'I’m So Happy You Are Here': discover the work of Japanese women photographersSubtitled ‘Japanese Women Photographers from the 1950s to Now’, this new monograph from Aperture is a fascinating insight into a critically overlooked body of work
-
Deathmatch wrestling’s behind-the-scenes moments and bloody gloryA new limited-edition book explores the intersection between art and deathmatch wrestling at a sold-out show held in Tokyo
-
Harlem-born artist Tschabalala Self’s colourful ode to the landscape of her childhoodTschabalala Self’s new show at Finland's Espoo Museum of Modern Art evokes memories of her upbringing, in vibrant multi-dimensional vignettes
