Olaf Metzel
The Large Piece of Turf
Contemporary Art in the Public Domain
Curators Raimar Stange and Florian Waldvogel
06.05.2006 – 09.07.2006
An Exhibition Organised by the City of Nuremberg and the German Football Association
For further information please contact the City of Nuremberg Cultural Department, Annekatrin Fries, phone 49 (0) 911 231-2369, or the exhibition office with project directors Andreas Wissen, phone 49 (0) 911 231-7026 or Christel Paßmann, phone 49 (0) 911 231-6854.
The exhibition “The Large Piece of Turf Contemporary Art in the Public Domain” is the central cultural project organised by the World Cup City of Nuremberg. The concept worked out by curators, Raimar Stange (Berlin) and Florian Waldvogel (Frankfurt on Main/Rotterdam) is based on three “back players”: first of all, there is the question what the public domain means in our times of neo-liberal globalisation. Then, secondly. there will be the consideration of the quality of art in the public domain, and thirdly an aesthetic reflection on Nuremberg’s historical and architectural situation. All this will be displayed on the backdrop of football. 10 international artists were invited to work out new concepts especially for this exhibition.
Thus, Rirkrit Tiravanija, conceived a “Cookery Book for Half Time” which will be on sale in the city’s bookshops public domain thus presenting itself as a commercial domain. Olaf Nicolai will install three spherical “Pavilions” which on the one hand will be abstract accents, on the other hand will invite viewers to join in one-a-side football matches. Olaf Metzel’s 17 metre sculpture “Auf Wiedersehen” (“Farewell”) will envelope an old fountain in Nuremberg’s city centre with about 700 old stadium seats, thus creating an exciting and intense dialogue between history and the present day.
Romanian artist, Dan Perjovschi, will act as “Nuremberg Artist in Residence” with his work “Lets try Football, my foot!” during the exhibition period, and Neville Gabie will present photographs from his publication “Posts”, and other photographs of improvised goal posts he has taken in Nuremberg, on 12 large billboards in the public domain.
Uri Tzaig’s video “staring”, with two teams playing with two (!) balls, playing rather than competing with each other, will be screened on four public transport busses. Jonathan Monk’s double sculpture “Altered to Suit (Sol LeWitt incomplete open cube 6/23, 1974)”, two powder-coated aluminium goals, are put up 105 metres apart (the length of a football pitch) and are reminiscent both of US American Minimal Art and of out-of-shape football goals.
Finally Silke Wagner will install an 8 x 12 metres neon installation on one of the old towers of the medieval city wall. Her work “When Saturday Comes” will include portraits of Diego Maradona and others, as well as symbols from the world of football, “highlighting” (in the truest sense of the word) some critical aspects of this sport.
The catalogue, too, will incorporate the interface between the public domain, sport and art. It is based on the concept of a city guide, and will comprise essays on urban life, on football, the World Cup, Nuremberg, and, of course, texts on the artists and on the works they created for Nuremberg. Included stickers with illustrations of the works of art will underline its function as a “football book”.
For further information please contact the City of Nuremberg Cultural Department, Annekatrin Fries, phone 49 (0) 911 231-2369, or the exhibition office with project directors Andreas Wissen, phone 49 (0) 911 231-7026 or Christel Paßmann, phone 49 (0) 911 231-6854.
