"Cage, Tsangaris, a.o."
KOLUMBA archbishopric museum of art, Cologne, Germany
01. 09. 1997 - 30. 01. 1998
Artists: John Cage, Herbert Falken, Jeremias Geisselbrunn, Leiko Ikemura, Manos Tsangaris
After half a year of exploring the site of St. Kolumba and the excellent results of the competition for the new building for the museum which was won by the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, in part 10 of our Reencounter with the Unknown we will focus upon a composer, whose works have been played at our concerts. We are now showing the American John Cage (1912-1992) as an artist with two groups of works: Twelve Wild Edible Drawings from August 1990, handmade papers with blossoms, leaves and seeds of manifold wild growing, edible plants such as sorrel, clover, burdock, honeysuckle and hibiscus flowers have been composed according to twelve different recipes. These (edible) drawings which remind us of forest soil and juicy green meadows have been compiled following the rules of I-Ging and thus equally adhere both to the rules of a strictly-ordered work and to the random chance of different combinations. A key work for John Cages aesthetic and conceptual thinking is the series On the Surface consisting of 35 parts which were carried out from 1980-82. Also composed according to the rules of the I-Ging, these colour etchings formed the basis for the composition Thirty Pieces. They connect visual and musical works and convey the nature of John Cages works: a game including all the senses and concerning what is permanent and what is changing, about emptiness and its intrinsic abundance. At the same time, we will have the Marble Maze by the drummer, composer, author and draughtsman Manos Tsangaris, (b. 1956) who lives in Cologne. The elaborate realisation of his musical-sculptural machine has been our contribution to this years Triennale. With the presentation of his early large format drawing Supporting Beam, on display in the same room as the Erp Crucifix we congratulate Herbert Falken on the occasion of his 65th birthday.
KOLUMBA
Archbishopric museum of art
Kolumbastraße 4
50667 Cologne, Germany
tel +49 (0)221 933193-0
fax +49 (0)221 933193-33
mail@kolumba.de