92 Events presents works spanning four decades by American Fluxus artist Ken Friedman. Friedman’s instructional texts navigate a fine line between sculptural proposition, absurdist action, and concrete poetry, as is fitting given his connections to Fluxus, the international movement that developed its anarchic approach to art making from the 1950s through to the present. His exhibition has been devised to be shown in multiple venues across the globe at minimal cost, in the spirit of a movement that eschewed the idea of art having monetary value. Friedman’s playful but profound scores are a welcome respite in this current moment, providing a fitting model for new ways of envisaging how art might function as a mental game where the imagination can roam even if our bodies can’t.
Ken Friedman (1949, New London Connecticut) joined Fluxus in 1966 on the invitation of Fluxus co-founder George Maciunas, as the youngest member of the group. He subsequently worked closely with artists and composers associated with Fluxus such as Dick Higgins, Nam June Paik, John Cage and others. He was instrumental in establishing Fluxus West which was designed as a gathering point for Fluxus-related activities in the western states of America, but also extended its reach to Germany and the UK in the late 1960s and 1970s. In 1971 he participated in New Zealand post-object artist and composer Philip Dadson’s Earthworks a ‘composition’ for film and audiotape realised simultaneously at fifteen locations across the globe. Friedman has pursued an academic career in addition to his art practice and is currently Professor of Design Innovation Studies at Tongji University in Shanghai, China.
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WATCH: Ken Friedman and Philip Dadson discuss the exhibition 92 Events.
Recorded on 24 June, 2020, this conversation brings together two old acquaintances, American-born Swedish Fluxus artist Ken Friedman and New Zealand’s highly-regarded intermedia artist Philip Dadson. Together they reflect on their shared commitments to the anti-materialist and collaborative ethos associated with Fluxus that underpins their six decades of art making, which includes their joint contributions to Dadson’s Earthworks (1971), a ‘composition’ for film and audiotape realised simultaneously at fifteen locations across the globe.
Opening Hours
- Tuesday - Saturday 11am - 5pm
Address
- Victoria University of Wellington
- Gate 3, Kelburn Parade
- Wellington 6012
92 Events presents works spanning four decades by American Fluxus artist Ken Friedman. Friedman’s instructional texts navigate a fine line between sculptural proposition, absurdist action, and concrete poetry, as is fitting given his connections to Fluxus, the international movement that developed its anarchic approach to art making from the 1950s through to the present. His exhibition has been devised to be shown in multiple venues across the globe at minimal cost, in the spirit of a movement that eschewed the idea of art having monetary value. Friedman’s playful but profound scores are a welcome respite in this current moment, providing a fitting model for new ways of envisaging how art might function as a mental game where the imagination can roam even if our bodies can’t.
Ken Friedman (1949, New London Connecticut) joined Fluxus in 1966 on the invitation of Fluxus co-founder George Maciunas, as the youngest member of the group. He subsequently worked closely with artists and composers associated with Fluxus such as Dick Higgins, Nam June Paik, John Cage and others. He was instrumental in establishing Fluxus West which was designed as a gathering point for Fluxus-related activities in the western states of America, but also extended its reach to Germany and the UK in the late 1960s and 1970s. In 1971 he participated in New Zealand post-object artist and composer Philip Dadson’s Earthworks a ‘composition’ for film and audiotape realised simultaneously at fifteen locations across the globe. Friedman has pursued an academic career in addition to his art practice and is currently Professor of Design Innovation Studies at Tongji University in Shanghai, China.
––––––––––––––––
WATCH: Ken Friedman and Philip Dadson discuss the exhibition 92 Events.
Recorded on 24 June, 2020, this conversation brings together two old acquaintances, American-born Swedish Fluxus artist Ken Friedman and New Zealand’s highly-regarded intermedia artist Philip Dadson. Together they reflect on their shared commitments to the anti-materialist and collaborative ethos associated with Fluxus that underpins their six decades of art making, which includes their joint contributions to Dadson’s Earthworks (1971), a ‘composition’ for film and audiotape realised simultaneously at fifteen locations across the globe.
