22. 10. 2018, 19.00 pm, Petra Lange-Berndt, Universität Hamburg: Charles Simonds: Clay as a Transformer

Venue: Kunsthaus, Hamburg

In her lecture, Prof. Dr. Petra Lange-Berndt introduces the American artist Charles Simonds (b. 1945) and gives insight into the radical and work of an artist who chose clay as a major tool for his work throughout his life. In the 1970s Simonds was part of the land art movement, but developed his very independent position by not only criticizing the ruthless use of natural resources, but also questioning the gender and nature/culture duality. What is crucial for him until today is the participatory cooperation with diverse communities and his enquiry about the foundations for a functional social community. An outstanding example of his approach are his fictional and utopian miniature cityscapes and dwellings, which he temporarily installed in various urban places around world.

Image: Charles Simonds, Dwellings (East 2nd Street, New York), 1971, clay, sand and wood, (c) Charles Simonds