Peter Friedl

Peter Friedl (* 1960 in Oberneukirchen ) is an Austrian conceptual artist . He took part in Documenta X in 1997 and represented Austria at the 48th Venice Art Biennale in 1999 . He achieved particular fame in 2007 for his work Zoo Story at documenta 12 , which showed a stuffed giraffe from a Palestinian zoo that died during the Second Intifada .

life and work

Peter Friedl left Austria in 1982 at the age of 22. After that he lived near Venice , Argentina and Vienna, among others .

His works can best be classified as conceptual art. While the subjects of his work are consistently political, he refuses to take a direct stance on the questions raised. This detachment is reinforced by the ironic expression. For example, during the 1993 Venice Biennale , Friedl installed 400 posters around the Giardini Publicci exhibition space with the inscription I survived the German Pavilion . In the German pavilion, the installation “Germania” by Hans Haacke , who smashed the stone floor of the pavilion and thus addressed the fragility of German culture, was on view. The pavilion was rebuilt in 1938 by Ernst Haiger in the neoclassical style. By using the word survive , which in the context of the Nazi era in English is primarily reserved for Holocaust survivors , Friedl broke a subtle taboo . The artist himself saw in it only a “lovingly critical questioning of Haacke's righteousness”.

Friedl made his breakthrough in the art world in 1997 when he took part in the Documenta with the works Kino and Dummy . For cinema he had the illuminated letters "Kino" affixed to the new exhibition hall of the documenta on Friedrichsplatz . The installation Dummy was in a shop window in a pedestrian underpass next to the people 's boutique operated by Christine Hill . A video was shown in which a man (Friedl himself) tried in vain to pull cigarettes out of a machine . The man gets angry about his failure, pushes and kicks the machine, and turns away. A junkie standing next to him tries in vain to sniff at the man. The junkie gets mad at his failure and kicks the man.

Friedl lives and works in Berlin , but has given his place of residence as " in situ " for several years .

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions (selection)

• 2008: Peter Friedl - Working , Kunsthalle Basel .
• 2006: Peter Friedl - Work 1964–2006 , MACBA , Barcelona. The exhibition was also shown at Miami Art Central and the Musée d'Art Contemporain de Marseille .
• 2004: Peter Friedl - Out of the Shadows , Witte de With , Rotterdam.
• 2004: Peter Friedl: Four or Five Roses , Frankfurter Kunstverein , Frankfurt am Main.
• 2002: Peter Friedl , Society for Contemporary Art , Bremen. The exhibition was also shown in Luxembourg and Cape Town .
• 1999: Peter Friedl , Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (NBK).
• 1994: Peter Friedl - drawings , Museum of Modern Art , Passau.

Participation in group exhibitions (selection)

• 2017 documenta 14 , Kassel
• 2008: Familiar Terrain - Current Art in and about Germany , ZKM , Karlsruhe.
• 2008: Bildpolitiken , Salzburger Kunstverein, Salzburg .
• 2007: documenta 12 , Kassel. The work The Zoo Story , the video installation Tiger or Lion and children's drawings by Friedl from 1964–1972 were shown.
• 2007: A theater without theater , MACBA , Barcelona and Berardo Museum, Lisbon .
• 2006: 2nd International Biennial of Contemporary Art , Seville.
• 2006: play station , Sprengel Museum , Hanover.
• 2005: On the presentation of terror: The RAF exhibition , Kunst-Werke Berlin .
• 2004–2005: THE GOVERNMENT - How do we want to be governed? , shown at MACBA , Barcelona, ​​then at Miami Art Central, Miami , at the Wiener Secession, Vienna , and at Witte de With , Rotterdam.
• 2004: summer retreat. Artist videos with esprit , Hamburger Kunsthalle .
• 2003: Forms of Organization , shown at the HGB Leipzig and in the art space of the University of Lüneburg .
• 2003: based upon TRUE STORIES , Witte de With , Rotterdam.
• 2002: non-places , Frankfurter Kunstverein , Frankfurt am Main.
• 2002: Painting without painting , Museum of Fine Arts , Leipzig.
• 2000–2001: Au-delà du spectacle / Let's Entertain / Art Makes Fun , shown in the Center Pompidou , Paris, in the Walker Art Center , Minneapolis, in the Wolfsburg Art Museum , as well as in Miami and Portland .
• 2000: Play-use , Witte de With , Rotterdam.
• 2000: Governmentality , Alte Kestner Gesellschaft, Hanover .
• 2000: things we don't understand . Generali Foundation, Vienna .
• 1999: Austrian Pavilion , 48th Venice Biennale , Venice.
• 1999: Pink for boys, light blue for girls , NGBK , Berlin.
• 1998: Do all Oceans have walls? , Society for Contemporary Art , Bremen.
• 1997: Documenta X , Kassel.

Web links

• Literature by and about Peter Friedl in the catalog of the German National Library
• Peter Friedl on kunstaspekte.de
• Peter Friedl at the Meyer Kainer Gallery, Vienna.
• Materials by and about Peter Friedl in the documenta archive

Individual evidence

1. ↑ artnet Questionnaire: Where is Peter Friedl? . In: artnet Magazin, July 5, 2007. Available online (Retrieved June 4, 2008.)
2. ^ Code in Venice . In: Der Spiegel . No. 27 , 1993 ( online ).
3. ↑ Peter Friedl - Working , Kunsthalle Basel, January 18 - March 30, 2008. Curated by Adam Szymczyk. Catalog under the title Working at Copan / Trabalhando no Copan published by Sternberg Press, Berlin 2007. ISBN 978-1-933128-37-5 . Peter Friedl - Working ( Memento from June 11, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (Retrieved May 28, 2008.)
4. ↑ Gerrit Gohlke: Approaches to the way out . Discussion of the Peter Friedl exhibition in the Kunsthalle Basel. In: Artnet Magazin from February 7, 2008. Available online (Accessed May 28, 2008.)
5. ↑ Peter Friedl - Work 1964–2006 , Museu d´Art Contemporani de Barcelona, ​​May 26th - September 3rd, 2006. Curated by Bartomeu Marí. Catalog under the title Theory of Justice published by MACBA, Barcelona 2006. ISBN 84-89771-26-X . Available online (Retrieved May 28, 2008)
6. ↑ Peter Friedl - Out of the Shadows , Witte de With, Rotterdam, November 7, 2004 - January 9, 2005. OUT OF THE SHADOWS ( Memento from January 15, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (Retrieved May 28, 2008.)
7. ^ Peter Friedl: Four or Five Roses , Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt am Main, January 28 - March 14, 2004. Catalog published by Lukas & Sternberg, New York 2004. ISBN 0-9726806-8-3 . Peter Friedl: Four or Five Roses ( Memento from May 27, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) (Retrieved May 28, 2008.)
8. ↑ Peter Friedl . Society for Current Art, Bremen, March 10 - April 21, 2002. Catalog published by Revolver, Frankfurt am Main 2001, ISBN 3-934823-49-1 . Available online ( memento of the original from October 15, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved May 28, 2008.) 
9. ^ Casino Luxembourg - Forum d'Art Contemporain, Luxembourg. December 15, 2001 - February 24, 2002.
10. ^ Institute for Contemporary Art, Capetown, May 1 - May 21, 2002.
11. ↑ Peter Friedl , NBK - Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, January 16 - February 28, 1999. Available online (Accessed May 30, 2008.)
12. ↑ Peter Friedl - Drawings , Museum Moderner Kunst Passau, December 2, 1994 - January 22, 1995. Available online ( Memento of the original from June 10, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Accessed May 30, 2008.) 
13. ↑ Familiar Terrain - Current Art in and About Germany . ZKM Karlsruhe, May 22nd - September 21st, 2008. Curated by Gregor Jansen and Thomas Thiel. Available online  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Accessed May 30, 2008.)  
14. ^ Bildpolitiken , Salzburger Kunstverein, April 24 - July 6, 2008. Curated by Hemma Schmutz. Available online (Accessed May 30, 2008.)
15. ^ Documenta 12 , Kassel. June 16 - September 23, 2007. About the works by Peter Friedl shown on the official documenta blog: Available online ( Memento of the original from September 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Accessed May 30, 2008) 
16. ↑ A theater without theater , MACBA (Barcelona), May 25 - September 11, 2007. Curated by Bernard Blistène and Yann Chateigné. Catalog published by MACBA / Fundaçao de Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Lisbon 2007. ISBN 978-84-89771-50-5 . Available online (Accessed May 30, 2008.)
17. ^ A theater without theater . Museu Colecção Berardo (Lisbon), November 16, 2007 - February 17, 2008. Available online (Accessed May 30, 2008).
18. ↑ 2 ^o Bienal Internacional de Arte Contemporánde der Sevilla (BIACS 2) , October 26, 2006 - January 8, 2007. Curated by Okwui Enwezor . Catalog under the title The Unhomely: Phantom Scenes in Global Society published by BIACS, Sevilla 2006. ISBN 8-493-48793-7 . Available online (Retrieved June 2, 2008)
19. ↑ play station , Sprengel Museum Hannover. MUSEUM, March 5 - July 2, 2006. Catalog edited by Gabriele Sand, Hanover 2006. Available online (accessed June 2, 2008.)
20. ↑ On the presentation of terror: The RAF exhibition . KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin, January 30th - May 16th, 2005. Curated by Klaus Biesenbach , Ellen Blumenstein and Felix Ensslin . Catalog published by Steidl, Göttingen 2005. ISBN 3-86521-102-X . Available online  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved June 2, 2008.)  
21. ↑ How do we want to be governed? , Museu d´Art Contemporani de Barcelona, ​​2004. Curated by Roger Buergel and Ruth Noack. Available online (Retrieved May 27, 2008)
22. ↑ How do we want to be governed? (Figure and Ground) , Miami Art Central. Curators: Roger Buergel and Ruth Noack. November 29, 2004 - January 30, 2005. Catalog How Do We Want to Be Governed? Figure and Ground published by Miami Art Central, 2005.
23. ^ THE GOVERNMENT - Heavenly Spaces of Action Vienna Secession, Vienna, February 24 - April 24, 2005. Curated by Roger Buergel and Ruth Noack. Available online ( memento of the original dated June 4, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved May 19, 2008.) 
24. ↑ Be what you want but stay where you are . Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam. April 29 - June 19, 2005. Curated by Ruth Noack and Roger M. Buergel. Witte de With presents from April 29 till June 19 the exhibition? Be what you want but stay where you are? ( Memento of November 2, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (Retrieved May 22, 2008.)
25. ↑ Summer vacation. Artist videos with Esprit , Hamburger Kunsthalle, July 25 - October 31, 2004. Curated by Frank Barth and Dirck Möllmann. Available online ( memento of the original from January 23, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved June 2, 2008.) 
26. ^ Forms of Organization , Gallery of the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig, April 11 - May 10, 2003. Available online (accessed on June 3, 2008).
27. ^ Forms of Organization , Kunstraum der Universität Lüneburg, July 9th - July 24th 2003. Curated by Roger M. Buergel and Ruth Noack. Available online (Accessed June 3, 2008)
28. ↑ based upon TRUE STORIES , Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, January 23 - March 30, 2003. Curated by Catherine David and Jean-Pierre Rehm. based upon TRUE STORIES ( Memento of March 9, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (Retrieved June 3, 2008.)
29. ^ Non-places , Frankfurter Kunstverein, February 16-28, 2002. Catalog published by Lukas & Sternberg, New York 2002. ISBN 978-0-9711193-3-8 . Available online ( Memento of the original from May 27, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved June 3, 2008.) 
30. ↑ Painting without painting , Museum of Fine Arts Leipzig, 2002. Catalog published by Seemann, Berlin 2002. ISBN 3-363-00763-9 .
31. ^ Au-delà du spectacle , Center Pompidou, Paris, November 22, 2000 - January 8, 2001. Curated by Bernard Blistène. Available online (Accessed June 3, 2008)
32. ↑ Play - use , Witte de With - Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, July 9 - September 24, 2000. PLAY USE ( Memento of February 6, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (Retrieved June 3, 2008.)
33. ↑ governmentality , Austrian cultural program for EXPO 2000, Alte Kestner Gesellschaft, Hanover, June 7th - July 30th, 2000. Curated by Roger M. Buergel and Ruth Noack. Available online ( memento of the original from January 9, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved May 27, 2008.) 
34. ↑ Things We Don't Understand . Generali Foundation Vienna, January 28 - April 16, 2000. Curated by Roger Buergel and Ruth Noack. Catalog published by Generali Foundation, Vienna 2000. ISBN 3-901107-26-6 . Available online ( memento of the original from December 21, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved April 20, 2008.) 
35. ↑ Pink for boys, light blue for girls , Neue Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst Berlin, May 1 - June 13, 1999. Catalog published by NGBK, Berlin 1999. ISBN 3-926796-58-8 .
36. ↑ Do all oceans have walls? , Society for Contemporary Art Bremen, May 17 - July 26, 1998. Curated by Horst Griese. Catalog published by All Oceans eV, Bremen 1998. ISBN 3-926865-18-0 . Do all Oceans Have Walls? ( Memento of October 15, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (Retrieved October 8, 2019.)