New and used furniture, handwritten newspapers, and carefully made copies of paintings and sculptures are some of the things encountered in Today we can talk but we can't talk today, an exhibition that reflects a series of conversations among people, institutions, sites, and situations. One-on-one discussions between Stockholm-based artist Bernd Krauss and seven young curators are at the root of the independent yet interrelated projects presented here. Threading through each are questions about the nature of relationships between artists and curators, and about the traditional divisions of labor involved in making and exhibiting art. Krauss’s previous work—including paintings, sculptures, videos, and institutional interventions—marks a point of departure for these projects, as does an interest in the historical context of the Byrdcliffe Art Colony, founded in Woodstock in 1903.
The artisans in residence at Byrdcliffe at the turn of the last century made works in ceramics, textiles, metalwork, and furniture that emphasized Arts and Crafts values of harmonious forms and careful craftsmanship. This legacy is refracted in the fragments of local history collected and resituated within the gallery. Furniture is a recurring theme in the projects developed for the space, as is an emphasis on varied types of performance. Two armchairs, a rug, and a lamp mark the focal point of a domestic stage set that gives the notion of “meeting to talk” a visual form. Additional seating in the center of the gallery accommodates musical performances and other events while invoking a theatrical space, a church, or a library. An improvised, changing selection of books and photocopied texts inspired by the Guild’s educational and historic mission are tucked among the chairs. Visitors are invited to make the exhibition their own by perusing the library, moving chairs, and using the stage as a space for quiet reflection, for conversation, and for action. In this environment, the separation of historic preservation, educational programs, musical performances, and contemporary art exhibitions stands on loose ground, as does the division between audience and institution.
Archival impulses and an interest in documentary practices drive a number of projects presented here. A traditional museum vitrine houses classified objects related to the planning and production of the exhibition alongside fabricated newspapers offering dated news on Krauss’s residency at the Center for Curatorial Studies at
Today we can talk but we can't talk today presents the paradox of an artist in residence and in absentia. Bernd Krauss’s artistic methodology resists traditional modes of working and instead conjures other collaborative models. A video remixing a previous interview about Krauss and his work underlines the singular characteristics of his practice and makes fiction into an informative tool. Likewise, a group of paintings and sculptures included in the gallery are in fact copies of Krauss's previous work, recreated by one of the curators of the exhibition. This playful role-reversal puts the spotlight on notions of authenticity: the artist's own interest in recycling and in catalyzing situations or events is duplicated by the curators, who in turn become his collaborators, co-organizers, and even imitators. These give-and-take, push-and-pull relationships are part of a dialogue between artists and curators, producers and audiences, and places and ideas—all conversations that are meant to spark new discussions, and to invite play and exploration.
Bernd Krauss is currently artist-in-residence at the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College (CCS Bard). He is based in Nuremberg and Stockholm. Recent projects include 7ShopsaWeek at Whitechapel Gallery,
For more information about Krauss’s work please visit berndkrauss.blogspot.com; for updates about activities related to his residency at CCS Bard please visit www.bard.edu/ccs/.
Today we can talk but we can't talk today is curated by seven first-year graduate students at the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College—Laura Barlow, Sarah Demeuse, Ozge Ersoy, Ginny Kollak, Daniel Mason, Mackenzie Schneider, and Andrea Torreblanca—in collaboration with Bernd Krauss. They are assisted by Niko Vicario, CCS Bard curatorial fellow; Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, CCS Bard curator-in-residence; and Carla T. Smith and Susan E. Schonhorn, Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild executive director and program director.
