Lawrence Weiner

(USA) *1942 in New York; †2021 in New York

At the end of the 1960s, Conceptual Art received international attention. Its emphasis is on the creative idea itself, the realization taking place in the mind of the observer. Lawrence Weiner, one of the most important Conceptual Artists, investigates in his work the possibilities of thematizing, and undermining, traditional concepts of the art work. Here, language or rather text is central to his artistic method, his abstract treatment of text also a reference to the absent or non-existing concrete object of art. Even though Weiner uses language as potential in his work, the subject of his “statements” is often nothing but matter or singular actions or processes. Elsewhere, the subject of the text refers to linguistic translation, punctuation, to shape or colour. Since 1970, Weiner has dedicated himself mainly to wall works in which he strips bare linguistic structures, investigating the metaphorical aspects of language as well as the corporeality of words.