A show of the work produced for a revolutionary magazine functions as a mini-museum of the late 20th century (Financial Times; Jul 31, 2001 / By LYNN MACRITCHIE) The magazine Parkett has occupied a unique place in the art world for nearly 20 years. It was founded in 1984 by a group of friends in Zurich who had identified the growing interchange of ideas between artists and writers in Europe and the US. Determined to facilitate this, they established editorial offices in Zurich and New York and published articles in German and English. Crucially, its founders - some of whom are still involved with the magazine today - invited artists to work with them to choose writers, design the layout and the covers and to make specially commissioned, limited-edition work to be offered for sale to subscribers. Beautiful Productions, which originated at the Museum of Modern Art in New York earlier this year and is now at the Whitechapel Gallery, is an exhibition of those works. As such, it functions as a museum in miniature of work by a cross-section of some of the most influential artists of the late 20th century. Artists invited to collaborate with Parkett can make work on pages bound into the magazine itself which are then issued as separate printed editions, or make three-dimensional work of any kind which can be posted to subscriber buyers. The array of some 120 objects and specially designed pages now displayed at the Whitechapel provides a fascinating parade of the art world's shifting fashions and rising and falling stars. When the magazine first appeared, neo-expressionist painting was big, and the Italian Enzo Cucchi - whose paintings were later infamously dumped by Charles Saatchi - was the first to contribute, with a fairly traditional aquatint and drypoint of an odd, blasted landscape threatened by a hovering black shape. He was followed by the German Sigmar Polke, the first of three invitations. His ever-varying interventions - the first in 1984 a series of photographs, much worked over to become almost abstract images; the second in 1991 a found image of an illustration of some cutlery computer-printed on vinyl over a stretcher, its title punning on a German tongue twister, and the third in 1994 a special volume of the magazine made of overprinted sheets bound together at random - exemplifies the growing tendency of artists to use the Parkett commission to experiment with work which addresses the nature of the magazine itself and the particular relationship with an audience it can offer. The two contributions by Jeff Koons are excellent examples of an artist who was able to address both his own interests and the business of contributing to the small-scale limited-edition format. His "Signature Plate" of 1989 is a porcelain plate printed with a signed photograph of the handsome artist smiling in a winsome embrace with an equally handsome pig. The limited-edition format here fits perfectly with Koons' fascination with the kitsch objects sold as signed editions by mass-market specialists such as Franklin Mint. In 1997, he solved the problem of making a piece which was of the same scale as his large sculptures while being small enough to be posted to buyers. He designed a balloon which inflates to become a striking acid yellow flower-like shape, at least 5ft tall and sporting a perky, phallic stamen. This inevitable process of miniaturisation does not serve all artists equally. Alex Katz's "Black Pond" of 1989, while a beautiful enough woodcut, seems to be just that, lacking the ironic twist which the large scale of his paintings gives to their deceptively banal subjects. Others, however, manage to make monumental work even in this restricted arena. Felix Gonzales Torres' 1994 contribution, a series of black and white photocopies, assembles into one of his signature billboard-size photographs, here of footprints in the sand. Rebecca Horn's exquisite "Swan Ladder" of 1994, a swan's feather and a vial of ink in a glass box, has all the power of her large installations in a container not much bigger than the magazine itself. The 30-minute segment of Bruce Nauman's video installation "Violent Incident - Man-Woman" of 1986 packs just as much visceral punch as its multi-screen version, one of which is in the Tate collection. And some positively benefit from the small scale - James Turrell's 1990 aquatints capture the initial wonder of his fascination with light which his installations have slightly lost since they have been copied in designer bars and interiors. Upstairs and in the hallway and cafe are examples of work from The Multiple Store and Counter Editions, two British organisations. The first is a virtual shop coordinated from Central St Martins college, the second an internet company which also commissions original work for sale. While both have good pieces by big-name artists - Counter Editions offers Gary Hume, Chris Ofili, Tracey Emin and Sarah Lucas, and the Multiple Store has Rose Finn Kelcey and Alison Wilding - for the moment both concentrate purely on selling work. By publishing critical writing as well as commissioning work, however, Parkett has been able to fulfil its original ideal of providing a vehicle for the cross-fertilisation of ideas for ideas' sake. Part of this lies in its commissioning work by artists from several generations. The latest edition features collaborations with the distinguished British painter Bridget Riley; young American painter Sarah Morris; British artist, writer and critic Liam Gillick and the young British-born painter Matthew Ritchie, who now lives in New York. This is a perfect example of the cross-generational, cross-disciplinary, transglobal exchange by which Parkett honours the past while enabling artists to map out the future. 'Beautiful Productions'. Whitechapel Art Gallery, London E1. Until August 10 |
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