Press Release
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Dear Peter Amby
It seems to me one of the most amazing things about being an artist is the act of creating something from nothing. While preparing for my exhibition at the gallery two years ago, most of the work was made in situ using the packing crate and other materials in the crate.
By chance and with out much thought, several cardboard pieces sort of made themselves in the process. In a way the artist was not present but merely a vessel moving things around. Since the days of abstract expressionism are long gone, there seems to be this idea of Blankism in a new generation. My thoughts and practices have always been fascinated by Rauschenberg’s "Erased de Kooning" and to me this is the perfect piece of art, both conceptually and post modern. There is no central figure and the eye moves about the paper. The other great part of Rauschenberg is the idea of collage.
And yes I am making fun of Marina Abramovic’s title for her exhibition at MoMA "The Artist is Present". These works of mine combine a sort of Blankness and muteness that reflect the feelings of our generation.
As you know, I am always inspired by music but in this case most of the titles refer to art/artists.
Anyway. One more thing:
The artist is not present is an edition of 7. It costs $50,000 for somebody to pay me not to come to any one if my openings.
It is conceptually fantastic.
Yes NO Maybe
All the best
Michael Bevilacqua 2013
Michael Bevilacqua, Peter Amby Gallery, Copenhagen