For Yves Klein the act of showing up was everything. His presence created the art and in so doing he created remarkable events. Invoking the spirit of Yves Klein — for surely he will be present in that form at tomorrow night’s After Hours party in honor of his retrospective — here are a few ghosts of Walker opening parties with some magical moments of their own. (Click on images for a larger view.)
Below is the ‘Party Room’ Otto Piene designed for the exhibition Light / Motion / Space in 1967.
We are not entirely sure what is going on here but believe that the audience would transmit light
through the space under the hair-dryer-like hoods and thus become part of the artwork as well.
Marcel Duchamp (and martini) creates a memorable image of himself with his ready-made
“Bicycle Wheel” (1913), at the opening of Not Seen and/or Less Seen of/by Marcel Duchamp/
Rrose Selavy, just over 45 years ago, in October 1965.
Ben Vautier and Larry Miller capture the audience’s full attention during a performance
of Rene Koering’s “Concerto for Fluxus and Boulez” at the opening of In the Spirit of
Fluxus, 1993.
And at February, 2000 opening for Let’s Entertain, patrons wearing animal costumes
titled Peter Friedl (1998) by Peter Friedl became part of the installation “these restless
minds” by Doug Aitken.
Photo credits
Marcel Duchamp and Party Room designed by Otto Piene: Eric Sutherland for Walker Art Center
Ben Vautier and Larry Miller: Courtesy Walker Art Center
Doug Aitken installation: Dan Dennehy for Walker Art Center
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