In 1978, "Frigo" was initiated as an alternative platform for artistic inquiry, interdisciplinary works and international co-operations between artists. A unique laboratory for art was established in a former cheese dairy and its enormous cold storage room (frigo in French). "Frigo" was more than just a location. Over many years an independent art network grew up with activities which extended far beyond the region of Lyons.
Numerous important contemporary artists working and exhibiting with "Frigo" participated in artist-in-residence programs, at events and performances. Along with McCarthy, Nitsch and Appelt, these included Régine Chopinot, Rotraut Pape, Fabrizio Plessi, Salomé & Castelli, Sarkis and many more.
Many performances were unique at that time and performed explicitly for that location and the video camera and documented accordingly. The imai - inter media art institute has preserved a first selection of works. The foundation will screen the provocative performance "King of France" by Paul McCarthy and "L´Homme en Blanc", by Dieter Appelt performed exclusively for the camera, and one of the rare recordings of Hermann Nitsch: "Action 68" of the "Orgien Mysterien Theater", performed in Florence in 1980.
Today the Frigo archives include more than 150 hours of video art works with own productions, "Artists in Residence" works, concerts, performances and dance. The archive which has hardly been tapped up to now reflects the development of an individual audio-visual expression of form since the 1970s.
The fact that this expression of form has on the one hand continued to develop, but at the same time also serves as a reference to historical video works, is demonstrated by the screening of complementary contemporary video art works by Iris Hoppe, Aki Nakazawa, Marcel Odenbach, Maria Vedder and Jan Verbeek.
They indicate clearly that the medium of video as a form of artistic expression today still offers wide diversity. Some of the works are rich in imagery with an almost film-like narrative and others are performances almost resembling a documentary with clear image composition and poetic sound arrangements. A common thread running through all the works is that they take a subject from everyday life, dissolve the subject and then alienate the subject. This enhances the aesthetic impact and perceptual habits are challenged.
The moving images of the exhibited video art works are contrasted by the limited video still edition, which internationally renowned artists have designed in co operation with the foundation. These include themes by Klaus vom Bruch, Jochen Gerz, Alexander Hahn, Doug Hall, Nan Hoover, Marcel Odenbach, Ulrike Rosenbach, Bill Seaman and Woody Vasulka.
With works by:
Dieter Appelt, Iris Hoppe, Paul
McCarthy, Aki Nakazawa, Hermann Nitsch, Marcel Odenbach, Maria Vedder and Jan
Verbeek
