A few days in Malaga. From the window of the plane mountains (and valleys) covered in snow. While most of Spain suffers freezing temperatures Málaga is surprisingly mild, though it is raining on and off. At the Museo Picasso, Sophie Taeuber-Arp: wonderful, really wonderful. The refinement of patterns and structures which nearly always contain “dissident” elements within compositions. Then Picasso. I rarely think about Picasso. When I do see his paintings and drawings, I am naturally, always astonished. There are some great things here, among them: two small pencil drawings. Almost nothing. Female nudes. Reclining. In each a spontaneous flower like scrawl over the stomach area. Strange things. And, something else to think about, not just Picasso´s colour, but the material too. The materiality of the paintings. The Cathedral has a small museum, in reality just two dimly lit rooms…but at the end of the first room is a Ribera: Saint Peter the hermit: a lovely work, his long flowing beard the light etc. And speaking of the Cathedral, how I would love to see it without any of the paraphernalia: clear it all out, relics, confessionals, paintings, statues and all. I would keep the monumental organ…the only thing worthy of being there. Yesterday, I walked to the Centro de Arte Contempóraneo Málaga where I saw Wilhelm Sasnal again (I saw his exhibition recently in Dusseldorf). This is a completely different show with different works. Mixed feelings, but the odd good painting. Other than that, plenty of wandering the streets, sitting in cafes and restaurants etc (The waiters here are slow and indifferent even when you lose your temper with them – “somos humanos, que espera usted?”). Abundant local Christmas Kitsch everywhere, impossible to escape from it. Crowds that slowly move along the streets oblivious to the rain, spilling out of bars or gathering in clusters to watch street performers. Overkill with Christmas lights in the streets. Smoke everywhere from the roast chestnut stands on every street corner. A shop window display: full of textiles draped to create folds. The whole scene framed by the window creating a "painting", an extraordinary painting. I am reading Eyes Of The Skin by Juhani Pallasmaa, one of those books that expresses so well what one has already thought and experienced in one´s own work – the eyes touch, all our senses, our whole body must be engaged in making or contemplating a painting. I am also reading Wittgenstein’s Nephew by Thomas Bernhard. I admire Thomas Bernhard greatly – his style, his ferocious humour, his constant rant about Austria etc. I hope I can sleep tonight, in this vast hotel. Too much coffee today and too many petty thoughts in my head. Today has been uneventful. Another long lunch. A long siesta followed by a long walk. Tomorrow my journey home.
The main railway station in Köln through the window of the train
Dusseldorf, Friday16th. 9.30 am train to Dusseldorf. Cold again. Hard rain. Took a taxi at Dusseldorf station to the K21 museum to meet Josephine Kelliher my gallerist from Dublin. The taxi driver had no idea where the museum was. He finally left me at the Opera House (hard rain continues). From there I walked. Once I had met Josephine at K21 we saw the Wilhelm Sasnal exhibition. I couldn’t really take it seriously. The “bad” paintings were not bad enough to be convincing. What is “bad” painting anyway? At least, I could see none of the surprises that might arise from doing things in the “wrong” way….whatever that might be! Midday: We met Christoph Wedding, one of the artists who has curated Alpha at the main entrance. A drive out to the suburbs to Pilot Projekt für Kunst to see the second part of the show there. Very nice installation. Michael Müller runs the space. He told me that that there are an estimated 10.000 artists in the Dusseldorf area. Very pleasant afternoon. Lunch with Christoph, Hannes Norberg, Josephine, Jürgen Meyer, and Michael Müller and his partner. I had potato dumplings and beef stewed in what seemed to be vinegar, raisons and beer! Later back to Cologne on an "express train" (just 20 minutes) to see Alpha at Drei Raum für Gegenwartskunst where my painting is installed. Later, two or three openings at other galleries. Here are some installation views of Alpha in both venues, images courtesy of Drei Raum für Gegenwartskunst:
Patrick Michael Fitzgerald
Sebastian Freytag & Martina Klein
Christoph Wedding, Andreas Fischer, Petra Herzog
Petra Herzog & Sebastian Freytag
Christoph Wedding
Paul Drissen
Jane Harris
Isabelle Borges & Feliz Schramm (pilot projekt für kunst e.V., Düsseldorf)
Isabelle Borges, Felix Schramm & Jürgen Meyer (pilot projekt für kunst e.V., Düsseldorf)
Lorenzo Pompa, Hannes Norberg, Isabelle Borges & Felix Schramm (pilot projekt für kunst e.V., Düsseldorf)
Complete images of the show at Drei Raum für Gegenwartskunst & Pilot Projekt für Kunst.
Cologne, Thursday 15th. Cold wind. I leave the Chelsea Hotel where apparently, Martin Kippenberger & co used to go drinking in its bar. Nearly run over by a man in a suit on a bicycle. He seemed to think it was my fault and maybe he was right. “Curried sausage with french fries covered in mayonnaise” standing at a bar table in a small cafe – could only eat a quarter of it. The day is bright -clear blue sky... but the shadows do not lose their impenetrable blackness throughout the day mirrowing the blackened towering forms of the Dom as it reaches into the heavens.
Peter Zumthor’s building itself does not leave one indifferent. Here are a few images I took, the perforations in the exterior walls, the zigzag walkway, a display of relics, shadows on the floor made by a display case and some trees in an exterior area:
