Berthold Reiß
Paradise
Sat, 22 Apr 2017, 3 pm
In 1928, when discussing the Orient Wilhelm Worringer spoke of “the finite only in the infinite”. The murals that Berthold Reiß drafted as prototypes in 2017 present tangible forms on a dark background. Paradise offers up this counterfactual perspective as communication. In 2010 Angelika Neuwirth described the paradise that can be found in the Koran as “the restoration of lost communication”.
In the introduction to his artistic practice (3 pm) Berthold Reiß presents his work as public art. Some of his sculptures represent monumental buildings that, without the changing of public spaces themselves, are unthinkable in the public sphere. That these sculptures appear only as illustrations underscores this possibility.
In contrast to this, the exhibition itself is made up of original artworks from other artists. They remain present in Site Visit and stand for a real beginning. Berthold Reiß relates to Robert Crotla, Sebastian Dacey, Mani Hammer and Anne Rößner in a different manner to that of his public art. This reference stretches from living together to opposition.
An excursion (4 pm) transfers an impression of unity found within the Orient to Freiburg. In Turkey, Berthold Reiß exhibited Üçüncü, Das Dritte (The Third) at the 2014 Sinop Biennale. What is this third that connects a glass window from the middle ages with a modern fashion store?
The artist’s talk Paradise (6 pm) displays the European appropriation of Islam as a perspective within which the project of modernity re-emerged anew. With regard to the speech itself, Ayşe Polat’s comment “It is like an abstract picture”, made in reference to another talk held by Reiß in Istanbul, is befitting. This particular talk will also be made available as part of Site Visit in the form of the publication relief.