There is a Criminal Touch to Art

May 7–31, 2015

As part of the OFF-Biennále Budapest in Budapest, which was initiated by group of individuals both as a reflection to the current social political climate in Hungary, as well as a critique, the solo exhibition of Frank Uwe Laysiepen – Ulay is conceptualised around his action ‘There is a Criminal Touch to Art’ in Berlin back in 1976. Besides the fact that the following action is one of the crucial points of Ulay´s artistic engagement, it very directly comments and requestions social and political climate of Germany in the 70´s. The core of the action performed by Ulay in 1976 is an ‘art theft’ of Carl Spitzweg’s painting ‘The Poor Poet’ from the Neue Nationalgalerie. The theft of the “symbol of the German soul” and its installation in a Turkish family’s living room in Kreuzberg (a district in Berlin) is not just a symbolical demonstration of an artis who was against Germany´s identity icons, but gives a very direct comment on the artist´s concern over the difficult situation of immigrants and their families in Germany in the 70s. The exhibition conceived for OFF-Biennále Budapest will be the first in depth presentation of the following action, trying to show it´s different layers, but on the other hand exhibition also strives to show the ethical engagement of Ulay’s artistic practice in general.

Exhibiting artist: Ulay

Curator: Tevž Logar

Venue: Neon Galéria (1065 Budapest, Nagymező utca 47.)

Related event

Talk with Ulay and Tevž Logar

15 May, 2015