On Art und Netart in Frankfurt 1996 - 2002

Deutsch sprechende könne auch meinen Artikel "2500fps" lesen. With the outlook of Manifesta 4 happening next year in Frankfurt it might be necessary to make some critical remarks and investigations into the nature of exhibition making. As this is just a starter it was a starter, too, that London based artist David Goldenberg staged his three days seminar "arts future requirements" at local artspace "multi.trudi" in March 2000. He definitely doubted that exhibitions will have a future and asked visitors to mark spaces (of any kind) where future art may take place.

The establishment of a right-wing government in Austria caused a series of discussions among the board members of The Thing New York ("discontent in Austria"). The Paris based curator Robert Fleck asked all artists and Kulturschaffende to stay away from Austria as a response to the new government. This was rejected by Austrian artist Eva Grubinger, to whose contribution I'd like to comment:

As Frankfurt is always good for a party (WATCH OUT 4 FLYERS!!!!!) and people are eager to check out new and unusual locations we´d become witnesses of the second event under the pedestrian tunnel system beneath the Eschenheimer Turm road cross(last Saturday, 27.7.96). This is one of the ugliest surfaces in town, where we have free traffic day in day out and all others (pedestrians and cyclists) are banned to use this underground channels, hopefully leading you from one end to the other.

Don´t tell me that there´s "Nothing going on" here in Frankfurt. Last Thursday night (6/14) we saw a magnificent night protest march against the law and order policy of the City of Frankfurt´s government. (You remember: independent party-makers are not wellcome here in a city of banks and trusts. They want a clean and sober culture for the upper-classes in their BMWs, Armani suits and Taunus condominiums. Not few of those who disobeyed the rules have been severely prosecuted.)

The -litterally- coolest thing in Frankfurt is now the swimming pool built by Dirk Paschke, the guy, who brought us the underground clubs "Gartners" and "Hafenbar" (Harbor Bar). His new installation "Hafenbad" (Harbor Bath) is a full sized pool (12x4m) constructed from two freight containers, cut up from their side walls and then welded together, which makes up to 135 cubic meters of fresh cool water.

Freedom of speech is now an issue in Germany as well. - On the new law of telecommunications...

Like at New York there are now serious considerations about shutting down the THE THING BBS structure here at Frankfurt. One reason is the very shy user activity for which we can name no single reason, the other is the fact that the longtime host of TT, Andreas Kallfelz from 707, seeks to try with other business resulting from the severe exhaustions suffered from his longtime engagement in the local art scene.

For a lot of people nothing new, but for Frankfurt a middle-sized earthquake - the new 10-day license for a local radio broadcast station called "Radio X-MIX".

Having just returned from Vienna from my latest "Radio-Show " I´m still very impressed from the Chris Burden Show at MAK (Museum for applied Arts).

Friends do often ask me: Why do stay in Frankfurt?, this is not an art-town, there´re no galleries, no cultural activies, nothing but bank-towers and business-malls.