The dominant architectural characteristics of Mies van der Rohe’s Neue Nationalgalerie––with its clearly structured transparent facade and interior area uninterrupted by walls or dividers––have tested the mettle of many curators and artists. The internationally renowned German artist (and student of Joseph Beuys) Imi Knoebel, whose spare abstract works walk the line between painting and sculpture, boldly faces the challenges posed by this exemplary building. This exhibition, curated by Eugen Blume, includes four pieces that are integrated into the space in a way that recalls a single installation. For Potsdamer Strasse 50 (50 Potsdamer Street), 2009, Knoebel applied white paint to the rectilinear glass surfaces of the exterior facade, thereby transforming it into a large painting. By adding color to the buildings’ formerly transparent surface, he has defined a clear framework for his exhibition through relatively simple means. Moreover, Knoebel has managed to create a subdued, meditative atmosphere that has never existed in the building before. The show also includes Raum 19 III (Room 19 III), 1968/2006. Installed adjacent to the two wooden checkrooms in the exhibition space, this site-specific installation consists of about seventy wooden blocks with shapes that refer to his previous works.
Viewers entering the show will immediately encounter Knoebel’s 1987 sculpture Zu Hilfe, zu Hilfe, sonst bin ich verloren (Help, Help, Otherwise I’m Lost), which was conceived for Documenta 8. The sculpture presents a freestanding wall panel placed in the middle of the space with openings at different heights through which viewers pass, as if once again entering the museum. By means of its explicit placement and emotional title, the artist invites the viewer to critically consider not only systems of access and normalization but also their influence on social processes. Reminiscent of Beuys, this artistic statement further evidences––as if there could have been any doubt––Knoebel’s concern with social issues.
