AMA / air mail art – Wolfgang Ellenrieder (DE)
During his 2018/2019 study stay at the German Academy in Rome Villa Massimo, Wolfgang Ellenrieder began developing a cycle of ephemeral works that materialise only when filled with air.
In the summer of 2019, he presented the work "Zapfen", at the final exhibition of the Villa Massimo.
The idea is as simple as it is ingenious.
Art moves.
The concept focuses on reducing the volume for transport and at the same time increasing the experience, the participation of the recipient and, last but not least, offering the possibility of bringing the work to the viewer when he or she cannot come to it.
After his return from Rome, the first lock-down came and the museums and presentation venues closed their doors. Trying out innovative methods to bring about a meeting between a work of art and the viewer took on a new dimension.
The continuation and further development of this group of works was supported by New Start Culture of the German federal government and a contribution was made to the realisation of the project.
Wolfgang Ellenrieder developed works for this project that, as modules and models, are simply sent as postal packages to their place of presentation in the museum or in the collector's home. There, they gain volume (thanks to the included air pump) and achieve their full presence. In this way, the work itself, in a physical place, acquires its dynamism.