Michael Werner Gallery is pleased to announce the first New York presentation of 'TM'works on paper by the German artist, A.R. Penck (b. 1938).
The 'TM'works on paper are visual statements about systems and relationships which grew out of A.R. Penck's intense study of information theories and cybernetics. Building on ideas first advanced in his important 'Standart'works of the early 1970s, A.R. Penck's 'TM'works present a pictorial system which is both a direct means of communication and a commentary on contemporary information systems. The 'TM'works were created in East Germany between 1971 and 1974.
The name 'TM'was one of many pseudonyms adopted by A.R. Penck, whose birth name is Ralf Winkler. The pseudonym provides what writer John Yau has described as the 'conceptual framework'for A.R. Penck's oeuvre, and 'another way of providing access to the viewer.' Adopting an invented identity also allowed A.R. Penck to travel from his home in East Germany to attend exhibitions of his work in the West, undetected by the authorities.
A.R. Penck is a renowned contemporary artist with numerous international museum and gallery exhibitions to his credit. He has participated in the biennials at Venice and São Paulo and Documenta V, VI, VII and IX. A.R. Penck's bronze sculptures were recently the subject of a catalogue raisonné and retrospective exhibition touring numerous European venues.
Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 10am until 6pm. A full-color catalogue will accompany the exhibition.
