Home Sculptures History Contact Links |
The artist-proprietors, Georg Glueckman and Suwan Laimanee, proudly describe their establishment as the only European gallery open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Located at the end of a cul-de-sac in Berlin`s rough-and-ready district of Kreuzberg, the Flower Automat Gallery offers mainly the works of these two artists. The vending machine that once dispensed bouquets to the neighborhood florist`s after- hour customers had long since been abandoned as unprofitable, and reprogramming it to accept more than the equivalent of $4.50 was nearly impossible. But for Glueckman and Thaiborn Laimanee the empty glassfronted compartments seemed a perfect showcase for their miniature sculptures. They easily persuaded the florist to lend them the space. The "gallery" officially opened in October 1987 as the latest of the artists`offbeat experiments to bring their work directly to the public. They had once tried running their own gallery, but it left them too little time to make the art. Such alternative approaches boast a tradition in Kreuzberg, where artists`collectives and self-help galleries have provided a forum for new talent. It was here that many of the Neo-Expressionist painters of the early `80s first showed their works. While Berlin`s alternative scene often bristles with political provocation, the Flower Automat Gallery adopts a playful pacific tone. Though Laimanee produces brightcolored fire-breathing "demons" and space-age "monsters", often made from egg cartons or matchboxes, the wit counteracts any sense of threat. And though Glueckman sometimes addresses urban problems (contrasting natural images with technological forms), it is never without humor. Every four weeks the sculptors hold an opening in front of the automat. Glueckman and Laimanee have an ever-widening circle of collectors, undeterred by the fact that prices have risen to about $6.50 for a signed original. After all, by dropping in the coins, customers get a bonus computer-generated sound-and-light show. The automat recently showed guest artists from Poland, and others are welcome, but for now, to add variety, the artists sometimes slip into alter egos, like the Spaniard "Pedro Cabral" and the American "Ramon Di Brea". The success of the Berlin experiment has led to the installation of an automat at the Art Museum in Recklinghausen and the artists are eyeing sites in Vienna for two other installations. For these two, bringing art to the masses is more than just a slogan. --- David Galloway (Text from ARTnews Magazine, December 1989) |
History: The Flower Automat Gallery was found in 1987 and closed in 1992 c l i c k o n t h e i m a g e s |
|
this site is valid to
HTML 4.01 |