Grosskreisentfernung / Great Circle Distance Mail Art

46 Artists
12 Countries
66,678 km

Opening: Monday 8 July 2019 19:00-22:00

Finissage: Saturday 20 July 2019 19:00-22:00

Gallery open daily 14:00-19:00 or by appointment

Web: https://grosskreisentfernung.art

E-mail: grosskreisentfernung@posteo.de

46 artists from 12 countries have collaborated on a Mail Art project that has travelled over 66,000 km and will be exhibited for the first time in Berlin from 8-20 July 2019 at project space tête.

Grosskreisentfernung / Great Circle Distance Mail Art project relies on the global mail system to create a visual dialogue between 46 artists from 12 countries. Great Circle Distance refers to the shortest distance between two points on the Earth’s surface. The project’s total Great Circle Distance is more than 66,000 km.

Each artist has created a new artwork in response to one posted to them by another artist. This sequential process began and ends in Berlin. This global artistic dialogue continues the tradition of Mail Art that dates back to at least the 1940s with Ray Johnson (New York), and the FLUXUS movement of the 1960s and 70s. Despite the ubiquity and instantaneousness of e-mail, there is still an important place for Mail as a means of human communication, and for artworks to be made, exchanged and shared outside the traditional world of white cube galleries and the commercial art market.

Visitors to the exhibition are invited to explore the way that the stimulus of one work has been used to create the response of the next work; how visual elements arise then disappear, only to reappear later in the series; and how 46 visual artists have used the thrill of receiving a parcel in the post to create something new, and then send it off into the world.

The works are exhibited together for the first time in Berlin. The city is the common link among all participating artists: all are either alumni of, or contributors to the PICTURE BERLIN Artist Residency Program which marks its 10 year anniversary in 2019. The project has re-established and strengthened the artists’ connection with Berlin and each other.

Participating artists

Carla Åhlander (DE), Uli Aigner (DE) Mahedi Anjuman (US), Saba Askari (US), Courtney Asztalos (US), Tim Best (US), Frédéric Bigras-Burrogano (CA), Cynthia Bittenfield (US), Sophie Capron (GB), Bruno Castro Santos (PT), Amanda Coimbra (BR), Lou Conboy (AU), Johanna Evans (US), Tegwen Evans (DE), Vanessa Filley (US), Gabriela Garcia D'Alta (US), Elise Gardella (US), April Gertler (DE), Surya Gied (DE), Sue Havens (US), Brittney Hollinger (US), Melanie Irwin (AU), Cali D Kurlan (US), Annie Kurz (DE), Ines Lechleitner (DE), Tobias Lengkeek (NL), Lisa McCarty (US), Camilla M Mecagni (IT), Hind Mezaina (AE), Alyssa Miserendino (US), Caroline Monnet (CA), Ng Hui Hsien (GB), Jacqui Orly (GB), Tassia Quirino (IE), Sarah Goodchild Robb (ES), Sarah Sampedro (US), Adrian Schiesser (DE), Elana Scott (DE), Bobby Smith (US), Sydney Southam (CA), Renee Springer (US), Krista Svalbonas (US), Holly Veselka (US), Andrea Welton (US), Gernot Wieland (DE) and Ella Ziegler (DE).

Curator

Marcus Brownlow (UK)