Exhibition Resource Pack

Exhibition Resource Pack
Andrea Büttner
12 April 16 June 2013
Left: Andrea Büttner.Tent (psychedelic),
detail, 2012. Woodcut. Photo
© Andy Keates
Above: Andrea Büttner, Grids, 2012.
Woodcuts. Photo © Andy Keates
About this Pack
About the Artist
This pack has been designed to
provide background information
about the artist and their exhibition
at MK Gallery.
Andrea Büttner was born in Stuttgart, Germany in 1972. She studied a
Masters degree in art history and philosophy at Humboldt University, Berlin
and recently completed a doctorate on the subject of art and shame at the
Royal College of Art, London. Andrea has exhibited internationally and in the
UK, and was selected for the Max Mara Art Prize for Women, Whitechapel
Gallery in 2010.
It includes a short introduction
to the artist and her work,
including key themes, related
artists and movements, along with
suggestions for ways to approach
the work with students.
For more information about our
schools, colleges & universities
programme, please contact:
Hannah Gaunt:
Learning Coordinator
T: 01908 558 305
E: hgaunt@mkgallery.org
W: www.mkgallery.org/education
www.mkgallery.org
Visit the Artist’s website: http://www.andreabuettner.com/
About the Work
Through traditional craft techniques such as woodcut printing and glass
painting, as well as drawing, performance, film, sculpture and sound work
Andrea Büttner explores the interconnected themes of poverty, shame
and value. In her woodcuts she uses simple abstract shapes and child-like
drawings with symbolic imagery to communicate her ideas.
In the Cube Gallery we find Kabul Portfolio, a series of small woodcuts which
introduce key themes and images that reoccur throughout her work ‘such
as ‘the shrouded figure’, ‘the donkey’ and ‘the beggar’. Additionally, we are
introduced here to the reoccurring shape of the oval, which is connected to
her fascination with the life and stories of St. Francis of Assisi, who famously
rejected his wealth and lived a life of poverty that became almost legendary.
On one occasion St. Francis decided to highlight the common problem that
the beggars who asked for bread would often receive stones instead from
uncaring passers-by, so he turned the situation around and began begging
for pebbles! Therefore the image of a pebble, represented by the simple oval
shape, is repeated throughout Andreas work.
Alongside this one wall of the gallery space is taken over by blue panels of
stretched fabric, part of a larger series of ‘fabric paintings’ in which the artist
selects materials from workers uniforms or overalls to create large blocks of
colour in the space.
MK Gallery
900 Midsummer Blvd
Milton Keynes MK9 3QA
info@mkgallery.org
www.mkgallery.org
T 01908 676 900
Tuesday - Friday 12pm – 8pm
Saturday 11am– 8pm
Sunday 11am – 5pm
About the Work
Andrea Büttner, Benches, 2011 -2013.
Wood, plastic crates, handwoven
fabric. Photo © Andy Keates
Word Definitions
Modernism - A type of artwork
which developed in the early
20th century and which rejected
traditional techniques, styles and
ideas.
Woodcut printing - A traditional
printing method in which a block
of wood is carved or cut into
using sharp tools. The block is
then covered in a layer of ink and
paper is placed on top. The paper
only picks up ink in the places
that have not been carved away,
leaving those areas as a white line
or image.
Abstract - Artwork which does not
clearly show an object, scene or
person from real life, but is instead
made up of colour, shapes and
texture.
Sculpture - Usually this is artwork
which has been made using 3D
materials, such as clay, metal
or wood, but could also mean
artwork which has been made
using objects.
Installation - Art which uses
sculpture or objects in a space
to create an experience for the
viewer.
In the Middle Gallery, visitors are invited contemplate the artwork and sit
on benches made from plastic crates and wooden planks with colourful
handmade cushions. In the film work Little Sisters Andrea talks to a sisterhood
of nuns who work in a small amusement park near Rome - the nun’s answer
questions relating to happiness and spiritually as they ride rollercoaster’s and
fish for prizes.
The Long Gallery contains woodcut prints, photographs and installation
artwork. Along the far wall the Tent series of large woodblock prints explore
the simple shape of a camping tent, whilst also using it as a symbol for a
nomadic, simple way of life. Alongside these is a collection of five large prints
depicting a mesh of criss-cross patterns that reference the abstract style of
many modernist painters, but which could also depict a fence or a stainedglass window. Andrea makes many of these large woodblock prints using
power-tools to cut into the wood and create expressive marks.
Four tables with coloured table-cloths display objects and images that have
influenced Andrea’s work and which collectively illustrate many of the central
themes. Resting on the tables is a collection of what appears to be natural
objects; small rocks and twigs. Upon closer inspection we see that they are
bronze casts, which were created from moulds of zebra droppings and straw.
By casting worthless natural products in bronze, Andrea is demonstrating how
our understanding of value can change.
Key influences and related artists:
Arte Povera
Piero Manzoni
Chris Offili
Sister Corita Kent
St. Francis of Assisi
Dieter Roth
Kazimir Malevich
HAP Grieshaber
Explore
Left: Installation view in the Long Gallery
Above: Andrea Büttner, Untitled (cardboard object on bronze shelf), 2012.
Cardboard house won at Lunapark Ostia
and cast bronze. Photo © Andy Keates
In the Cube Gallery
There is a series of small
woodcut prints; can you name
any images that seem to be in
more than one picture? Can you
find which pictures are of natural
or man-made objects?
In the Middle Gallery
The gallery has a big bench in it for visitors to sit on, which the artist has made
using simple materials. Why do you think the artist might want visitors to sit
down in this space?
Some of the pictures have people
in them, what are they doing?
There is a film projected on one wall, can you tell what is happening in it? Does
there seem to be a story? What are the people in the film talking about?
What are the colours like in
these pictures? Why do you
think Andrea has chosen these
colours?
There are some ‘slides’ projected on the wall too, what are these images of?
One wall is completely covered in
blue fabric, why do you think the
artist has done this?
Does it make the room feel
different? Would this change if
the fabric was a different colour?
In the Foyer
The artist has balanced a TV
screen on the floor against
the wall here; it is showing a
slideshow of images - what can
you see?
Further on we find a single chair
in the corner, why might the artist
have put it there? Is it connected
with any other artwork we have
seen already in this exhibition?
The cushions are very colourful, do you think the artist chose these colours
and patterns on purpose?
Are there any other objects that we can see in the space that might be related
to the film?
In the Long Gallery
Another bench is in this space, how is it different from the other benches we
have seen?
Nearby are some photographs, what is happening in these images? What do
the clothes of the people and style of the photographs tell us about when they
might have been taken?
Some of the large woodcuts in the space have a criss-cross pattern on them,
what does this remind you of? What are the colours like in these pictures?
There are some tables in the middle of the space, with coloured table cloths on
- what else can you see on the tables? What are the pictures of?
There are some objects on the table too; can you guess what they are? If you
look really closely, do they look any different? What material might they be
made of?
There is a TV hidden under the table - what is happening in the film? Why do
you think the artist has filmed this?
Some of the large woodcut prints are part of a ‘Tent’ series, where the artist
has drawn tents of different shapes and sizes. Can you tell which ones these
are? Why do you think the artist might have chosen to draw tents? Are the
pictures similar or different to each other?
Create
Left: Andrea Büttner, Dancing Nuns, 2007.
Woodcut. Photo © Andy Keates
Above: Andrea Büttner, (Left) Breadpebble,
2010. Woodcut. (Right) Tent (Igloo), 2012.
Woodcut. Photo © MK Gallery
Activities for in the classroom
Psychedelic Tent
Materials: Thick A3 paper or card, Oil pastels/crayons in a range of colours,
wooden cocktail sticks, printed images of tents or houses for inspiration.
1. Using the oil pastels cover your paper in a multi-coloured layer. Make sure
you colour right up to the edges and don’t leave any gaps. You can use any
colours for this layer, except black.
2. Now completely colour over the layer you have just done using the black oil
pastel.
3. Choose an image of a tent or a house, and think about the lines and simple
shape you can see.
4. Using the wooden stick, draw your tent or house on the paper by scraping
away the top layer of oil pastel to reveal the colours underneath.
Vegetable block-printing
Materials: Potatoes, carrots, and green beans (or similar vegetables) sliced
into manageable sizes, acrylic paint in a range of colours.
1. On a spare sheet of paper, experiment with what marks you can make by
printing from the surfaces of the different vegetables. Use the potatoes to
make circle shapes or thick lines, use the carrots to make thinner marks, the
green beans to make very thin lines.
2. Now think about a pattern or picture that you would like to create using
simple shapes and lines. You might want to make a criss-cross pattern or
stripes like the cushions in the exhibition. What colours does Andrea Büttner
use to make her images really stand out?
3. Use the vegetables to make your final picture, no brushes allowed!
Colour in a donkey
Use the printable colouring sheet to decorate your own donkey.
Link: http://coloring-pages.printablesheet.com/donkey-coloring-page/
Exhibition Supporters
The exhibition is generously
supported by Pro Helvetia, the
Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation,
Swiss Cultural Fund in Britain and the
Embassy of Switzerland