Günther Uecker
On the work
Bett zum Aufwachen (Bed to wake up in), 1965
Wood, paint, nails
2 nail reliefs, each 260 x 260 cm
Behind and above the bed in the former guest bedroom of the Bahnhof Rolandseck the shadows evoked by the nail art of the Zero pioneer are moving. In the nail pictures produced since 1956/1957 and so typical of Uecker the white-painted reliefs develop a dynamic entity of their own through the direction of the nails and the resulting interaction of light and shadow. In close association with the Bahnhof Rolandseck, especially with its spiritus rector Johannes Wasmuth, and with Uecker's particularly delicate history with regard to his "Bett zum Aufwachen" ("Bed to Wake Up in") (see inventory catalogue), this artwork occupies a special place in the collection of the Arp Museum. A wonderful film by Günther Uecker from the period during which the so-called "Bett zum Aufwachen" was being created shows how Uecker nails his way to the Bahnhof, up to the terrace, along the staircase and through the Bahnhof Rolandseck and makes clear once more how significant and attractive the place was for him as an artist at that time. The relationship resulted in 1966 in the legendary ZERO celebration in the Bahnhof Rolandseck, organised by Heinz Mack, Otto Piene, and Günther Uecker who firmed the artist's group ZERO. This riotous party is considered to have marked a caesura in the movement, after which the artists went their separate ways.
Günther Uecker was born in 1930 in Wendorf/Mecklenburg, he lives and works in Düsseldorf.