ASHER Galleria Toselli 1973

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Michael AsherSeptember 13 - October 8, 1973Galleria Toselli

Milan, Italy

Ground plain of the FrancoToselli gallery.

Drawing by John KnightPlan de la galerie Franco

Tosellipar John Knight

Michael Asher13 Septembre - 8 Octobre, 1973Galleria Toselli

Milan, Italie

Installation view of an exhibition by RobertMangold at the Franco Toselli gallery.Photograph: Giorgio ColomboVue dune exposition de Robert Mangold lagalerie Franco Toselli.Photographie : Giorgio Colombo

My last stop during my trip to Europe in 1973 wasthe Franco Toselli gallery, a commercial gallery inMilan. Franco Toselli had previously invited meto do an exhibition; we had exchanged letters,I had seen plans of the gallery, and I had some

idea of what I might want to do. But since I hadno specific project for the Toselli Gallery -unlike

the Lisson and Heiner Fniedrich galleries, whereI had been able to visit the exhibition space in

advance- I went there with the hope of doing so-mething, but with the agreement that a work didnot necessarily have to result from my visit.Visitors to the Franco Toselli Gallery, which is lo-cated in a lively residential neighborhood, enter

La dernire fois que je me suis arrt pendantmon voyage en Europe, en 1973, ctait la ga-lerie Franco Toselli, une galerie commerciale deMilan. Franco Toselli mavait prcdemment in-vit exposer; nous avions chang des lettres,

javais vu des plans de la galerie, et javais unecertaine ide de ce que je pourrais y faire. Mais

puisque je nai eu aucun projet spcifique pourcette galerie - la diffrence des galeries Lissonet Heiner Friedrich, o javais pu visiter aupara-vant lespace dexposition jy suis venu aveclespoir de faire quelque chose, mais sans y treoblig lissue de ma visite.Les visiteurs de la galerie Franco Toselli, qui est


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Viewing west during exhibition at the Franco Toselli gallery. Fluorescent lights have been illuminated for the purpo-ses of photography only.Vue occidental de lexposition la galerie Franco Toselli. Nons allums occasionnellement pendant les prises devues.Photo : Giorgio Colombo

through a cobblestone courtyard. From the westside of the courtyard five steps lead down to thegallery, which is situated below ground level. Thegallery space is expansive, resembling an indus-trial warehouse or machine shop. The east-west

axis of the gallery is an unencumbered space,17.10 meters long. The ceiling height is 4.90

meters. The maximum width on the north-southaxis is 11.90 meters. The width of the space isinterrupted by a series of 50-centimeter squa-re columns with beveled edges which supporta beam of the same square dimensions, exten-ding the entire length of the gallery, 3.50 metersfrom and parallel to the south wall. In the far half(the southeast area) of the gallery, the spaces

between the columns have been filled in to form

a 9.13-meter-long wall which, together with ashort perpendicular wall, encloses a space used

situe dans un domaine rsidentiel, entrent parune cour pave. Du ct occidental de la cour,cinq marches conduisent la galerie en contre-bas, sous le niveau du terrain. Lespace de la ga-lerie est vaste, ressemblant un entrept indus-triel ou un atelier de construction mcanique.Laxe est-ouest du lieu est un espace dgag de

17.10 mtres de long. La hauteur du plafond estde 4.90 mtres. Dans sa plus grande largeur, laxenord-sud mesure 11.90 mtres. Cette largeur estinterrompue par une srie de colonnes carresde 50 centimtres avec des bords biseautssoutenant une poutre carre de mmes dimen-sions, 3.50 mtres du sol couvrant la longueurentire de la galerie, et parallle au mur du sud.Dans la moiti la plus loigne de la galerie (le

secteur du sud-est), les espaces entre les colon-nes ont t ferms pour former un mur de 9.13


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Viewing east in installation.Photograph : Giorgio Colombo

Vue est de linstallation.Photographie : Giorgio Colombo

for an office. The rest of the columns are open,4.40 meters from floor to ceiling beam, partiallyframing an enclosed stairwell which provides re-

sidents of the dwelling above with access to thecourtyard. Three windows in the west wall admit

natural light from the courtyard and two rows offluorescent light fixtures on the ceiling provide

artificial light. At the time of the exhibit, the floorwas gray concrete with a nonskid surface. Thewalls and ceiling were finished with numerous

layers of white paint from previous exhibitions.My proposal for this exhibition was to have thewalls and ceiling sandblasted, so that every tra-ce of the many layers of white paint, which had

been applied over the years, would be removedand the underlying plaster exposed. Once theproposal was approved, work began immedia-tely. It required the labor of four people for fourdays to complete the paint-removal operation

and the following clean-up.Sandblasting revealed a brown plaster surface

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mtres de long qui, avec un mur perpendiculai-re, enferme un espace utilis comme un bureau.Les autres colonnes sont dgages, 4.40 mtresdu plancher la poutre du plafond, encadrantpartiellement la partie infrieure dun descalierqui permet aux rsidents des logements du des-sus laccs la cour. Trois fentres dans le muroccidental font entrer la lumire naturelle de lacour et deux ranges de manchons fluorescentssur le plafond fournissent la lumire artificielle.Pendant lexposition en cours, le plancher taiten bton gris avec une surface antidrapante.Les murs et le plafond avaient t recouverts denombreuses couches de peinture blanche accu-

mule par les exposants prcdents.Ma proposition pour cette exposition tait desabler les murs et le plafond, de sorte que tou-te trace des nombreuses couches de peintureblanche appliques au cours des annes, soitenleve et que le crpi situ au-dessous voit le

jour. Une fois la proposition approuve, le travail


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on the walls and ceiling. The columns and cei-ling beam were a lighter brown than the plas-tered wall sections between the columns. Just

as there were regular chromatic variations in thebrown plaster of the sections between the co-lumns, the opposite wall also had regular tonalvariations, indicating where windows had been

filled in some time after construction of the buil-ding. On the same wall, a darker horizontal plane

along the floor was possibly a sign of moisturebelow street level.Hardware in the gallery was also sandblasted:two pipes entering through the ceiling and pas-

sing through the wall at a 45~degree angle, and

an electrical conduit near the door. Once the

gallery was sandblasted, only natural Light wasused to light the interior.What was explicit in the floor - the uncoated con-crete - had been implicit in the wall and ceiling

surfaces before sandblasting. Once the plasterhad been exposed, the walls and ceiling had thesame property as the floor-no coating. The walls,ceiling, and floor were thereby identified in termsof a common condition, and this established a

surface continuity.The work cast the gallery in its most rudimentary

state, appearing to be either under constructionwith its surfaces yet unfinished, or at a stage ofdismantlement that would uncover the record ofthe gallerys past. The bare plaster was reminis-cent of a construction site before any finishing

Viewing south wall andpart of stairwell with artifi-cial light.Vue du mur du sud etdune partie du des-sous descalier illumin.

a immdiatement commenc. Il a exig lemploide quatre personnes pendant quatre jours pouraccomplir lopration deffacement de la pein-ture et le nettoyage.Le sablage a dvoil une surface brune de crpisur les murs et le plafond. Les colonnes et lespoutres du plafond taient dun brun plus clair

que les sections murales crpies entre les co-lonnes. Il y avait seulement des variations chro-matiques rgulires de crpi brun dans les sec-tions entre les colonnes. Le mur en vis--viscomportait galement des variations tonales r-gulires, indiquant o des fentres avaient tmures quelque temps aprs la construction du

btiment. Au pied de ce mur, un plan horizontal

plus fonc rvlait probablement un signe dhu-midit sous le niveau de la rue.Tout le matriel dans la galerie a t galementsabl : deux tubes entrant par le plafond et pas-sant par le mur avec un angle de 45 degrs, plusun conduit lectrique prs de la porte. Une foisla galerie sable, seule la lumire naturelle a temploye pour allumer lintrieur.Ce qui tait explicite dans le plancher - le bton

non revtu - avait t implicite dans les surfacesdu mur et du plafond avant le sablage. Une foisle crpi expos, les murs et le plafond ont eu lemme aspect que le plancher non revtu. Lesmurs, le plafond, et le plancher ont t de cefait unifis, et cela a tabli une continuit dessurfaces.


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Detail of stairwell in southwall.

Dtail du dessous desca-lier dans le mur du sud.

coats of paint have been applied to interior sur-faces. In addition, the wall between the columns,which was filled in with one kind of plaster, andthe filled~in windows, where another kind of

plaster was used, served as a possible historicaldocument.

The variations in brown earthen chroma were vis-ually rich compared to the consistent white of the

gallery container. These brown hues - paradoxi-cally, once used in the visual arts - were particu-

larly surprising here since the usual surface colorfor gallery display is white paint. In this work, a

large exhibition space had been totally strippedof all the conventional coatings that had built upover the years on its display surface. The brown

plaster surfaces resembled the common, indi-genous outdoor plaster walls of the community.The previously concealed plaster essentially

brought inside an outdoor material, disclosing arelationship between the gallery and its surroun-dings.The complete material withdrawal - a process of

subtraction - was also a process of addition, sin-ce the exposed plaster could also be viewed as

an added material. The withdrawal of the white

paint, in this case, became the objectification ofthe work.For the realization of this proposal the gallery

had to temporarily dispense with its conventio-nal display surfaces for a material alteration orwithdrawal. This was a strategy I had not used in

any of my previous work. lt meant that the gallery

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Le travail a redonn la galerie son tat le plusrudimentaire. Elle semblait ainsi tre soit enconstruction, avec des surfaces inacheves, oudans un stade de dmantlement qui laisseraitdcouvrir le pass de la galerie. Le crpi nu taitun renvoi un chantier en construction avant

que toutes les couches de peinture de finitionaient t appliques aux surfaces intrieures. Enoutre, le mur entre les colonnes, ralis avec uncrpi bien distinct, et les fentres mures recou-vertes dun autre genre de crpi, sont devenusde probables documents historiques.Les variations chromatiques de terre brunetaient visuellement riches compares au blancuniforme de lespace de la galerie. Ces tonalits

brunes -paradoxalement utilises dans les artsvisuels- tonnaient en particulier ici, puisque lacouleur habituelle des surfaces dune galerie estla peinture blanche. Par ce travail, un grand es-pace dexposition avait t totalement dpouillde tous les enduits conventionnels qui staientaccumuls au cours des annes sur sa surfacede visualisation. Les surfaces brunes du crpiressemblaient aux murs extrieurs usuels et tra-ditionnels toujours en crpi de la coproprit. Le

crpi, prcdemment cach, a essentiellementport lintrieur un matriau gnralement ex-trieur, rvlant un rapport entre la galerie et sesenvironnements.Leffacement total du matriau -un processus desoustraction- a t en mme temps un proces-sus daddition, puisque le crpi expos pourrait


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had to forego a certain amount of its propertyin exchange for a work of art which appropria-ted and dismantled the gallerys display surfa-ces. In addition, should the new display surfacesturn out to be nonfunctional for the purpose ofdisplay in future exhibitions, the exchange also

committed the gallery owner to reconvert andrestore the surfaces to conditions which wouldallow for conventional usage.Prior installations of my work had consisted of

material application or construction. This work,however, deployed a procedure of material wi-thdrawal. More than any other prior work, it in-tegrated its materials with the actual materials ofthe gallery display surfaces, and it was simulta-

neously joined and synthesized in its totality with

its own architectural location and support struc-ture.Compared to the works at Documenta V or theMarket Street Program, which could still be per-ceived in terms of a figure-ground relationship,the work at the Franco Toselli Gallery substitu-ted a material withdrawal, which encompassed

Viewing east into office area and exhibition area.Photograph : Franco ToselliVue est dans le zones de bureau et dexposi-tion.Photographie : Franco Toselli

Viewing north wall during exhibition;Photograph : Franco ToselliVue nord de lexposition

Photographie : Franco Toselli

galement tre vu comme du matriau ajout.Leffacement de la peinture blanche, dans cecas-ci, est devenu lobjectif du travail.Pour la ralisation de cette proposition, la gale-rie a d temporairement se passer de ses sur-faces de visualisation conventionnelles cause

dun changement matriel ou dune disparitionpartielle de sa reprsentativit antrieure. Ctaitune stratgie que je navais jamais employedans aucun de mes travaux prcdents. Cest--dire que la galerie a d renoncer une cer-taine quantit de son identit commerciale pourune oeuvre dart qui a dmantel et sest appro-pri les surfaces de visualisation de la galerie.En plus, ntant pas les nouvelles surfaces de vi-sualisation fonctionnelles laffichage de futures

expositions, le changement a galement forc lepropritaire de la galerie reconvertir et recons-tituer les surfaces aux conditions qui tiendraientcompte de son utilisation conventionnelle. Mesinstallations antrieures consistaient dans desapplications de matriaux ou des constructions.Cependant ce travail, a plus prcisment dve-


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the totality of the exhibition space, for a figure-ground relationship (addition of material marks).The ceiling and walls revealed the marks of thiscommercial gallerys architecture rather than an

authors predetermination to organize and placemarks as part of a painted surface, or even toarrange elements in order to penetrate or add to

the surface. Even though the work at the LissonGallery employed to a certain extent a procedureof material withdrawal similar to the work at theFranco Toselli Gallery, it was still operating as a

material extension of a conventional manner ofmark-making, in this instance a linear volumeused to frame the wall surfaces of the gallery

Viewing west under natural light conditions.Photograph : Franco Toselli

Vue occidental en conditions de lumire naturelle.Photographie : Franco Toselli

space.

Marking by disclosure, rather than by construct-ing figure-ground relationships, revealed thebuildings construction history. At the same time,it established the integral totality of both exhi-bition space and work, without isolating eitherone, or any single element within them. It es-caped a traditional formulation by synthesizing

lopp un procd de dmolition matrielle. Plusque nimporte quel autre travail antrieur, il a in-tgr ses matriaux propres avec les matriauxrels des surfaces de visualisation de la galerie,et il a t simultanment associ et synthtis,dans sa totalit, avec le lieu architectural et lastructure de support.

Compar aux travaux exposs Documenta Vou au Market Street Program, qui pourraientencore tre interprts en termes de rapportimage-territoire, le travail la galerie Franco To-selli a substitu une dmolition matrielle, qui aentour la totalit de lespace dexposition, parun rapport dimage-territoire (addition de rali-

ts matrielles). Le plafond et les murs ont d-

voil la ralit de larchitecture de cette galeriecommerciale plutt que la prdtermination dunauteur organiser et placer des signes en tantqulments dune surface peinte, ou encore ordonner des lments afin de pntrer ou ajou-ter la surface.Le travail la galerie Lisson avait utilis, dans


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both the gallery and work as an objectification ofthe exhibition and the exhibition space. At thattime I considered this work to be the most spe-cific materialization of the history of a gallerysconstruction and functional properties.Traditionally, the white interior of a commercial

gallery presented an artists production within

an architectural setting of false autonomy. If,through its absence, the viewer was remindedof the white paint, an interesting question, wasthen raised: How does the white partition of

paint affect the context of art usually seen onthat support surface. At the Toselli Gallery, I used

a procedural approach, attempting to material-ly withdraw an authors sign and responsibility.Usually an artists sign, as an addition to a gi-

ven architectural space and a discrete, visuallyidentifiable element, guides and restricts viewerawareness and shifts it from the problems inhe-rent in the gallery space and the work to an arbi-trarily formalized insert.The method of defining this work was still depen-dent on the Minimalist idea of specificity. Theterm specificity, as it occurred in Minimalistdiscourse, described materials as being unme-diated. Therefore the perception of a work incor-

porating such materials was understood to beequally unmediated. The installation of my work

at the Toselli Gallery was structurally compara-ble to this concept, except that it differed fromsculptural objects by its expanded dimensions,coalescing the display-structure with the work.Furthermore, by integrating the work with its ac-tual exhibition space and the actual materials ofthe display surface, it went beyond the specificity

of materials, as defined in Minimalist discourse,by not introducing any materials whatsoever. Ittherefore became materially more specific to itsown operation, not withstanding the totality of its

site and context.In clear contrast to Minimalism, the work did not

assume that the viewers perception could gounmediated, but instead revealed every single

aspect of the way in which the viewers percep-tion of the work was materially mediated within

the conditions in which the work was inscribed.The white display surfaces - one of the funda-

mental elements normally taken for granted andsuppressed as part of the presentation of worksin a gallery - had been withdrawn. A feeling ofrelief, resulting from the recognition of traditio-nally suppressed visual elements, activated a

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une certaine mesure, un procd de dmolitionsemblable celui employ la galerie FrancoToselli. Mais il fonctionnait encore comme uneextension matrielle dune faon convention-nelle de raliser des signes, dans ce cas par unvolume linaire pour encadrer les surfaces desmurs de lespace de la galerie.

Le marquage par rvlation, plutt quen cons-truisant des rapports image-territoire, a rv-l lhistoire de la construction du btiment. Enmme temps, elle a tabli la totalit intgrale soitde lespace dexposition, soit du travail, sansisoler ni lun ni nimporte quel autre lment par-ticulier entre eux. Elle a chapp une formu-lation traditionnelle en synthtisant la galerie etle travail comme objectif de lexposition et de

lespace dexposition. ce moment-l, jai con-sidr que ce travail allait tre la matrialisationla plus spcifique de lhistoire de la constructionet des proprits fonctionnelles dune galerie.Traditionnellement, lintrieur blanc dune gale-rie commerciale prsentait la production dunartiste dans un arrangement architectural defausse autonomie. Si, malgr labsence de lapeinture blanche, le spectateur sen souvenait,une question intressante surgirait : comment la

partition blanche de la peinture affecte-elle lecontexte de lart habituellement vu sur cette sur-face de soutien ? la galerie Toselli, jai utilisune approche procdurale essayant de dmolirmatriellement le signe et la responsabilit dunauteur. Habituellement, la manifestation du tra-vail dun artiste se rvle par une addition unespace architectural donn comme un lmentdiscret et visuellement identifiable, la fois gui-

de et limite de la conscience du spectateur, ettransfre cette adition aux problmes inhrents lespace de la galerie et au travail par une in-sertion arbitrairement formalise.La mthode de dfinition de ce travail dpendaittoujours de lide minimaliste de spcificit. Leterme spcificit, comme cela sest produitdans le discours minimaliste, a dcrit des ma-triaux ntant pas mdiats. Par consquent laperception dun travail incorporant de tels mat-

riaux a t galement comprise pour ne pas tremdiate. Linstallation de mon travail la galerieToselli tait structurellement comparable ceconcept, sauf quelle a diffr des objets sculp-turaux par ses dimensions largies, fusionnantla structure dexposition et le travail.En outre, ce travail, par son intgration mme


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perceptual and cognitive process. The ideologi-cal deconstruction of the architectural surfacesof the commercial gallery occurred simultaneousto their material deconstruction.If viewers assumed that the space had been li-

berated from the white paint support, they hadonly to view the plaster to appreciate an inherent

paradox: the plaster, as another support surface(another coating), was as much an integral partof the gallery as the white paint.

Writings 1973 - 1983 on Works 1969 - 1979

Written in collaboration withBenjamin H. D. Buchloh

Edited by Benjamin H. D. Buchloh

The presse of the Nova Scotia College of Art andDesign

andThe Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles

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lespace dexposition actif et les matriaux relsde la surface de visualisation, a dpass la sp-cificit des matriaux, exigence de la proposi-tion minimaliste, en ne prsentant aucune sortede matriaux. Il est donc devenu matriellementplus spcifique sa propre opration, ne sop-posant pas la totalit de son emplacement et

contexte.En ouverte opposition au minimalisme, le travailna pas prtendu que la perception des spec-tateurs nagisse pas, mais il a, en revanche,soulign tout aspect de la faon par laquelle laperception du travail par les spectateurs a tmatriellement mdiate dans les conditions enlesquelles le travail avait t inscrit.Les surfaces de visualisation blanches -un des

lments fondamentaux normalement proposet ici supprim, en tant que partie de la prsen-tation des travaux dans une galerie- avaient tdmolies. Une impression de soulagement, r-sultant de lidentification des lments visuelstraditionnels supprims, a activ un processusde perception et de connaissance. La dcons-truction idologique des surfaces architectura-les de la galerie commerciale sest produite aumoment mme de sa dconstruction matrielle.

Si les spectateurs supposaient que lespaceavait t libr du support de la peinture blan-che, ils devaient seulement regarder le crpipour apprcier un paradoxe inhrent : le crpi,en tant quautre surface de support (un autre en-duit), tait devenu partie intgrante de la galerieau mme titre que la peinture blanche.

Writings 1973 - 1983 on Works 1969 - 1979

crit en collaboration avecBenjamin H. D. Buchloh

dit par Benjamin H. D. Buchloh

The presse of the Nova Scotia College of Art andDesign

and

The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles

T bl d i

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ASHER Galleria Toselli 1973