Die Geschichte will es so

The exhibition by Franz Erhard Walther with hand pieces from 1962/63 and works from 1966, 1977 and 1986 is an opportunity to establish a common denominator for the artist’s extensive output. The central impulse at the beginning of the 1960s is the transformation of the observer of the work into the person who handles the object, thus creating the work. The 1970s are characterised by an expansion into the architectonic / spatial via walkways and the definition of sites and sightlines. During this period the works arose in storage form.

The returning of both these aspects into an imaginative act within a self-contained wall hanging began around 1980. The present situation has no audience other than the direct participant. Today the works have become so rudimentary that the historical dialectic of Walter’s 35-year output can demonstrate the range of contemporary practice, if the current paradigm of the extended concept of art is applied.