News
We mourn the loss of our founding member Günther Uecker (1930-2025)
Günther Uecker 1965 in seinem Atelier in der Hüttenstraße 104, Düsseldorf, Foto: Maren Heyne
We pay our respects to this outstanding artist and his life’s work.
Our thoughts are with his family, especially his wife Christine Uecker-Steinfeld and his son Jacob Uecker.
— The board, the director, the circle of friends and the team of the ZERO foundation.
“Welt, Wohin? ZERO und die Gegenwart” (“World, where to?”)
15th of May until 14th of September 2025
Till Bödeker, Welt, wohin?, 2025, Contribution for the exhibition Welt, wohin?, LED-Leinwand am Kö-Bogen II, 15. Mai bis 14. September 2025, Künstlerverein Malkasten, in cooperation with the ZERO foundation, Concept: Barbara Könches, © Till Bödeker, ZERO foundation
An exhibition at and in cooperation with the Künstlerverein Malkasten / Malkastenforum.
Past, present and future. The exhibition “Welt, Wohin? ZERO und die Gegenwart” (“World, where to?”) combines characteristic works by the Düsseldorf ZERO artists Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Günther Uecker and their circle with works by young artists who, in the spirit of ZERO, are now exploring new possibilities for art. Works from the 1950s to the early 1980s are juxtaposed with works that have only recently been created.
As these different time periods come together, it becomes clear what radiance ZERO still exerts today. At the same time, the question arises as to how the
(art) world has developed since the 1950s and 1960s – and where it may be heading.
A mirror wall by Christian Megert from the 1960s is the leitmotif of the exhibition. It is historical, but it reflects the present and fragments the space in which the positions of tomorrow can unfold. Günther Uecker’s “Sandmühle” (1970) also deals with time – albeit as a cycle: a machine-driven rod constantly rotates on its own axis and draws ever new and yet always the same circles in the sand. Light and movement, central themes of ZERO, also come together in the large exhibition space in light objects by Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Nanda Vigo.
The objects by the ZERO artists are framed by works by friends, such as Jan Henderikse, Paul Van Hoeydonck and Peter Royen. The artists Hal Busse and Herta Junghanns-Grulich should be emphasized as rediscoveries. Both were represented in the 7th ZERO evening exhibition in 1958.
The contemporary artists in the exhibition have created new works especially for this occasion. Felicitas Rohden refers to a new NASA project, an inflatable heat shield. Angelika J. Trojnarski, who works with the element of fire in her paper collages, focuses on the connection between science and nature. Johannes Raimann and Mira Klug deal with “photography after photography”. Joscha Bender has ChatGPT and an image-generating AI create a version of Michelangelo’s famous “David”, which he then transforms – with all its inaccuracies – into a stone sculpture. Till Bödeker invites us into a laboratory with server cabinets and monitors: a reference to the server rooms in which artificial intelligences are trained.
Artists in the exhibition
Joscha Bender (*1991), Till Bödeker (*1991), Hal Busse (1926-2018), Jan Henderikse (*1937), Herta Junghanns-Grulich (1912-1990), Mira Klug (*1992), Heinz Mack (*1931), Christian Megert (*1936), Otto Piene (1928-2014), Johannes Raimann (*1992), Felicitas Rohden (*1984), Peter Royen (1923-2013), Angelika J. Trojnarski (*1979), Günther Uecker (*1930), Paul Van Hoeydonck (1925-2025), Nanda Vigo (1926-2020)
Curator: Barbara Könches
Christian Megert, Spiegelwand, 1961/2025, Spiegel, Drahtseil, Drahtklemmen, Installationsaufnahme Künstlerverein Malkasten 2025 Leihgabe ZERO foundation, Foto: Achim Kukulies
On show from
15th of May until 14th of September 2025
Opening hours Malkastenforum
Tue from 17-21 h, Thu to Sun 11-17 h
Admission
4 €, for members of the Künstlerverein Malkasten admission is free
A cooperation between the ZERO Foundation and Künstlerverein Malkasten.
Supported by the Kunst- und Kulturstiftung der Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf.
The ABCs of ZERO – also online!
On the website www.zeroabc.de and www.zeroabc.com, all contributions to our research project “Opening the Archive: The ABCs of ZERO” are available digitally in German and English and can be accessed worldwide. Like the publication, the website presents numerous photos and previously unknown archive material.
Take a look and immerse yourself in the diversity of the ZERO movement!
“Opening The Archive: The ABCs of ZERO”
Hatje Cantz Verlag, Berlin
ISBN: 978-3-7757-5610-5
Concept: Barbara Könches
