**Wolfgang Wirth LITTLE BIRDS OF PASSAGE
Digital or digitalised pictures travel around the globe at breathtaking speed determined for immediate use and quick perception – quite neutral regarding their information content – specific only due to different screen-conditions, their sensual appearance thus depending on technical configurations.
Paintings used in this way are deprived of one of their utmost qualities – their corporeal sensuality. Reduced to a replica they lack their most important levels of meaning. No need to take a second look, as the substance of a painting is hardly evitable on a screen. The motive is the only anchor. A quick glimpse is sufficient.
Corporeal paintings sent to travel around, take up their station at their destination – they risk being damaged and carry traces forever – they can display all their complexity to the beholder, though. They claim being part of reality.
From such thought the project LITTLE BIRDS OF PASSAGE has been developed.
The Paintings
A group of small-scale paintings (oil on canvas) show mostly dark allusions of landscapes and clouds with little birds shown in various contexts; e.g. sitting on a pending twig, on a little cloud, being chained – some of them surrounded by dark leaves. Some of the paintings show other objects such as metal spirals hanging from branches or just hovering – as possible cages fort he birds. Some paintings only show sort of landscapes – as potential spaces fort he birds to fly through.
Together the made and imagined images lay out a painted little world, in which single elements (signs) are thought to move uninhibitedly in order to take now positions. The concept of transition – immanent in painting as such – is here applied to set of paintings – and thus contributing to the installation-like nature of the project.
The Project
LITTLE BIRDS OF PASSAGE is planed as a series of little projects.
Los Angeles: 10.07. – 23.07. 2008 / hosted by Charles Karubian / supported by Tirol Kultur
Warsaw: 21.11. – 19.12. 2008 / hosted by Gallery lokal_30
Sevilla: 2009
New York: 2009
A set of paintings (approx. 10 – 15) is taken to the project destination where they are installed in public and non-public space, being contextualised with the given surroundings. The paintings – as objects – travel like birds to spend some time at one place or other.
The installations are being documented with photos:
LITTLE BIRDS OF PASSAGE #1
Installation views (selection): Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Morongo Indian Reservation
During the stay at each destination, drawings of specific and relating local dispositions are being made as the basis for new little paintings to be add to the others.
In a final presentation, the paintings together with the photos of the installations as well as a documentation of the previous destinations are shown in an appropriate space as a presentation for a few days or as an exhibition.
The Postcard
For each destination of the project a postcard is being printed ideally at the destination itself, showing a painting or also an installation-view. At the end of the project the postcards form a little edition.
