“Something that’s so interesting and also wonderful about Lethbridge and Förg’s acknowledgment of the viewer – it’s the viewer that comes with the meaning.” —Louisa Elderton
Günther Förg (German, 1952–2013) and Julian Lethbridge (British, b. 1947) never crossed paths, but are now enjoying a two-person exhibition together at Contemporary Fine Arts in Berlin. Ballad of a Thin Man (through April 20, 2019) explores the way the two artists – who both also expressed admiration for fellow artist Bob Dylan – have created works that tread the border of abstraction in such a way as to challenge the viewer to bring their own interpretation to insistently abstract works.
In this video, critic Louisa Elderton discusses the exhibition and how Förg and Lethbridge recall Roland Barthes’ insight about the death of the author.