DAY INTO NIGHT – GEOFFREY HENDRICKS

PRESS RELEASE (in Finnish)

[DAY INTO NIGHT] or How Fluxus Helped Him Discover His Personal Archaeology and Raise Many Questions About Life—But Not Necessarily Find Their Answers—By Playfully and Seriously Exploring the Sky and Other Natural and Unnatural Phenomena on Our Planet and in the Universe

Exhibition at Pori Art Museum, March 12–April 30, 1994

Day Into Night offers a retrospective of the work of American artist Geoffrey Hendricks (b. 1931) from the 1960s to the present. Throughout his career, Hendricks has been captivated by the ephemeral phenomena of nature, particularly the sky and clouds. He paints on canvases and objects, creates installations, performances, and environmental art. His work is characterized by a rhythmic dialogue between opposites: active and passive, serene stillness and turbulent motion.

For over three decades, Hendricks has been part of the Fluxus movement—a collective of poets, writers, composers, filmmakers, visual artists, and performance artists that emerged in the early 1960s in New York and Germany.

Fluxus artists shared an amused disdain for the traditional forms of the art world. They were driven by an interest in redefining the concept of art, fostering interdisciplinary approaches, and merging art with life.

The term Fluxus derives from Latin and means “flow” or “constant movement.” Its liberal philosophy owes much to early 20th-century avant-garde movements, especially Dada and Marcel Duchamp’s playful anti-art ideas and intellectualism. Later, composer-artist John Cage’s experimental music in the 1950s laid the groundwork for the movement. Cage’s legacy was more benevolent and permissive in nature than Dada’s. Between these influences lies the later divergence within the Fluxus circle.

Fluxus art was fundamentally rooted in a deliberate opposition stance, placing itself on the margins. Its strength was not so much in visuality as in verbalism, intellectualism, and playful liberalism. It aimed to challenge traditional notions of art’s permanence and preservation, as well as its quality and artist-centric focus. In this regard, the movement can be deemed successful: until recent years, Fluxus was largely overlooked in the collections of major art museums and the histories of post-war art.

Now, 30 years after its inception, Fluxus has become one of the central subjects of art historical analysis in contemporary art. Its significance as a turning point in the art world is evident. While rooted in Dada, Fluxus continues to live and adapt to its time. Although it is inherent to Fluxus to remain on the margins, its impact on later art movements is undeniable. Without Fluxus, it is doubtful that conceptual art, performance art, or body art would exist in their current forms. Minimalism and Pop Art would also likely be very different without the influence of Fluxus.

Geoffrey Hendricks’s most significant contribution to Fluxus lies in the areas of performance and happenings, beginning in the mid-1960s and particularly throughout the 1970s. During this time, Fluxus events shifted from concert-like performances of its early years to direct interaction between the audience and artists. Through their ritualistic content, Hendricks’s works explored our relationship with nature and our journey through life.

On Saturday, March 12, 1994, at 3 p.m., Geoffrey Hendricks and his assistants will present his now-classic Flux Navy performance at the Pori Art Museum. This piece was first performed in 1978 in memory of George Maciunas. The exhibition opening will also feature a small-scale Fluxus concert, including ”Paper Music”, Benjamin Patterson / ”Prelude”, Geoffrey Hendricks / ”Morning Glory”, Ay-O / ” Two Inches”, Robert Watts / ”Orange Event No. 3 or How to Transform a Ball into a Staight Line”, Bengt af Klintberg / ”Drip Music”, George Brecht / Duet for Brass”, Joe Jones / ”Tone Line ”, Alison Knowles / ”Event for the Late Afternoon”, Mieko Shiomi / ”Smooth Event”, Yasunao Tone / ”Opus 1001 Amplification, Eric Andersen / ”In Memoriam to Adriano Olivetti”, George Maciunas / ”Heads & Tails”, Geoffrey Hendricks / ”Gång Sång”, Dick Higgins.

Publication:
ISBN 951-9355-40-5 Geoffrey Hendricks: Päivästä yöksi
Finnish translation of the book: Geoffrey Hendricks: DAY INTO NIGHT 1993. 1994
Pori Art Museum Publications 23

Translated with ChatGPT