The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 00
The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 01
Josef Strau

“The Oriental Therapies”

26 June 2009 -
12 September 2009

opening reception on Friday,
26 June, 7-9 pm

Josef Strau
“The Oriental Therapies”

 

26 June - 12 September 2009
opening reception on Friday, 26 June, 7-9 pm

 

Josef Strau based his most recent exhibitions on the reconsideration of past works. Functioning as a further chapter of this continuous practice the exhibition at Galerie Daniel Buchholz, the second solo exhibition of the artist in the gallery, is titled “The Oriental Therapies”, a title spawned by a spontaneous poem of the early morning. Containing a kind of table of contents it flows like an ornamental thread through the works of the exhibition. One can read it as part of a continuous poem, left side and right side. The subject reflected in the text is the “artist of history” in a substitutional form of or a projection of the angel of history, dealing and working as the angels’ assistant- or merely as the “deputy-angel-of-history”. The model “artist of history”, redefined through the literary figure of the “angel of history”, means that he/she is the ‘it’ practicing the subjectivity of walking through time backwards, never looking forward. His/her duty is the permanent observation and recreation of narratives in an artistic practice, which appears to be today not just a political or a literary mode of production alone, but equally a practice of art production. A theological and literary appropriation these narratives appear here as narratives of confession, of selfdepreciation, of repentance. From the exhibition “The Dissidence Coincidence” in Malmö Konsthall through “18Iniqities” at Greene Naftali in New York Josef Strau tried to list and count some earlier artistic malpractices, partly as a symbolic act and sometimes in short confessional texts producing retrospective acts, he was hoping that by naming, counting and as well by repeating certain malpractices, bad reputations might be redeemed and the weight of guilt reduced for some future time. The new exhibition is a continuation of this artistic repentance/redemption process. It’s a possible next step on a Jacob´s ladder, a kind of staircase on which the angels run up and down, the oriental repair station. It is the angel’s practice of permanent dedication to the service of repairing - a practice emphatically reintroduced in Obama’s interpretation of the constitutionally defined right of the pursuit of happiness. The production of text is finally broadly accepted as an artistic practice equal to let’s say photography or painting. Consequently “The Oriental Therapies“ is a collection of attempts not to just name earlier malpractice but to show signs of liberation from repressive rules of representation of text. The model of the new practice is appropriated from Roland Barthes’ understanding of two opposing concepts of the writer, the ecrivain and the ecrivant. One type of writer is defined by the use of authority, called the author. The second is the artist, who defines himself merely as the one who is just writing therefore lacking any submission to the function of the practice of writing, denying faith in categorical rulemaking.

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 02
The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 03
The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 04

Josef Strau

“The Oriental Therapies”
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 05

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
ink, pencil, watercolour on paper
30 x 21 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 06

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
2 parts:
c-print, ink, framed
103 x 85 cm
poster on pedestal
59 x 42 cm
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 07

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
2 parts:
c-print, ink, framed
103 x 85 cm
poster on pedestal
59 x 42 cm
detail

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 08

Josef Strau

Untitled, 1991/2008
2 parts:
metal, fabric, plastic, electrical component
151,5 x ø 35 cm
c-print, framed
52 x 38 cm
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 09

Josef Strau

Untitled, 1991/2008
2 parts:
metal, fabric, plastic
151,5 x ø 35 cm
c-print, framed
52 x 38 cm
detail

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 10

Josef Strau

“The Oriental Therapies”
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 11

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, ink on canvas
50 x 40 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 12

Josef Strau

“The Oriental Therapies”
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 13

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, xerox transfer,
ink on canvas
80 x 60 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 14

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, ink, printed
adhesive foil on canvas
100 x 70 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 15

Josef Strau

“The Oriental Therapies”
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 16

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, ink, xerox transfer,
transparent paper on canvas
80 x 60 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 17

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, ink, xerox transfer,
printed foil on canvas
80 x 60 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 18

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, ink, printed foil on canvas
100 x 70 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 19

Josef Strau

“The Oriental Therapies”
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 20

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, ink, xerox transfer,
paper on canvas
80 x 60 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 21

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, ink, paper, printed foil on canvas
135 x 90 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 22

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, transparent paper, ink, foil on canvas
120 x 75 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 23

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, ink, xerox, paper, foil on canvas
120 x 90 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 24

Josef Strau

“The Oriental Therapies”
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 25

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, ink, xerox transfer on canvas
80 x 60 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 26

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, ink, transparent paper, foil on canvas
130 x 75 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 27

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, ink, xerox transfer,
on canvas
80 x 60 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 28

Josef Strau

“The Oriental Therapies”
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 29

Josef Strau

“The Oriental Therapies”
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 30

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
2 parts:
lacquer, pencil,
printed adhesive foil
on wooden board
229 x 121 x 3 cm
metal, lacquer, fabric, electrical component
132 x ø 28 cm
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 31

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, ink, xerox, paper,
adhesive tape on canvas
100 x 91,5 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 32

Josef Strau

“The Oriental Therapies”
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 33

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, pencil, rope of pearls on canvas
80 x 70 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 34

Josef Strau

“The Oriental Therapies”
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 35

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, ink, pearls on canvas
110 x 75 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 36

Josef Strau

“The Oriental Therapies”
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 37

Josef Strau

“The Oriental Therapies”
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 38

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, xerox transfer, ink,
pearls on canvas
69,5 x 100 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 39

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
2 parts:
oil xerox transfer, ink, foil, adhesive tape on canvas
129 x 74,5 cm
metal, canvas, glass pearls, pearls, foil
114 x ø 109 cm
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 40

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
2 parts:
oil xerox transfer, ink, foil, adhesive tape on canvas
129 x 74,5 cm
metal, canvas, glass pearls, pearls, foil
114 x ø 109 cm
detail

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 41

Josef Strau

“The Oriental Therapies”
installation view Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Berlin 2009

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 42

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, xerox transfer, ink, on canvas
119 x 90 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 43

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, xerox, ink, paper on canvas
120 x 90 cm

The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 44

Josef Strau

Untitled, 2009
oil, ink, foil on canvas
74,5 x 39 cm

AnnouncementImagesText
The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 45 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 46 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 47 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 48 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 49 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 50 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 51 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 52 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 53 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 54 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 55 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 56 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 57 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 58 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 59 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 60 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 61 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 62 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 63 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 64 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 65 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 66 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 67 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 68 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 69 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 70 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 71 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 72 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 73 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 74 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 75 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 76 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 77 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 78 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 79 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 80 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 81 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 82 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 83 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 84 The Oriental Therapies — Josef Strau — Exhibitions — Galerie Buchholz — Image 85