Interfunktionen. No. 1. (Deluxe edition)
Interfunktionen. Heubach, Friedrich Wolfram (Ed.)
Cologne. 1968
The very scarce deluxe edition of the first issue of Interfunctionen with signed original material from many of the contributors.
This deluxe edition of 'Interfunktionen No. 1' was likely issued only for the contributing artists in an edition of 8 copies; the entire edition of Interfunktionen No. 1 was 120 copies.
'Interfunktionen', linked inextricably with the Joseph Beuys-era Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and the LIDL Akademie, published theory, criticism and artists’ projects, and facilitated a brand of European-American relations in art that had not previously been explored. The magazine boasted contributions and support from Jörg Immendorff, Sigmar Polke and Wolf Vostell.
The first issue of 'Interfunktionen' was issued in an edition of 120 copies, while later issues averaged a circulation of about 1,000. Presented as a collection of some seventy leaves, the issue includes assorted papers printed, typed, or handwritten, loose enclosures, foldouts, inserted sheets of newsprint and collages of news clippings with scrawled citations. In his introduction, Heubach warns that the restrictive policies of art institutions like Documenta impede the free, experimental production of art. Detailed records describing the cancelled multimedia event, the ongoing controversies, the banned works and a general collection of news coverage follow.
'Midway through the issue things heat up. 'Honey-Blind Action' documents performances staged by artists during the opening press conference of Documenta: Jorg Immendorff jumped across tables, waved a stick topped with the silhouette of a cute polar bear painted light blue, and smeared honey over the microphones, while his wife, Chris Reinecke, 'hugged and kissed everyone', including the alarmed curator Bode. Vostell poured a bag of change in front of the curators as a symbolic donation, and Heubach, among others, raised a banner reading, 'Prof. Bode, we, the blind, thank you for this pretty show'. Newspaper articles are interspersed with the absurd correspondence between Reinecke and the city of Kassel, which had fined her 27.35DM for the removal of honey stains from tables and carpets. Matching the city's bureaucratese, her formal reply declined responsibility and requested that the bill be sent to her husband instead at the same address. The 'Manifestoes' section gathers fliers that greeted visitors at the exhibition opening.' (Christine Mehring).
This first issue of 'Interfunktionen' is scarce and this deluxe version even scarcer and it is probable that only eight copies of this first issue were ever produced, intended originally for the contributing artists themselves. This copy is complete with several original signed works (see below) by the magazine's original contributors.
The original signed works included in this deluxe issue are the following:
Gábor Altorjay - 'Rettet die Documenta' - tipped-in postcard, signed in black ink by Altorjay at lower right; the magazine closes with accounts of 'The Postcard Affair': this deluxe edition contains postcard prints banned from the official Documenta book-stores, including Vostell's postcard of a fighter jet montaged over the Fridericianum and K.P. Brehmer's stamp featuring a red flag mounted over that same building (see below).
Jörg Immendorff / Wolf Vostell - 'Honiggroschen' - small clear plastic bag tipped-in to supporting sheet containing an old German 10 pfennig coin and a quantity of honey (the bag has leaked during the years, and a small amount of the honey has stained the supporting sheet and several additional leaves); the support sheet signed in black ink by Immendorf and in blue ink by Vostell. Accompanying printed texts discuss Vostell's 'Honig-Blinden Aktion'.
Chris Reinecke -'Zurückgeküsst' (Kissed Back) - imprint of the artist's lips in lipstick to inserted leaf, unsigned but with the blue stamp 'Gultig 8 Monate / von Reinecke' (Valid for 8 Months / from Reinecke).
Wolf Vostell - 'Multimedia Environment' - tipped-in postcard from the Documenta show, signed in black ink by Vostell at lower right; Vostell's banned Documenta postcard.
Klaus Peter Brehme - 'Museum Fridericanum' - tipped-in postcard showing the verso only, signed in pencil by Brehme at upper left and with his banned stamp showing the red flag flying above the Museum Fridericanum.
[see Continental Schrift: The Story of Interfunktionen' by Christine Mehring, Artforum 42, No. 9, 2004; Eye on Europe pp. 101 / 275].
This deluxe edition of 'Interfunktionen No. 1' was likely issued only for the contributing artists in an edition of 8 copies; the entire edition of Interfunktionen No. 1 was 120 copies.
'Interfunktionen', linked inextricably with the Joseph Beuys-era Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and the LIDL Akademie, published theory, criticism and artists’ projects, and facilitated a brand of European-American relations in art that had not previously been explored. The magazine boasted contributions and support from Jörg Immendorff, Sigmar Polke and Wolf Vostell.
The first issue of 'Interfunktionen' was issued in an edition of 120 copies, while later issues averaged a circulation of about 1,000. Presented as a collection of some seventy leaves, the issue includes assorted papers printed, typed, or handwritten, loose enclosures, foldouts, inserted sheets of newsprint and collages of news clippings with scrawled citations. In his introduction, Heubach warns that the restrictive policies of art institutions like Documenta impede the free, experimental production of art. Detailed records describing the cancelled multimedia event, the ongoing controversies, the banned works and a general collection of news coverage follow.
'Midway through the issue things heat up. 'Honey-Blind Action' documents performances staged by artists during the opening press conference of Documenta: Jorg Immendorff jumped across tables, waved a stick topped with the silhouette of a cute polar bear painted light blue, and smeared honey over the microphones, while his wife, Chris Reinecke, 'hugged and kissed everyone', including the alarmed curator Bode. Vostell poured a bag of change in front of the curators as a symbolic donation, and Heubach, among others, raised a banner reading, 'Prof. Bode, we, the blind, thank you for this pretty show'. Newspaper articles are interspersed with the absurd correspondence between Reinecke and the city of Kassel, which had fined her 27.35DM for the removal of honey stains from tables and carpets. Matching the city's bureaucratese, her formal reply declined responsibility and requested that the bill be sent to her husband instead at the same address. The 'Manifestoes' section gathers fliers that greeted visitors at the exhibition opening.' (Christine Mehring).
This first issue of 'Interfunktionen' is scarce and this deluxe version even scarcer and it is probable that only eight copies of this first issue were ever produced, intended originally for the contributing artists themselves. This copy is complete with several original signed works (see below) by the magazine's original contributors.
The original signed works included in this deluxe issue are the following:
Gábor Altorjay - 'Rettet die Documenta' - tipped-in postcard, signed in black ink by Altorjay at lower right; the magazine closes with accounts of 'The Postcard Affair': this deluxe edition contains postcard prints banned from the official Documenta book-stores, including Vostell's postcard of a fighter jet montaged over the Fridericianum and K.P. Brehmer's stamp featuring a red flag mounted over that same building (see below).
Jörg Immendorff / Wolf Vostell - 'Honiggroschen' - small clear plastic bag tipped-in to supporting sheet containing an old German 10 pfennig coin and a quantity of honey (the bag has leaked during the years, and a small amount of the honey has stained the supporting sheet and several additional leaves); the support sheet signed in black ink by Immendorf and in blue ink by Vostell. Accompanying printed texts discuss Vostell's 'Honig-Blinden Aktion'.
Chris Reinecke -'Zurückgeküsst' (Kissed Back) - imprint of the artist's lips in lipstick to inserted leaf, unsigned but with the blue stamp 'Gultig 8 Monate / von Reinecke' (Valid for 8 Months / from Reinecke).
Wolf Vostell - 'Multimedia Environment' - tipped-in postcard from the Documenta show, signed in black ink by Vostell at lower right; Vostell's banned Documenta postcard.
Klaus Peter Brehme - 'Museum Fridericanum' - tipped-in postcard showing the verso only, signed in pencil by Brehme at upper left and with his banned stamp showing the red flag flying above the Museum Fridericanum.
[see Continental Schrift: The Story of Interfunktionen' by Christine Mehring, Artforum 42, No. 9, 2004; Eye on Europe pp. 101 / 275].
4to. (296 x 211 mm). 70 leaves with printed and mimeograph text, inserted leaves from newspapers and illustration throughout with additional original material inserted as issued. Original publisher's printed wrappers.
#42321
