AKI-Fluxfest, 1981 [poster]

AKI-Fluxfest, 1981
49.4 x 33.5 cm
screen print on paper, poster folded as mailed (17 x 24.8 cm)
condition: reasonable, tear lower left, missing chip of paper
rare
inv.Fluxus 687

 

Peter van Beveren and Harry Ruhé invited Fluxus artists to participate in a Fluxus Festival at the AKI Art Academy in Enschede in The Netherlands. Participating artists were Eric Andersen, Giuseppe Chiari, Dick Higgins, Ben Vautier, Wolf Vostell, Bob Lens, Wim T. Schippers, Takako Saito, Ludwig Gosewitz, Milan Knizak and Mischa Mengelberg. The director Sipke Huismans of the AKI gave carte blanche to the two curators. Van Beveren and Ruhé managed nine artists to come over for five days to this Fluxus event, namely Eric Andersen, Ben Vautier, Wolf Vostell, Bob Lens, Wim T. Schippers, Takako Saito, Ludwig Gosewitz, Milan Knizak and Mischa Mengelberg. Every artist got a fee of Dfl. 3.000,- (“It is about time that artists should be properly paid…’). In the end the AKI almost went bankrupt caused by the high bills of hotel, dinner and free booze, trip and traveling costs.

BEN VAUTIER, Écoutez la mer, 2001 [multiple]

BEN VAUTIER, Écoutez la mer, 2001
10 x 12 x 1,5 cm
metal balls, glue sealed plastic box with printed matter
comes with bulletin Praktikabel-podium per post, Nr 23, original envelope with Ben Vautier sticker
edition 300
signed, numbered
published by Stichting Keunstwurk, Leeuwarden, Netherlands
very good condition, although the bulletin is folded due to being added to the box in the mailed envelope

 

-put it against your ear
-close your eyes
-listen to the Waddenzee

BEN VAUTIER, introspection truth art & sex, 2013

BVautier2013introspection-outerbox600

BEN VAUTIER, introspection truth art & sex, 2013
issued in linen bound cardboard box (7,4 x 18,5 x 24,9 cm)
content: 4 parts, screen print on mirror (21,2 x 15,2 cm), two books with embossed texts (0,8 x 21,6 x 15,3 cm / 2,8 x 21,6 x 15,3 cm), larger book hand signed in red felt pen ink with embossed number #20
all items in black linen bound display box
edition 100 + 10 AP, of which 50 numbered 1-50 and 50 HC Roman numbered from I – L
Published by Global Art Affairs Foundation, Leiden, Netherlands

 

 

BVautier2013introspection600

BEN VAUTIER, Attention travaux en cours / Big Box Ben, 2012

BEN VAUTIER, Attention travaux en cours, 2012
27 x 27,5 x 34,5 cm
printed texts on plastic file box, 4 drawers
published by Quo Vadis, Paris, France

History of price:
Quo Vadis, Paris, France € 50,- December 2012 (year of issue)

For a very short period a similar and more fancy version was offered for sale as featured below. It had white brims on the front side of each drawer. The inner part of the drawers were also white.

 

 

BEN VAUTIER Attention travaux en cours / Big Box Ben, 2012
27 x 27,5 x 34,5 cm
printed texts on plastic file box, 4 drawers
published by Quo Vadis, Paris, France

History of price:
Quo Vadis, Paris, France € 53,- November 2012 (year of issue)

BEN VAUTIER, Écrire entre les lignes, ca 2012 [large display for shop]

BEN VAUTIER, Écrire entre les lignes, ca 2012
plastic display for shop counter, 50 pens with 4 different sentences in print
Parker Guitars Vector
published by Parker Pen Company, Newhaven, East Sussex, UK
extremely rare
pristine   
€ 4.800,- + € 32,- Track & Trace registered EU mail

A word, a thought or a slogan like ‘To write between the lines’ is in the art of Ben Vautier a trade mark for many years now. He is known for his performances, installations, his Fluxus shop in Nice and texts on paintings and objects. Writing his texts in white-on-black is his favorite activity. He calls his art Total Art.

Both museums and private entrepreneurs gladly make use of his tongue-in-cheek words. Here Parker Pen Company managed to make a deal with the artist concerning Ben Big Box products. This is definitely a sculpture and not so much a counter display for selling Parker pens.