Franz Erhard Walther: Space Through Action

The exhibition “Franz Erhard Walther. Space Through Action” at the ZKM | Museum of Contemporary Art will show the complete “Schreitbahnen” by Franz Erhard Walther, a selection of early photographs, as well as large-format drawings.

Franz Erhard Walther is one of the most influential artists of recent decades. Scarcely any other artist has been able to change the definition of what sculpture can be, with such foresight and consequence as Walther has done. Through his participative objects and textile sculptures, he has subjected the understanding of art and the relationship between art and the observer to a fundamental re-evaluation and amplification.

The active engagement with an artistic offer, experiencing haptics of fabrics and materials, the responsiveness of one’s own physicality and the resulting action in the room are some of the reasons that Franz Erhard Walther’s work is still today an extraordinary contribution to contemporary art. His work can be seen as a synthesis of Process art, Minimal art, and Conceptual art and stands in dialogue with numerous prominent positions within contemporary art.