Participation in the exhibition
LUCIO FONTANA, EXPECTATION

Like Fontana's works, the works of Düsseldorf artist Erinna König (1947–2021) open up new perspectives on space, material, and surface. The work “Night” clearly shows how Erinna König engaged with the art and theories of Lucio Fontana in her work. Erinna König has developed Fontana's gesture of piercing in her own unique way. The work consists of a metal plate made of dark-colored stainless steel that has been pierced with a sharp object. The work is framed by a semi-transparent white curtain that is draped asymmetrically and reaches to the floor on the right-hand side.

This design connects the artwork with the surrounding exhibition space. The star-shaped holes on the metallic background, in conjunction with the title “Night,” remind us of a nocturnal view of the starry sky. This open structure invites us to discover the space behind the surface—a central idea, also for Fontana's work. The fact that neon yellow paint is visible through the pierced holes in Erinna König's work reinforces the association with the night sky and at the same time highlights a difference to Fontana's “buchi” and “tagli”: Fontana often backs his perforations with black gauze, symbolizing infinity. In Erinna König's work, infinity becomes concrete in the imagination of the universe.

Von der Heydt-Museum Wuppertal