ZERO

This abridged list of group exhibitions includes only exhibitions in which Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Günther Uecker participated, and are the essential ZERO exhibitions. Those exhibitions, held mainly in Europe, give an idea of the network that was built by the German, French, Italian and Dutch artists between 1958 and 1966. It shows there were several important ZERO centres: in the Netherlands (The Hague and Rotterdam), Germany (Düsseldorf and Frankfurt) and Italy (Milan and Rome). From the beginning, the various artist collectives, including Zero, Nul and Azimut, made their own studios available to like-minded artists as exhibition and sale rooms. Gallery owners they befriended not only supported the artists’ initiatives in their capacity as commercial institutions, but also provided assistance in setting up and expanding the network; they also initiated experimental exhibitions in various museums. In Germany, Udo Kultermann was one of the first, in 1960, to present several ZERO artists in a museum context; Willem Sandberg subsequently opened the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam to an initiative by Henk Peeters in 1962. The activities of the international ZERO movement reached as far as the USA.

Note: all used images are taken from various websites or from the Henk Peeters / Nul Archive 
Used data is taken from the exhibition catalog Countdown to the Future, Sabanci Museum in Istanbul, 2015

1958

• Düsseldorf, Atelier Heinz Mack und Otto Piene, Gladbacher Straße 69, 7. Abendausstellung – Das rote Bild

At the 7th Evening Exhibition, entitled ‘The Red Painting’, numerous works in which red was the dominant color were shown. Among the 45 participating artists were Heinz Mack, Otto Piene, Hermann Bartels, Konrad Klapheck, Hans Salentin and, for the first time, Günter Uecker. After his exhibition at Galerie Schmela Yves Klein was invited to participate by Mack and Piene, and he showed a single work. In the first issue of ZERO magazine, Mack and Piene discussed the subject of colour, in accordance with the theme of the exhibition.

• Düsseldorf, Atelier Heinz Mack und Otto Piene, Gladbacher Straße 69, 8. Abendausstellung – Vibration

​The 8th Evening Exhibition consisted of works on the themes of ‘grid’ and ‘vibration’ by Oskar Holweck, Heinz Mack, Almir Mavignier, Otto Piene and Adolf Zillmann. Works shaped from aluminum foil by Heinz Mack, who called them ‘light reliefs’, were shown here for the first time. This exhibition made it clear from the start that the era when informalism dominated the evening exhibitions was over, replaced by an era when the ‘grid’ paintings that were so important for ZERO were now focusing on subjects like structure, light and movement. For this exhibition, Mack and Piene published the second issue of ZERO magazine.

1959

• Antwerp, G58 Hessenhuis, Vision in Motion – Motion in Vision 

The Belgian group of artists, G58, organized an exhibition in the penthouse of a historic house in Antwerp. Works by Robert Breer, Pol Bury, Yves Klein, Heinz Mack, Bruno Munari, Otto Piene, Dieter Roth, Jesus Rafael Soto, Daniel Spoerri, Jean Tinguely, Günther Uecker and Paul Van Hoeydonck were here shown together for the first time.

• Wiesbaden, Galerie Renate Boukes, Dynamo 1

Heinz Mack and Otto Piene organized a group exhibition based on the 8th Evening Exhibition and the ‘Vision in Motion - Motion in Vision’ exhibition in Antwerp. This exhibition was deliberately opened on a date close to that of documenta II. Mack and Piene invited Piero Manzoni, whom they had met a short time before, to participate in the exhibition. Together with ‘Dynamo 1’ and ‘Vision in Motion – Motion in Vision’, this became the exhibition that best displayed the international face of the ZERO movement.

1960

• Milano, Galleria Azimut, La nuova concezione artistica
  

The group exhibition entitled ‘La nuova concezione artistica’ (New Artistic Concepts) included works by its organizers Enrico Castellani and Pierro Manzoni, and by Oskar Holweck, Yves Klein, Mack and Almir Mavignier, who had participated in the Evening Exhibitions organized by Heinz Mack and Otto Piene. The second and last issue of Azimut magazine contained articles in English, German and French, as well as pictures of works in the exhibition and a photograph of Piene’s Light Ballet.

1961

• Düsseldorf, Galerie Schmela,, ZERO – Edition, Exposition, Demonstration

The third and last issue of ZERO magazine was published for this exhibition, which was designed jointly by Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Günther Uecker. Over thirty avant-garde artists contributed articles and visual material to this issue. Publication of the magazine was celebrated that evening by a large-scale ZERO festival inside and in front of the gallery. Günther Uecker actively participated in a ZERO event for the first time. Uecker took a brush and white paint and marked out an area of the street in front of the gallery that he called Weisse Zone ZERO (White Zone ZERO).

• Arnheim, Internationale Galerie A, Expositie Demonstratie ZERO​
• Zagreb, Galerija suvremene umjetnosti, Nove tendencije 

1962

• Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Nul

Amsterdam City Museum director Willem Sandberg held a comprehensive ZERO exhibition that was the most important artistic show of ZERO’s early years. As well as solo works by the participating artists, complex spatial installations like Salon de Lumiere (Light Room) by Mack, Piene and Uecker were shown at the exhibition.

• Ghent, Centrum voor Kunstambachten, Gewezen St. Pietersabdij,  Forum ’62

‘Forum ’62’ arose from a joint initiative by the poet Paul de Vree and Karel Geirland to contribute to awareness of modern and contemporary art in Belgium and encourage exhibitions of such art. The exhibition was divided into two parts: one consisting of works by artists representing abstract expressionism and informalism, and the other works by ZERO artists. Mack was responsible for exhibiting the ZERO works. Emulating the ‘Vision in Motion – Motion in Vision’ exhibition (Antwerp, 1959), the works were arranged freely within the space.

• Düsseldorf, Rheinwiesen, ZERO-Demonstration

​Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Günther Uecker organized a ZERO show on the Rheinwiesen meadow along the Rhine River in Düsseldorf. Inside the white area (Weisse Zone ZERO) painted on the ground by Uecker were girls in ZERO costumes, soap bubbles, bunches of grapes made of balloons and flags made of reflective aluminium sheets, while visitors danced to live music. The event was organized as part of shooting the film 0 x 0 = Art. Artists Without Paint and Brush, directed by Gerd Winkler. This film was first shown on television on 27 June 1962.

1963

• Berlin, Galerie Diogenes, ZERO

Diogenes Gallery in Berlin hosted a ZERO exhibition curated jointly by Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Günther Uecker. Altogether 44 artists participated in the exhibition. To coincide with the exhibition, Mack, Piene and Uecker organized a ZERO festival in Berlin.

• Frankfurt am Main, Galerie d in der Schwanenhalle des Römer, Europäische Avantgarde

Works by contemporary artists and groups from seven countries took part in the exhibition. Artists included Lucio Fontana, Yves Klein, Heinz Mack, Piero Manzoni, Bruno Munari, Otto Piene, Uli Pohl, Jean Tinguely, Günther Uecker, Paul van Hoeydonck and Herman de Vries. The exhibition was received with such acclaim that it was extended by two weeks.

1964

• The Hague,  Gemeentemuseum, ZERO-0-Nul

Works by Dutch artists Armando, Henk Peeters and Jan J. Schoonhoven, as well as by Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Günther Uecker, were shown at this exhibition. Mack, Piene and Uecker’s joint work Silberne Lichtmühle (Silver Light Mill) was also exhibited. Soon afterwards this work was incorporated into the Light Room, which was also the work of these three artists and shown at documenta III. Installations by the Dutch artists used materials provided by the Sikkens Paint Factory. Peeters built a wall of empty paint cans, Schoonhoven made a pile of empty cardboard boxes and Armando made groups of many paintbrushes.

• London, New Vision Centre Gallery, ZERO

This ZERO group exhibition of works by Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Günther Uecker was held at the London gallery run by McRoberts and Tunnard. The exhibition was accompanied by ZERO film shows and a symposium at the ICA, and a ZERO Festival organized by Mack. The exhibition at the New Vision Centre Gallery was the first ZERO group exhibition to be held in an English-speaking country.

• Kassel, Museum Fridericianum, Documenta III – Sektion Licht und Bewegung

documenta III was divided into three separate sections. Some contemporary works relating to light and movement by artists such as Günter Haese, Harry Kramer, Heinz Mack, Otto Piene, Nicolas Schöffer, Jesus Rafael Soto, Jean Tinguely and Günther Uecker were exhibited on the penthouse floor of the Fridericianum Museum. Mack, Piene and Uecker showed their installation entitled Light Room–Tribute to Fontana. This installation was comprised of seven separate works, including the collaborative Silver Mill and White Mill. As a protest against the documenta III organizers, who failed to invite Lucio Fontana, they dedicated the rooms to the Italian artist and included a projected image of one of Fontana’s installations.

• Antwerp, Arena Centrum Deurne, Integratie 64

Artist Jef Verheyen and Belgium author Paul De Vree organized an exhibition entitled ‘Integratie 64’ on the relationship between art, technology and architecture. Lucio Fontana, Yves Klein, Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Günther Uecker were among the participants in the exhibition. Works included Fontana’s huge sculpture, Time and Place, made from perforated metal and illuminated from inside; drafts, models and photographs relating to buildings designed by architects; and photographs of urban art projects like Heinz Mack’s Desert Relief on the façade of a school in Leverkusen.

• Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, ZERO, Institute of Contemporary Art 

The first international ZERO exhibition in the United States of America was organized by Otto Piene. For the exhibition poster, Piene used an image by the American artist Robert Indiana, who also participated in the exhibition. This ZERO exhibition marked the beginning of a new era for artists like Mack, Piene, Uecker, Haacke and Schoonhoven. They participated in major exhibitions in the United States. After Philadelphia, another ZERO exhibition was held at the Washington Gallery of Modern Art early in 1965.

1965

• Milano, Atelier Lucio Fontana, ZERO avantgarde 1965

Italian woman architect and artist Nanda Vigo organized a mobile exhibition of works by the ZERO group. Following in the footsteps of her partner Piero Manzoni following his death, she forged contacts between Italian artists and ZERO artists in other countries. Lucio Fontana, who kept in touch with Vigo, allowed her to use his Milan studio for her first presentation of ZERO avant-garde. The purpose of this initiative, designed as a touring exhibition, was to promote the European ZERO movement in Italy and awaken public interest. The exhibition was shown in many Italian cities up to the end of 1966.

• Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Nul negentienhonderd vijf en zestig

Henk Peeters opened a new group exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. This exhibition consisted of works by ZERO, Nul, Gruppo T and a Japanese group of artists called Gutai. Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Günther Uecker were represented by numerous works, among them Mack’s Lightcarousel (today demolished) and Uecker’s New York Dancers, which revolves around its own axis. Piene’s Permanent Lichttheater and various projections were brought together and exhibited as an installation.

• The Hague, Pier von Scheveningen, ZERO op zee

Owner of Pier von Scheveningen, Henk Peeters, and owners of Internationale galerij Orez, Albert Vogel and Leo Verboon, planned some events on a very large site near The Hague, but these never materialised. ‘ZERO op zee’ (ZERO at sea) was to turn Scheveningen wharf into a temporary multimedia installation for three weeks. The environs of the wharf - sea, beach and sky – were to be included in the concept. Diverse ideas of the artists were the first examples of the newly emerging Land Art and Concept Art. Nearly 50 artists from 25 countries participated in this ambitious project. The project was planned for September 1965, but due to weather conditions and financial difficulties it was postponed until spring 1966 and finally abandoned altogether. Instead some of the project designs and models were exhibited at the Orez Gallery in April 1966. Some of the designs were published in June the following year in the architectural magazine Forum voor architektur en daamee verbonden kunsten.

1966

• Bonn, Städtische Kunstsammlungen, ZERO in Bonn

This exhibition was the last ZERO project organized jointly by Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Günther Uecker. The three artists exhibited their works in separate areas of a shared space, and their installations in three different small rooms. The concept of the exhibition reflected a definite rift that had existed between the three artists for a long time.

• Remagen, Bahnhof Rolandseck, ZERO Mitternachtsball

 Following the opening they celebrated the end of their joint activities with a large festival at Bahnhof Rolandseck 15 km away. Nearly two thousand people participated in this live music event called ‘ZERO ist gut für Dich’ (ZERO is good for you). These three Düsseldorf artists had driven the movement, and when they stopped collaborating, ZERO effectively came to an end.