MALAGA.- CAC Málaga, the City of Málaga´s Center for Contemporary Art, is pleased to announce the opening of Lawrence Weiner´s (New York, b. 1942) first site specificinstallation in Spain. He is an iconic figure in the world of conceptual art, specifically American conceptual art and he is one of the most influential post-World War II artists in the world. The peculiarities of Málaga stemming from its border city character, history, and geographic location south of privilege and north of desperation are Weiner´s excuse for creating the Forever and a Day installation.

This exhibit must be viewed within the context of the City of Málaga´s intention to further a cultural agenda with global reach and its goal of becoming the 2016 Cultural Capital of Europe, as well as to continue positioning CAC Málaga itself as a landmark international center for contemporary art in Spain.

Lawrence Weiner uses language as sculptural material to create his pieces, a technique employed in the creation of FOREVER AND A DAY for CAC Málaga. Weiner believes that linguistic constructions can elicit the same reactions from viewers as do conventional sculptures.

Fernando Francés explains that in the artist´s view, “the idea is more important than the artistic creation itself. The concept is the work of art that is independent of the medium. As such it can be translated into any language, is versatile, flexible, and can be adapted most easily to a particular location. Proof of this can be found in the elements used to support the CAC Málaga piece, which draws on the region´s Phoenician, Greek, Roman, and Arab heritage."

Weiner´s art is visual language, design, and color. Text is the ideal medium for synchronizing his work with current trends. Conceived largely for display in public spaces, it blends in with the remaining bits of information to which citizens everywhere are exposed. Weiner defines art in empirical terms, that which arises out of the relationship between objects and their relationship to humans, regardless of past precedents and with no need for legitimation.

It is all the result of research he has done for the past forty years into the structure of art (creativity, production, market) while proposing an entirely new way of defining the relationship between artist and spectactor. Beyond his exhibits and installations, his research into linguistic structure and visual paradigms have also led to seminars, conferences, books, and a variety of publications, films, performances, and audio projects.

Weiner says he still doesn´t know why he agreed to create this piece for CAC Málaga given that he is currently juggling two huge retrospective exhibits and making a film. But he was very interested in the idea of creating something in this region because of the city´s mix of cultures and could not refuse the offer.

"It´s the idea of cultures in movement, coming and going, and returning again. Culture is constant movement and that´s why I titled the exhibit FOREVER AND A DAY. Depending on what country the viewer is from, my piece will say something different each time. Each individual brings something different inside themselves to the interpretation of the piece. They will never feel indifference. It´s just a matter of time,” explains the artist.
Career

Lawrence Weiner is a pioneer in the use of the “concept” as primary source material for creating art. Self-taught and entrepeneurial, he decided to travel around the United States, México, and Canada after graduating from high school.

He used dynamite to create his first work in the 60s, the famous “Cratering” pieces in Mill Valley, California. However, his first solo exhibition was at the legendary Seth Siegelaud Gallery in New York in 1968.

Since then, he has done several solo and group exhibitions throughout the world. Noteworthy among them was his first large retrospective put together by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, titled AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE, currently on exhibit at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). CAC Málaga thus coincides once again with the great museums of the world its program and selection.

Weiner currently divides his time living and working in his New York studio and Amsterdam boat.