Häusler Contemporary Zurich is pleased to announce the solo exhibition Gary Kuehn «Box Piece». Kuehn, whose conceptual approach has contributed significantly to the renewal of the concept of sculpture, has been one of the most important representatives of Post Minimalism and Process Art since the 1960s. 

«The Box Piece started when I made ten small-scale paintings based on what I thought were the essential gestural approaches to a rectangular form. I also had fifty or sixty drawings. All these, the paintings and drawings, were part of the gesture project – and I thought, okay, I’m done with this project. I’ll conclude the whole thing by making a very well-made crate for it — sort of like the Artschwager pieces that were in the Whitney show years later. I’ll put everything in there and then I’ll screw the top on, and that’ll be it. I thought it’s a nice way to end the whole thing because now you don’t have to look at it.» Gary Kuehn

Created as part of the Gesture Project which was begun in the mid-1960s, the «Box Piece» was understood as the artist's manifesto, which he archived in the purpose-built «Box». Kuehn was interested in the way the «Gestures» of the works could be confined in a certain format and undermine the freedom of the gesture. He refers thereby to the connection to the limits and the restriction of the format as well as the spontaneous aspect of the gesture, which is slowed down by the repetitive character of the process.The contents of the box, last shown publicly in 1971, are a total of 43 works on canvas and paper. Kuehn had just begun his teaching career there when he created this piece and installed it for an exhibition. 

The presentation of the extensive interior of the «Box Piece» is accompanied by works by the artist on paper from the 1960s, sculptures from the «Eternal Figures» of 1974 as well as works from the «Black Paintings» of the 1970s, previously unseen in Zurich. 

An artist's book will be published in collaboration with Peter Zimmermann to accompany the exhibition.