In 1967, the art critic Juergen Claus mentioned Tony Morgan in the German weekly DIE ZEIT, regretting deeply that this British artist was not included in the Dusseldorf exhibition "Acht junge britische Bildhauer" [Eight Young British Sculptors] - an expo put together by the British Council. Claus's reaction was outspoken. The presentation was far from perfect, because works of "important English sculptors like Gerals Laing, Peter Phillips and Tony Morgan" were missing. When the expo was later on shown in Berne, the selection made by the British Council was corrected. The Swiss curator added works by Phillips and Morgan, introducing these two artists (presumably tongue-in-cheek) to the Swiss public as "young English sculptors living and working in Switzerland." For Claus, the omission of Morgan in Düsseldorf was a sorry fact because "he represents the experimental position among young British sculptors." (J. Claus, "Kunstkalender," in: DIE ZEIT, Aug.4, 1967) This observation was very much to the point. From his early beginnings to the late works created in Geneva at the beginning of the 21st century, Tony Morgan has been given to experimentation. In 1969, Tony Morgan belonged to the group of artists who particpated in the INTERMEDIA 69 in Heidelberg. Klaus Staeck, one of the co-organizers, remembers that the initators of this event "invited all those who gave a new and important impetus to contemporary art [...]." Staeck names for instance "Joseph Beuys, Dick Higgins, J. J. Lebel, Daniel Spoerri, Robert Filliou, George Brecht, Ben Vautier, Diter Roth, Nam June Paik, Takis, Kantor, [Blinky] Palermo, Reiner Ruthenbeck, Katharina Sieverding, Milan Knizak, LIDL, Günther Uecker, Klaus Rinke, Günter Weseler, Jochen Gerz, KP Brehmer, Sigmar Polke, Herbert Distel, Jan Dibbets, Mauricio Kagel, Many Neumeier's Guru-Guru-Band [...]" And he singles out "the pit [Pfahlgrube] that Günther Uecker produced, the Tesa-films of Claus Böhmler, Tony Morgan's polyester sculptures, the water fountain of Klaus Rinke, Hoedecke who was walking on stilts [through the expo area, as a living sculpture], as well as the movies shown by Palermo, IMI Knoebel and IMI Giese, Lutz Mommartz, Werner Nekes and Chris Kohlhöfer." All the while Klaus Staeck was cooking "Heidelberg - Oelschinken" [conventional oil paintings from the Heidelberg area, they are referred to as "oil(y) bacon" in German] whereas Daniel Spoerri was preparing a special goulash for everyone in the university restaurant. "Subsequent to an excited discussion with Bernd Höke," everyone watched "a theater performance by Pistoletto's marvellous troupe LO ZOO." Staeck concludes his memories of the event by recalling another sculptural intervention - the "wrapping" of a building by his friend Christo. Conceived as a counter-event challenging the exhibition of contemporary sculpture organized by the Heidelberg art association, the INTERMEDIA 69 was "one of the last big Happening / Fluxus / Performance events." (Klaus Staeck, "intermedia 69 - Die Veranstaltung. Erinnerungen von Mitveranstalter Klaus Staeck," in: http://www.rzuser.uni-heidelberg.de/~kschulte/christo/intermedia.htm) That the experimental British sculptur Tony Morgan was invited to participate, was hardly due to chance. Here he met, or encountered again people who remained friends and important contacts, sometimes collaborators: most importantyl Daniel Spoerri and Robert Filliou, whose specific affinity to surrealism and innovation of the surrealist vision du monde was so akin to Tony Morgan's own sensitivity even if the latter was unmistakably English. It was around 1969/70 that Morgan turned to film making, preferring video technique to super 8 or the 16mm format. A text published by a British gallery that exposed his work notes aptly that "[f]ew artists have utilised the medium of video as explicitly [...]. Morgan caught the zeitgeist perfectly with his films of random and bizarre activities in videos that often featured him. Part Fluxus inspired, these videos are compelling expressions of Morgan's bleak but humorous reflection of social and political change." (N.N., "Tony Morgan", text by the Richard Salton Gallery, http://www.richardsaltoun.com/artists/43-Tony-MORGAN/overview/) "Morgan's collaboration with Daniel Spoerri video, Beefsteak - Resurrection (1968), reverses the story of a steak from excrement to its genesis as a cow in a field; Shatter (1973), features a hammer relentlessly tapping the surface of the screen until it breaks: visually disturbing, these works are characteristic of Morgan's aesthetic." (N.N., "Tony Morgan", text by the Richard Salton Gallery) The writer of the above text adds that "Tony Morgan turned
to themes of gender identity in the early '70s, establishing Herman, his
part-woman alter ego." Even though an androgynous sensitivity is not uncommon
in artists. an outspoken macho character was as much part of Morgan. He
was attractive and women noticed. The liberated sexuality that seemed to
be part of the cultural revolution that affected many young people since
1968 had its price, of course. Relations were intense but often short lived
and not without pain. Morgan dreamt of going to India (again?) -
and suggested to do so together when he met yet another woman... How many
of us were torn between this and that loved person, longing for solid rock
under our feet when the ground was that of an active volcano.
(A.B. Meadows)
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