Poststudio. Arbeiten mit Umgebungen

This publication provides the first comprehensive overview of the work of the artist Fritz Balthaus (*1952), who lives in Germany and Switzerland. The monograph Poststudio. Arbeiten mit Umgebungen (Post studio. Working with Environments) presents an oeuvre that consistently and humorously explores the parameters which determine the interpretation and production of artistic works. Balthaus mixes these into one another until they begin to dissolve, along with the barrier between recipient and artist.

In her illuminating main text, Michaela Richter introduces the multi-layered work of Fritz Balthaus via five temporal and thematic sections – PAPER, AIR, LIGHT, WALL and BUILDING – and knowledgably traces his motives and attitudes. Individual works are examined more closely via the integration of project-related texts and quotations from Horst Bredekamp, Jana Bruggmann, Guido Fassbinder, Harald Fricke, Peter Friese, Manfred Schneckenbürger, Annette Tietenberg and Thomas Wulffen. In addition, there are concept and inset texts from the artist. Over 280 pages with 360 illustrations of works, the book reveals much with its environments.

Like almost all the works, the publication’s dust jacket takes a conceptual approach. It sees Balthaus anticipating the generation of a standard generic book cover, like those one might see on the Internet. When a book is put up for sale there and the seller does not upload a picture of the book cover, standard book covers featuring the title and names of authors are generated for display. In doing so, Balthaus has made the systems surrounding the book's subject matter his own and, as in almost all his works, spared himself superfluous decisions of taste.

Review of Fritz Balthaus' book «Poststudio»

«Wandelhalle, S.33-34, Büchertips»