Daniel Göttin

Every drawing begins with a line. That is why Theo van Doesburg’s definition of Concrete Art, formulated in 1930, clearly refers to the line, plane, and color as the most real and concrete elements of art. As a representative of a younger generation of Concrete artists, Daniel Göttin’s (born 1959 in Basel, Switzerland) works also reflect this creed. His wall works in the collection of the Haus Konstruktiv are prime examples of the Concrete tradition and include five different colored wood boards that can be arranged as simple lines that run parallel to each other, as well as two medium-density fiberboards in different colors that form a kind of warped trapezoid. In place of titles, the wood boards are numbered from I-VI (although number II seems to have gone missing), reflecting the spirit of nameless non-objectivity. If we take a closer look at the work descriptions, however, we notice that the colors are nuances of blackish brown, yellow ochre, and light greenish gray, all of which are color mixtures that would not have fit in the strict color schemes of the original Concrete artists. The artist Piet Mondrian, who was part of the De Stijl movement, a predecessor of Concrete art, used only three basic colors – red, blue, and yellow – according to the artistic principles of De Stijl. Thus, Göttin may keep the heritage of Concrete art alive, but he does not strictly follow its rules.
Göttin’s installations are also evidence of the uniqueness of his artistic approach. While many artists exploit how our surroundings – i.e., the museum gallery – affect us to create new spatial perspectives focusing our attention on the art within the museum space, thus letting the room be understood as an extension of the work itself, Göttin takes a different approach. His works are not in the room, but part of the room (Andreas Baur). The empty surfaces in the art space are therefore just as integral to his work as the colored boards of wood that emphasize the emptiness in-between. Because the surrounding space is a work of art in its own right, his installations and wall works are art within art.

Linda Christinger