MARIA NEVELSON Paris-Basel 1973-1974Aufnahme (n) Photographien10 - 22.03.1978

Galerie S:t Petri
S:t Petri Kyrkogata 5
Lund, Sweden
046/14 78 00

“Postförsändelser” (“Postal Dispatches”) is the title of Roberto Altmann’s exhibition at Galerie S:t Petri in Lund.
During the 1970s, Altmann, who lives in Liechtenstein and is the director of Vaduz’s new art center, sent numerous letters to artists, art critics, and other individuals. About thirty envelopes have been recovered and are now exhibited in Lund. This exhibition is the first of its kind and will be followed by similar manifestations elsewhere.

The exhibited envelopes were painted in ink of various colors, and the text was written with a stylus. The most important aim in sending these painted letters was to observe how the recipients would react. Several envelopes were lost in the mail or destroyed in other ways. For a long time, this activity has been one of Altmann’s main pursuits. He does not describe it as “artistic.”

“Postal Dispatches” at Galerie S:t Petri is part of a larger project on letters, signs, and writing developed by Roberto Altmann, which was recently presented in a thought-provoking and interesting exhibition at Malmö Konsthall. Writing is seen as part of a larger context. Its smaller units (letters and signs) are considered as meaningful as the whole (the text).

The close relationship between writing and image also becomes evident in this smaller exhibition in Lund. Image, word, and sound form a global unity where the parts cannot be separated. What is important, says Altmann, is to try to move beyond existing boundaries, to further deconstruct language, and to develop new formulations. The constant potential for transformation is the starting point for Roberto Altmann.

The exhibition is open from March 29 to April 1, weekdays 15:00–20:00, Saturdays and Sundays 13:00–17:00.

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Translation of the article published in the press

Postal Dispatches at Galerie S:t Petri

LUND: “Postförsändelser” (“Postal Dispatches”) is the title of Roberto Altmann’s exhibition at Galerie S:t Petri in Lund. During the 1970s, Altmann — who lives in Liechtenstein and is the director of the new art center in Vaduz — has sent numerous letters to artists, art critics, and other individuals.

About thirty envelopes have been recovered and are now exhibited in Lund. The exhibition is the first of its kind and will be followed by similar manifestations elsewhere.

The exhibited envelopes were painted in ink of various colors, and the text written with a stylus. The most important purpose of sending these painted envelopes was to see how the recipients would react. Several of the envelopes were lost in the mail or destroyed in other ways. This activity has long been Altmann’s main occupation. He does not describe it as “artistic.”

Project on Letters

“Postal Dispatches” at Galerie S:t Petri is part of a larger project on letters, signs, and writing that Roberto Altmann has developed and which has just been presented in a thought-provoking and interesting exhibition at Malmö Konsthall. Writing is seen as part of a broader context. Its smaller units (letters and signs) are just as meaningful as the whole (the text).

The relationship between writing and image also becomes clear in this smaller exhibition in Lund. According to Altmann, image, word, and sound form a global unity where the parts cannot be separated. What is important, says Altmann, is to try to go beyond established boundaries, to further deconstruct language and develop new formulations. Constant possibilities for transformation are the starting point for Roberto Altmann.

The exhibition is open from March 29 to April 1, weekdays 15:00–20:00, Saturdays and Sundays 13:00–17:00.