Continental Drift. Canadian Concept Art of the 1960s and 1970s

"Continental Drift" was an extensive project by the Badischer Kunstverein which presented Concept Art from Canada between the art-historically relevant years of 1965 and 1980. The exhibition featured over 100 artists, such as Ken Lum, Jeff Wall, Ian Wallace, General Idea, Michael Snow, Joyce Wieland, Françoise Sullivan and Garry Neill Kennedy. The project has been developed in close cooperation with the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery at the University of Toronto and co-curated by its director Barbara Fischer. Many of the works in the exhibition have never been shown in Europe before.The exhibition shed light on one of the most important art-historical phenomena of the 20th century – namely, the global movement of Concept Art with its international interweave of a kind that never before existed, its rhizome-like networks, mutual influence, and its specific, locally developed processes, each striving to achieve its own goals in the context of the economic, social and technological challenges of the 1960s.

In line with the procedural character of Concept Art, the exhibition was not static, but continually highlighted new themes throughout the exhibition period. The second half of the project began on 28 June when new works have been added, others remained unchanged and focus shifted to specific artists. The exhibition was divided into five thematic complexes: Language and Communication, Body Politics, Territory: Mapping and Landscape, Networks and Education. These areas have been explored further during an extensive event programme, comprised of artist interviews, seminars, performances and film screenings. The exhibition has been accompanied by a publication.

Artistic directors: Anja Casser, Barbara Fischer (CA)
Associate curators: Grant Arnold, Catherine Crowston, Vincent Bonin, Michèle Thériault, Jayne Wark (alle CA)
Project manager and curatorial assistant: Roos Gortzak

Artists: Vito Acconci (US), Bas Jan Ader (NL), David Askevold (US/CA), John Baldessari (US), Bruce Barber (NZ/CA),Marcella Bienvenue (CA), Robert Bowers (US/CA), Wallace Brannen (CA), James Lee Byars (US/EG), Eric Cameron (UK/CA), Colin Campbell (CA), Ian Carr-Harris (CA), Melvin Charney (CA), Tim Clark (UK), Robin Collyer (UK/CA), Carole Condé / Karl Beveridge (CA), Michael de Courcy (CA), Sylvain P. Cousineau (CA/UK) und Francis Coutellier (BE/CA), Kenneth Coutts-Smith (DK/CA), Kate Craig (CA), Stephen Cruise (CA), Greg Curnoe (CA), Max Dean (UK/CA), Tom Dean (CA), Jean-Marie Delavalle (FR/CA), Jan Dibbets (NL), Christos Dikeakos (GR/CA), Brian Dyson (UK/CA), Dean Ellis, Gathie Falk (CA), Gerald Ferguson (US/CA), Michael Fernandes (TT/CA), Vera Frenkel (SK/CA), Jeff Funnell (CA), Charles Gagnon (CA/US), GENERAL IDEA (CA), Raymond Gervais (CA), Dan Graham (US), Rodney Graham (CA), John Greer (CA), Hans Haacke (DE), Noel Harding (UK), John Heward (CA), Douglas Huebler (US), IMAGE BANK (UK/CA), Carole Itter (CA), Richards Jarden (US), Bill Jones (US), Pat Kelly (US), Garry Neill Kennedy (CA), Roy Kiyooka (CA), Robert Kleyn (NL/CA), Suzy Lake (US/CA), Gordon Lebredt (CA), Les Levine (IE/US), Glenn Lewis (CA), Sol Le Witt (US), Lee Lozano (US), Ken Lum (CA), Duane Lunden (CA), Don Mabie (CA), Allan Harding MacKay (CA), Arnaud Maggs (CA), John McEwen (CA), Albert McNamara, Ian Murray (CA), N.E. Thing Co. (UK/CA), Gunter Nolte (DE/CA), Dennis Oppenheim (US), Andy Patton (CA), Harold Pearse (CA), Clive Robertson (UK/CA), Martha Rosler (US), Tom Sherman (US), Robert Smithson (US), Michael Snow (CA), Lisa Steele (CA), Françoise Sullivan (CA), David Tomas (CA), Serge Tousignant (CA), John Van Saun (US), Bill Vazan (CA), Jeff Wall (CA), Ian Wallace (UK/CA), Theodore Wan (CN/CA), Douglas Waterman (CA), John Watt (CA), Lawrence Weiner (US/NL), Joyce Wieland (CA), Martha Wilson (US), Paul Woodrow (UK/CA), Jon Young (CA), Tim Zuck (US/CA).