Swiss artist Hanspeter Hofmann conceived a performance with flags and trumpets for Art 41 Basels’s public art project on Messeplatz, Basel, Switzerland. Coming from the field of natural sciences, Hanspeter Hofmann is interested in research practices and processes in the arts. Since 1990, he has been systematically researching the epistemological foundations of painting. He visualizes this research not only through exhibitions and publications, but also with performances.
At Art 41 Basel, Hanspeter Hofmann premiered a performance resulting from his most recent artistic research. A group of people and musicians stand in formation, wearing uniforms and waving flags designed by the artist. The flag, which has already appeared at other occasions, shows a revised crest of the Hofmann Family.
Like previous works, Mit Fahnen und Trompeten (With Banners and Trumpets) deals with the constantly increasing competition in the art world and with the growing influence of the entertainment industry on art.
Concept, production, and design: Hanspeter Hofmann. Music composed by Hermann Bühler exclusively for this performance. With participation of the Musik Akademie Basel, Marcus Weiss & Students/Friends and the Fahnenschwinger-Vereinigung Zürich und Umgebung.
Hanspeter Hofmann: With Banners and Trumpets (2010), Art 41 Basel, Art Public. June 14, 2010.
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