FOREVER & TODAY, INC. PRESENTS
MICHALIS PICHLER AT THE GOETHE-INSTITUT
NEW YORK WYOMING BUILDING

FEATURING A READING, SLIDE SHOW, MUSICAL
PERFORMANCE, AND NEW BOOK/EDITION LAUNCH

Organized by Ingrid Chu and Savannah Gorton
Tuesday, November 2, 2010, 7-9pm
Hosted by Goethe-Institut New York; Program in English
Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building, 5 East 3rd Street; FREE
Subway: B/D/F/M to Broadway-Lafayette; 6 to Bleecker

Forever & Today, Inc. presents Berlin-based poet and conceptual artist Michalis Pichler for an event hosted by the Goethe-Institut New York at its Wyoming Building location. The evening features a reading, with a slide show and musical performance, and the U.S. launch of his book, Der Einzige und sein Eigentum (The Ego and Its Own), 2009, published by Pichler's Berlin imprint "greatest hits". The launch also includes Forever & Today, Inc.'s newly commissioned limited edition Chinese translation book cover and glossary.

Pichler works conceptually, often in series and with vernacular material, while in the "greatest hits" series he appropriates historical and contemporary predecessors. Internationally known for his conceptual work in text, image, object, and sound, Pichler appropriates Max Stirner's original 1844 publication, Der Einzige und sein Eigentum (The Ego and Its Own), to create a new vision of this classic manifesto of individual anarchism. In his version of the book, Pichler has edited the source text to include first-person pronouns only. As author and theorist Craig Dworkin writes of Pichler's work, "The most abstract, conceptual gestures must always be embodied. Here then is conceptual art as confessional lyric, the spirit and the letter, the flesh made word."

Following a reading by Pichler from Der Einzige und sein Eigentum (The Ego and Its Own), the event culminates in a short musical performance of a score derived from the book to be played on an antique organ. A paper sheet roll with 'notes' taken from the text forms the score, and is rotated inside the instrument to create sound. Pichler signs copies of Der Einzige und sein Eigentum (The Ego and Its Own) during the subsequent reception.

MICHALIS PICHLER (b. Berlin, Germany) graduated as an Architect from Technical University Berlin (2000) and in Fine Arts/Sculpture from Art School Berlin-Weißensee (2004). Pichler has recently performed at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje, Macedonia (2010); Stichting Perdu, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2010); Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, Germany (2009); and MoMA PS1, Long Island City (2009). Pichler's solo exhibitions include Revolver, Frankfurt, Germany (2007) and Printed Matter, New York (2006). Group exhibitions include Kimmerich, New York (2010); FAX, an Independent Curators International (iCI) touring exhibition to: The Drawing Center, New York; Contemporary Museum, Baltimore, Maryland; Para/Site Art Space, Hong Kong; and Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City, Mexico (2009-10); Alterna y Corriente, Mexico City, Mexico (2009); Rodeo Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey (2009); and others. Pichler has published books with Revolver, centre national de l'édition et de l'art imprimé (cneai), Printed Matter, AGRA Publications, and under his own imprint "greatest hits". He has contributed to publications including Basso, Fillip, and The Newpaper, and his work has been featured in The Journal and The New York Times, on ubu.com, and numerous radio and television programs. He is co-founder of the annual artist book event, MISS READ at KW Institute of Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany (2009, 2010) and will be in Printed Matter's NY Art Book Fair at MoMA PS1, Long Island City (November 5-7, 2010). buypichler.com

FOREVER & TODAY, INC. is a non-profit that is a sponsored organization of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), a 501(c)(3). Currently inhabiting a 100 square foot storefront on the cusp between New Yorkʼs Lower East Side and Chinatown, Forever & Today, Inc. is a mere thumbprint on the ever-expanding demographic of contemporary art, offering a unique set of circumstances for artists to create new work and engage the public. Co-Directors Ingrid Chu and Savannah Gorton formed a curatorial partnership in 2008 to found Forever & Today, Inc. As an organization with no fixed identity and a playful sensibility, projects may take the form of exhibitions, site-specific installations, publications, editions, and public programs that focus on a collaboration with a single artist, collective, or collaborative entity. foreverandtoday.org

THE GOETHE-INSTITUT NEW YORK is a branch of the Federal Republic of Germany's global cultural institute, established to promote the study of German and German culture abroad, encourage international cultural exchange, and provide information on Germany's culture, society, and politics. The Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building, its event space, is a cultural venue in the heart of New York's vibrant downtown arts scene. goethe.de/newyork

SPECIAL THANKS to Nina Krull of Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany New York, Philipp Leist of Goethe-Institut New York, Vincent Morgan and Automatic Musical Instrument Collector’s Association (AMICA), Valentina Rubane, Stefan Ullmann, and Dakin Zhang.