Helke Bayrle has—on her own initiative—filmed the installations of
exhibitions that have been held at Portikus since the end of 1992. This catalogue features more than 1,000 film stills, a full index of the recorded exhibitions, as well as texts by curators and deans who worked at Städelschule and Portikus over the years.
This complete filmography to date is published on the occasion of the constantly growing archive of short films. It includes a full index of the recorded exhibitions, short statements by the deans and curators that have worked at Städelschule and Portikus over the past years, as well as more than 1,000 film stills taken from the short films. The British art critic and art historian
Kirsty Bell reflects upon the history of Portikus and the meaning of Helke Bayrle's work over the past decades. A republished interview between the artist Sunah Choi—editor of the films since 2001—and Helke Bayrle rounds off the publication, providing behind-the-scenes insights into the making of
Portikus Under Construction.
The catalogue is published on the occasion of the launch of the website
www.portikusunderconstruction.de which makes Helke Bayrle's entire archive—now comprising 157 short films—available to the public.
Born 1941 in Torun (Poland), Helke Bayrle lives and works in Frankfurt am Main.
