Oddur Roth, Hauser & Wirth Somerset, 2024 © Oddur Roth. Photo: Bjarni Grímsson
Oddur Roth
- 1 January – 24 March 2024
Hauser & Wirth Somerset is delighted to welcome Oddur Roth as our artist-in-residence in January 2024.
Artist Oddur Roth, grandson of the late German-born Swiss artist Dieter Roth, has been living and working in Bruton, UK since January 2024. Alongside his team, Einar Roth, Bjarni Grímsson, Sigrún Holmgeirsdottir, Thrandur Gíslason Roth and Gudmundur Oddur Magnusson, they are reimagining Roth Bar as a new fully functioning, site-specific artwork within the Threshing Barn at Hauser & Wirth Somerset.
Björn and Oddur Roth were one of our first artists-in-residence in Somerset in 2014. They focused on creating the original bar that formed an integral part of Roth Bar & Grill, the gallery’s on-site restaurant. First conceived by Dieter Roth in the early 1980s, the bar is a dynamic and changing installation and is a continuing element in the Roths’ cross-generational practice.
The story of Roth Bar at Hauser & Wirth began when Dieter Roth insisted that a bar form part of his first show with the gallery in 1997, and has traveled to many global locations since. Inspired by the history of Durslade Farm, Roth Bar in Somerset is composed of salvaged materials and objects from reclamation yards in the surrounding area.
We are thrilled to invite Oddur Roth back during Hauser & Wirth Somerset’s 10th anniversary year, and to welcome visitors to experience the new Roth Bar from Saturday 25 May 2024, alongside the opening of Phyllida Barlow’s major solo exhibition.
Oddur Roth, Hauser & Wirth Somerset, 2024 © Oddur Roth. Photo: Bjarni Grímsson
History of Roth Bar
During Dieter Roth’s first exhibition with Hauser & Wirth in 1997, he installed the functional ‘Bar 2’ (1983 – 1997) in Zürich, Switzerland, along with his son and artist Björn Roth. Every beer bottle served became a part of the bar installation and visitors’ conversations were recorded and archived. Both bar and studio were central concepts and locales for the Roth’s work. Since its first iteration, the bar has gradually evolved, with site-specific materials being incorporated into the installation for each exhibition.
About Dieter Roth
One of the most influential artists of the post-World War II period, Dieter Roth produced a diverse oeuvre during his five decade career that included drawing, painting, sculpture, bookmaking, film, assemblages, installations and multimedia works. He also worked as a composer, poet, writer and musician. The artist experimented with materials and language, exploring the interplay of different mediums, which underscores his distinct approach to artmaking. The bar, comprised of scavenged materials, embodies a central motif found throughout the artist’s work. He often collaborated with other artists, subverting the principle of authorship. Those partners included significant figures such as Richard Hamilton, Emmett Williams, Arnulf Rainer, and Hermann Nitsch. But it was his long and symbiotic collaboration with his son Björn Roth, that stands as testament to the enormous and enduring potency of his restless, relentless process.