Max Neuhaus

2016
2016 - "A Feast of Astonishments: Charlotte Moorman and the Avant-Garde, 1960s–1980s" at the Block Museum of Art


The 2016 exhibition "A Feast of Astonishments: Charlotte Moorman and the Avant-Garde, 1960s–1980s" at the Block Museum of Art highlighted Max Neuhaus's critical role as an "impresario" and participant in Moorman's Annual Avant Garde Festivals. 

The exhibition featured several re-creations and artifacts documenting Neuhaus’s transition from a virtuoso percussionist to a pioneer of "Sound Works": 
American Can (1966): A central installation in the gallery re-created this performance piece from the 4th Annual New York Avant Garde Festival Visitors were invited to walk across a floor scattered with aluminum can lids, transforming their physical movement into a cacophonous, interactive soundscape.
Originale (1964): The exhibition catalog and ephemera documented Neuhaus’s participation in the premiere of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Originale at Judson Hall, where he performed alongside Moorman, Nam June Paik, and Alvin Lucier.
The show included posters, programs, and photographs from the Charlotte Moorman Archive that positioned Neuhaus as a key collaborator who helped bridge the gap between the pedigreed European avant-garde and the "scrappy" American experimentalism of the 1960s. 
www.guernicamag.com

The retrospective emphasized Neuhaus’s radical move to abandon the concert stage in favor of public, "invisible" sound environments. By including his work in Moorman’s festivals, the curators illustrated how he used "found sound" and feedback loops to rethink the relationship between the listener and their surroundings. ArtforumArtforum