637A Waiting Houses 1969

Curator: Editor: Okay, so this is Hundertwasser's "637A Waiting Houses" from 1969. It's a mixed media piece with really striking colors and a kind of whimsical cityscape. I'm immediately drawn to the vibrant hues. What’s your take on this work? Curator: What strikes me most is how Hundertwasser reclaims and redefines the very *idea* of building materials. We often separate "art" materials from "construction" materials, assigning them different values and functions. But here, paint, perhaps even collage, becomes the brick and mortar of a new kind of social architecture. Do you see how the materials themselves almost *perform* the idea of “waiting”? Editor: Hmm, I see what you mean. The materials do seem almost intentionally rough, less refined than you might expect. How does that relate to the idea of "waiting"? Curator: Consider the context. This was 1969. There was burgeoning social upheaval. Are these “waiting houses” anticipating something? Is there a commentary on shelter itself? Are these rudimentary shapes deliberately avoiding slick, corporate design? He’s using modest materials, potentially even repurposed scraps, to build a utopia, commenting on the labor inherent in constructing both physical buildings and societal structures. It blurs the lines between the "artist" and the everyday laborer, no? Editor: That makes a lot of sense. So it's not just about the surface level colors but how Hundertwasser used the materials and techniques to say something about society at that time. Curator: Precisely. By focusing on the materiality and means of production, we start to understand the socio-political dimensions Hundertwasser is exploring, perhaps even critiquing. It’s about the act of making and what that represents. Editor: Wow, I never would have considered that so much could be gleaned just by considering the materials. It really challenges the way I usually look at art. Curator: Exactly! Art isn’t just an object; it is itself a product *of* a society and its materials.