Flacher Abfall (Flat Waste), 1975 - 1992

Basel 2016
Flacher Abfall (Flat Waste)

Hauser & Wirth

Mixed Media
mixed media in 623 A4 folders in 5 wooden shelving units
In 1973, Dieter Roth began a long-term project known as Flacher Abfall (Flat Waste), for which he collected food packaging and other found scraps which were subsequently encased in over 600 binders and filed away on bookshelves. This piece addresses Roth’s artistic role as collector, cataloguer, and archivist. In preserving the refuse that he and others had left behind, Roth created both an autobiographical record and an environment in which the viewer is forced to confront the ephemeral nature of existence through exposure to the collection of garbage.