Dieter Roth ‘Das Tränenmeer’ / ‘The Sea of Tears’

14 March – 18 April 2020

On the occasion of the premiere of the theater production ‘Das Weinen (Das Wähnen)’ based on texts by Dieter Roth and staged at Zurich’s Schauspielhaus by Christoph Marthaler, Hauser & Wirth Publishers is delighted to present a selection of rare publications along with material from their original manuscripts from the Dieter Roth archive, showing Roth’s manual work process and the evolution of the structure of the books.

‘Eine Träne ist besser als ein böses Wort.’ (‘A tear is better than an evil word.’)

Over the course of several months in 1971 and 1972, Dieter Roth published single sentences and statements, such as the one quoted above, in the advertisement section of the Swiss local newspaper ‘Anzeiger der Stadt Luzern’. Quietly but subversively they disrupted readers glancing over the usual ads of commercial businesses offering their products and services. In the following years, between 1973 and 1979, Roth published different collections of ‘mini-poems’, which he interweaved with newly added drawings, sketches and writings, in a series of books called ‘Das Tränenmeer’ (‘The Sea of Tears’). Hauser & Wirth Publishers is delighted to present a selection of rare publications along with material from their original manuscripts from the Dieter Roth archive, highlighting Roth's manual work process and the evolution of the structure of the books. In addition, a selection of Roth's famous drawing series ‘Scheisse’ will be on view, highlighting how Roth's art encompasses all genres and life itself.