Spacex
Exeter
45 Preston Street
+44 01392431786 FAX +44 01392213786
WEB
Jordan McKenzie
dal 28/7/2006 al 22/9/2006

Segnalato da

Spacex


approfondimenti

Jordan McKenzie



 
calendario eventi  :: 




28/7/2006

Jordan McKenzie

Spacex, Exeter

Vitruvian. The exhibition explores McKenzie's fascination with drawing, performance and mark-making, the process of mapping his own body within a space. These pieces are not concerned with presenting drawings as finished works of art but rather as processes, bodily acts exploring the sensuous language of gesture.


comunicato stampa

Vitruvian. Drawing works

On the opening night of his exhibition at Spacex Jordan McKenzie will set out on a 4-hour performance across the city of Exeter, manoevring a cube which is the length of his arm and drawing upon the surfaces with graphite.

The exhibition at the gallery explores Jordan McKenzie¹s fascination with drawing, performance and mark-making, the process of mapping his own body within a space. These pieces are not concerned with presenting drawings as finished works of art but rather as processes, bodily acts exploring the sensuous language of gesture.

Jordan McKenzie chose the title Vitruvian because the work takes Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man as a starting point, an image of man whereby the body is reduced to a set of universal' and perfect¹' measured dimensions. All the works in this exhibition use the measurement of the artist's own body to create a group of drawings that explore the notion of drawing as a performative act. Some installations are the height of half his body, knee-height or the length of an arm.

Jordan McKenzie cites Tony Smith¹s work ŒDIE¹ as a reference, which was famously attacked for being literalist and theatrical in Michael Fried's 1967 essay Art and Objecthood. Yet this is what Jordan McKenzie engages with about minimalism. The works require the viewer to be aware of how their own body responds to these works, to think about how embodied contact with these sculptures create meaning. We are not passive viewers but actively engaged in an exchange of meaning and experience.

"Die, a fabricated hollow, six foot cube, was Tony Smith's second closed square volume. The size and form of the piece were inspired by a reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian man. Its scale is a kind of grey area between object and monument. Smith wanted a work that, by sharing our space, would command our attention; Die is a geometric equivalent of man. While it looks like a perfect architectural form, Die, according to Smith, represents an actual person more than a space in which to live." Joan Pancher - MOMA Catalogue 1998

Jordan McKenzie has exhibited nationally and internationally for over 12 years, presenting work at BALTIC, Ikon Gallery, Arnolfini and ICA. He is a lecturer in Live Arts at Kingston University and in New Performance Practices at Central School of Speech and Drama, London.

*******************************

The exhibition showcases new work commissioned for SPACEX, a public-funded contemporary art space and registered educational charity. It works to encourage public engagement with the latest developments in contemporary art through commissioned projects, exhibitions, events, talks and activities for all ages. Admission is free. Supported by Arts Council England, Exeter City Council and Devon County Council.

Artist's performance in Exeter city centre: 2 ­ 6pm Friday 28 July

Spacex
45 Preston Street - Exeter
Open Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm
Admission free

IN ARCHIVIO [23]
Katy Dove
dal 8/2/2013 al 3/5/2013

Attiva la tua LINEA DIRETTA con questa sede