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9/3/2007

Brave New World

Cobra Museum, Amstelveen

In this remarkable exhibition the Cobra Museum of Modern Art Amstelveen draws together the work of young Spanish, Russian and Dutch artists, who level criticism of western society and its democratic system in a disturbing, ironic or sarcastic manner.
With this exhibition the Cobra Museum wishes to participate in the social debate on norms and values and in particular to draw attention to the way in which several artists depict the spirit of the times. Of note is the fact that most of the work has never before been exhibited in the Netherlands.

ARTISTS
El Perro, comprising the Spanish artists Pablo Espana (1970), Iván Lopez (1970) and Ramon Mateos (1968)
AES+F with the Russians Tatiana Arzamasova (1955), Lev Evzovitch (1958), Evgeny Svyatsky (1957) and Vladimir Fridkes (1956)
Dutch artists Marc Bijl (1970), Jeroen Jongeleen (1969) and Renzo Martens (1973)

HUXLEY’S "BRAVE NEW WORLD" In the novel "Brave New World", a major dystopia of the 20th century, Aldous Huxley sketches a paradisiacal life for his characters. They lead an empty existence since they cannot think independently; be individuals. Similarly, westerners function in a system aimed at prosperity from which there is little escape. While the democratic form of government means power lies with the people, at the same time it is not immune from negative excess. However the democracy offers room for counterforces.

Despite this room being seriously undermined in the field of art by recent momentous events, there are artists who are explicitly preoccupied with the cultural, social, economic and political circumstances in which their work is made.

The Cobra Museum draws selected critical provocative work together of contemporary Spanish, Russian and Dutch artists.

EL PERRO: Their projects show the other, darker face of democracy – a dystopia aimed at unbridled consumerism, engagement in war and fear of dissention. In the exhibition the artists show part of their project "Democracia" (2005) that arose following the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in Iraq. The work consists of a video of young skaterboarders who at the invitation of El Perro are demonstrating their skills in an empty prison. The work goes beyond the actual theme of torture by western soldiers and a war carried out in the name of freedom. It touches a deeper, underlying problem. The present form of democracy, according to the artists, claims many slaves and victims.

AES+F: Well before the "war on terror" the group members were inspired by an imaginary reality based on a violent struggle between the West and Islam. Since the mid-nineties the group has been making photographs, sculptures and installations as well as carrying out performances. In an absurdist, witty and unmistakable manner, AES+F depicts the schism between East and West. In "Brave New World" they show the recent series "Last Riot 2" (2006), a sequence of manipulated photographs of a virtual world populated by children and adolescents in the roles of victim and perpetrator. The compositions are classically constructed and recall the western painting tradition. They also refer to the thin dividing line between virtual and actual reality. In "Last Riot 2" the reality is reduced to a game taking place in an imaginary landscape, while the photographs are replete with sculptures of children carrying outsize weapons.

MARC BIJL: In recent years Marc Bijl has scorned, maligned and applauded the widespread culture of capitalism and democracy in a remarkable manner. From the permanent tattoo on his stomach – "This stomach was made possible in part by the Foundation of Visual Arts" – to his most recent work, including a camp fire made from a black charred globe – Bijl raises serious issues packaged in obligatory forms in a mediagenic manner. When making work he continuously seeks a balance between originality and integrity. "Brave New World" includes three of Bijl’s new concrete sculptures: Nike’s "Swoosh", a German military cross and a heart. Along with the video "To Protect and to Serve" from 2004, recording of the artist’s actions in a public space and the charred globe, a double portrait of Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Multatuli, entitled "Influential Dutch Thinkers", will adorn the exhibition walls.

JEROEN JONGELEEN, aka Influenza, calls himself an "enemy of the state". By means of interventions in public spaces he explores the boundaries of what is legally permissible. Jongeleen regards the city as one large laboratory, a sanctuary for his experiments. Ways in which he leaves his mark behind include pasting stickers, illegally climbing buildings and applying information blackouts, i.e. blacking out advertisements and other public information. Even the Cobra Museum space is not sacred. For "Brave New World" Jongeleen has made new work.

RENZO MARTENS: travelled to Chechnia in 2003 in order to record the armed conflict with his video camera. The end result, "Episode I", is a 45-minute report of his findings, including interviews with civilian casualties as well as images of ravaged towns and UN refugee camps. At first glance Martens´s approach does not seem to differ from that of an average CNN news bulletin, the standard way in which western media depict international conflict situations. However, the aim of the work appears not to be a journalistic report of an armed struggle. The artist is completely ego-centred. The trip to the disaster area is an excuse for unashamed self-exhibitionism. In Martens’s work form and content enter into a tense and ambiguous dialogue with each other. He places objective recording against a preoccupation with the personal. "Episode I" throws up numerous ethical and artistic questions.

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"CHINA NOW" TO COME TO THE NETHERLANDS

From late September 2007 to 1 February 2008 the Cobra Museum will be entirely dedicated to China. The museum has succeeded in bringing the spectacular exhibition 'China Now' to the Netherlands.

Most of the contemporary art works in the exhibition are from the Essl Museum in Vienna.

During the period when Beijing will be hosting the forthcoming Olympic Games, the Netherlands has the unique opportunity to become acquainted with the explosion of heterogeneous artistic trends taking place in Chinese contemporary art since the early nineteen nineties. The exhibition traces the most important developments of Chinese avant-garde art that were triggered by fundamental political and social changes in Chinese society. The developments will be shown in seven thematically arranged galleries. More than 100 works by 42 Chinese avant-garde artists will be presented, involving all contemporary media, from painting and photography to large-format installations and video. The artists engage in critical and sometimes humorous reflection on the changes occurring in Chinese society, on capitalism, globalisation, the dichotomy between the masses and the individual as well as on western art.

Information and digital photos via: Lieke Fijen, Head of PR & Education, tel. +31 (0)20 5475038 / l.fijen@cobra-museum.nl

Cobra Museum
Sandbergplein 1 Amsterdam NL
1181 ZX (Postbox 2028 1180 EA)

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