calendario eventi  :: 

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21/2/2009

Three exhibitions

MoMA PS1, New York

Jonathan Horowitz: And/Or

P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center presents Jonathan Horowitz: And/Or, the first solo exhibition of the New York-based artist at a New York museum. Working in video, sculpture, sound installation, and photography, Horowitz critically examines the cultures of politics, celebrity, cinema, war, and consumerism. The exhibition will include works ranging from the early 1990s to the present, on view in the 1st Floor Main Galleries, with an additional work concurrently on view at The Museum of Modern Art in the 2nd Floor Café.

From found footage, Horowitz visually and spatially juxtaposes elements from film, television, and the media to reveal connections and breakdowns between these overlapping modes of communication. In many works, these concerns are couched in the language of technology. In his video projection Maxell (1990), the image of the well-known videocassette brand logo plays from a tape copied many times over; the word deteriorates into a blur of static as the information on the tape erodes. Horowitz also notes the value systems inherent in media by establishing a sculptural presence for his video works, where VHS tapes and television monitors are positioned as objects on metal stands.

Horowitz repositions news publications like Life and Time, evocative of wholesome American ideals, to draw subversive connections. This critical eye includes current political references: a maudlin oversized novelty figurine is entitled Hillary Clinton is a Person Too (2008). Other work addresses the inverted politics of celebrity activism, whereby celebrities align themselves with particular issues in order to construct and reclaim their identities. Media-generated imagery of icons Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Fonda, and Helen Keller, not unlike those used by Warhol, is combined with quotations expressing political conviction, resulting in a new form of humanist Pop portraiture. Horowitz likewise applies this same humanist strategy to his work in other mediums: minimalist-style sculptures such as Tofu on Pedestal in Gallery and Two-Sided Monument similarly communicate the artist’s signature combination of subjectivity, pathos, and humor.

Jonathan Horowitz: And/Or is organized by Klaus Biesenbach, Chief Curator, Department of Media, The Museum of Modern Art and P.S.1 Chief Curatorial Advisor.

The exhibition is made possible by the Wallis Annenberg Fund for Innovation in Contemporary Art.

Additional support is provided by The Junior Associates and The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art, LUMA Foundation, The Stephanie and Peter Brant Foundation, Greenwich, CT., and Hilary and Peter Hatch.

Special thanks to Gavin Brown's enterprise, New York, and to Yamaha Artists Services, Inc.

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Kenneth Anger

P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center presents Kenneth Anger, the first major survey of the filmmaker’s body of work at a U.S. museum in over a decade. Making films since 1947, Anger is considered internationally as a pioneering and influential force in avant-garde cinema. His ground breaking films have inspired the likes of Martin Scorsese, Gus Van Sant, and Guy Maddin. The exhibition will focus primarily on Anger’s early iconic works including Fireworks (1947), Puce Moment (1949), Eaux D’Artifice (1953), Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954 - 66), Scorpio Rising (1963), Kustom Kar Kommandos (1964 - 65), Invocation of my Demon Brother (1969) and Lucifer Rising (1970 – 81). The exhibition is presented in the 2nd floor Kunsthalle.

Kenneth Anger’s work constitutes a radical critique of Hollywood, often evoking and referencing pop icons within occult settings and depicting youth counterculture in the midst of violence and eroticism. Anger does not use a narrative-based style, but rather lyrically explores themes of ritualistic transformation and transfiguration. His films are imbued with a baroque splendor stemming from the heightened sensuality of his opulent colors and imagery. They are often accompanied by a haunting soundtrack, composed by renowned musicians such as Mick Jagger and Bobby Beausoleil.

The exhibition design, consisting primarily of red and silver vinyl partitions and wall and floor coverings, is evocative of the atmosphere of Anger’s films. It extends the sumptuous settings that are depicted on screen into the exhibition space, creating an immersive viewing experience..

Kenneth Anger (b. 1927, Santa Monica, California) has been creating films since the 1940s with his first being Who Has Been Rocking My Dreamboat (1941). Anger’s six-decade-long oeuvre includes most notably Fireworks (1947), Puce Moment (1949), Eaux d'artifice (1953), Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954-66), Scorpio Rising (1963), Kustom Kar Kommandos (1965), Invocation of My Demon Brother (1969), Lucifer Rising (1970-81)), Rabbit's Moon (1950-79), Mouse Heaven (2004), Elliot’s Suicide (2004), and the recent Ich Will! (2008) and Foreplay (2008). He also performs as Technicolor Skull with Brian Butler.


Kenneth Anger is organized by Susanne Pfeffer, Curator at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin/P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center Curatorial Advisor with Klaus Biesenbach, Chief Curator, Department of Media, The Museum of Modern Art/Chief Curatorial Advisor, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center.

The exhibition is made possible by the Wallis Annenberg Fund for Innovation in Contemporary Art and by Philip E. Aarons and Shelley Fox Aarons.

Additional support is provided by The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art.

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International and National Projects Winter 2009: Florian Slotawa

P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center presents the first solo New York exhibition of work by Berlin-based conceptual artist Florian Slotawa. Rather than creating new objects from scratch, Florian Slotawa rearranges and recontextualizes what already exists. In his artworks Slotawa assembles and arranges furniture and everyday objects in elaborate compositions that respond to the rooms and spaces in which they are presented.

In his exhibition located in the 2nd floor Mini Kunsthalle, Slotawa creates the twelfth in a series of works he began in 1996, called Besitzarbeiten, or “property works.” Most of the contents from his Berlin apartment, including his washing machine, dining table, wardrobe and kitchen sink, have been transported into the gallery, leaving the apartment absent of key appliances and furniture. Within the exhibition these personal objects are recast within the public realm, as they provide the material for a work of art. Slotawa adds new dimensions to familiar objects, creating a relationship between the artist and the institution of the museum. These possessions are neither altered or damaged, and will be returned to their original location for everyday use after the exhibition.

Florian Slotawa (b. 1972, Rosenheim, Germany) lives and works in Berlin. He has had solo exhibitions including Solothurn aussen, Kunstverein Solothurn, Switzerland (2008); One After the Other Arthouse, Austin (2007); Modern Art, London (2006); and Haus am Waldsee, Berlin (2005). His work has been included in group shows including Made in Germany (2007) at the Sprengel Museum in Hannover; and Of Mice and Men: The 4th Biennial for Contemporary Art (2006) in Berlin.


Organized by Susanne Pfeffer, Curator at KW Institute for Contemporary Art and P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center Curatorial Advisor.

The exhibition is supported by Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e.V., Stuttgart.

Additional support is provided by The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art.

Press Contacts:
April Hunt, P.S.1 718-786-3139 or april@ps1.org

Image: Kenneth Anger

Sunday, February 22, 2009 Spring Opening Celebration Time: 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM
P.S.1's spring cycle exhibition open on February 22, 2009, 12pm - 6pm, featuring shows by artists Kenneth Anger and Jonathan Horowitz, among others. Come join the celebration!

P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
22-25 Jackson Avenue - New York

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