Three solo shows
dal 8/7/2009 al 8/9/2009
Segnalato da
8/7/2009
Three solo shows
X-Initiative, New York
Tris Vonna-Michell will present an exhibition that expands on the artist's investigation into language and convoluted narratives. The recipient of the 2008 Derek Jarman Award from the Serpentine Gallery in London, Scottish artist Luke Fowler will present a survey of his films on the third floor of X, that expand the conventional boundaries of documentary filmmaking. Karen Cytter creates movies that appropriate and transform different cinematic genres, such as film noir, melodrama, documentary, and soap opera. Often set in cheap domestic interiors, Cytter's films depict dysfunctional families and alienated friends on the verge of nervous breakdown.
For its summer phase opening on July 9th, X is pleased to present solo shows by Tris Vonna-Michell, Luke
Fowler, and Keren Cytter. Each artist has attracted the attention of several European institutions and has
participated in prestigious exhibitions worldwide, including the Berlin Biennale, the Yokohama Triennial, and the
Venice Biennale. This is the first large-scale American presentation for each artist. Vonna-Michell, Cytter, and
Fowler all share an interest in personal narratives and storytelling, exploring the secret workings of memory and
resuscitating obsolete genres to open up new creative possibilities.
FLOOR 4
On the fourth floor, British artist Tris Vonna-Michell will present an exhibition that expands on the artist’s
investigation into language and convoluted narratives. Working across different genres such as performance,
visual poetry, and sound art, Vonna-Michell has been exploring the ways in which stories and events are
remembered and re-told. Intersecting personal memories with forgotten histories and using outmoded
technologies such 35-mm slides and record players, old family photographs and photocopies, Vonna-Michell
creates environments that recall fictional archives in which accelerated monologues and frantic speeches
resonate. For his exhibition at X, Vonna-Michell will present a new body of work alongside a selection of existing
projects and site-specific interventions. Tris Vonna-Michell has had solo shows at Kunsthalle Zurich (2008-2009)
and Witte de With, Rotterdam (2007) and his work was featured in the The Generational: Younger Than Jesus
(2009), in the Yokohama Triennial (2008) and in the 5th Berlin Biennale (2008).
FLOOR 3
The recipient of the 2008 Derek Jarman Award from the Serpentine Gallery in London, Scottish artist Luke
Fowler will present a survey of his films on the third floor of X. Fowler’s work expands the conventional
boundaries of documentary filmmaking. Mixing historical materials and original recordings, archival footage and
new takes, Fowler creates a personal form of cinematic narrative that follows free associations and idiosyncratic
connections. Populated by maverick figures such as anarchic musicians, experimental psychoanalysts, and
other unconventional figures, Fowler’s films compose a personal history of dissent and liberation. Luke Fowler
has had solo shows at the Serpentine Gallery in London (2009), Kunsthalle, Zurich (2008), and White Columns,
New York (2006) and his work was recently included in The Generational: Younger Than Jesus (2009) and in
the Yokohama Triennial (2008).
FLOOR 2
On the second floor, X will host Keren Cytter’s first major survey in the United States. Born in Tel Aviv and
currently living in Berlin, Cytter creates movies that appropriate and transform different cinematic genres, such
as film noir, melodrama, documentary, and soap opera. Often set in cheap domestic interiors, Cytter’s films
depict dysfunctional families and alienated friends on the verge of nervous breakdown. The exhibition will
include the US premiere of her new movie Four Seasons, 2009, presented alongside a selection of her videos
and a group of drawings never exhibited in America. Cytter conceived the project as an immersive experience in
which synchronized videos will alternate on different screens and lights will suddenly illuminate her drawings,
creating a theater of images in the exhibition space. Keren Cytter has had solo exhibitions at CCA Center for
Contemporary Art, Kitakyushu (2009), Witte de With, Rotterdam (2008), and MUMOK, Vienna (2007). Her work
was included in The Generational: Younger Than Jesus, and will be featured in the upcoming 53rd Venice
Biennale. Keren Cytter’s exhibition is supported by Artis – Contemporary Israeli Art Fund, New York and Tel
Aviv.
ROOF TOP
In addition to the three solo exhibitions on view on floors 2, 3, and 4, X will present Today and Everyday, an
exhibition that places a group of artworks in three different contexts, presenting them first as part of a still life
photograph, then as an installation, and finally as a memento. Initially portrayed in a photograph, the works—
collected, arranged and photographed by Margaret Lee—allude to the relational nature of art and commerce,
form and function. The expansion of the photo into an installation allows participating artists Olaf Breuning,
Carissa Rodriguez, Sam Wilson, Donna Chung, Josh Kline, Anicka Yi, Maggie Peng, and Piet Houtenbos to
install their work accordingly in opposition to the still life photograph, which will also hang in the space. Closing
with a memento, independent publishing house Used Future will produce a zine that will be available throughout
the duration of the exhibition.
Also on the rooftop, X presents the premiere of Pool Noodle Rooftop by Jeffrey Inaba’s Los Angeles-based
practice, INABA. The rooftop space, which will be used for film screenings and special events, will be open to
the public daily during selected visiting hours throughout the summer. Four separate seating areas have been
specially designed to cluster around an ‘X’ shaped carpet that covers the entire rooftop surface. The furniture,
which is also X-shaped in plan, has been constructed from pool noodles – the long and cylindrical, foam water
floatation toys commonly found in suburban backyard pools. The pool noodles have been cut and bunched
vertically into chaise lounge and ottoman units of varying heights that accommodate up to 150 people. When
viewed from above, the arrangement of vibrant colored buoyant seating material spells out the word,
‘bububluooopppp.’ At the end of the summer, the furniture will be donated for reuse to local community
organizations.
GROUND FLOOR
On the ground floor of the building, X presents Dome Colony X in the San Gabriels, an interactive installation by
Fritz Haeg that covers nearly 8,000 Sq feet of exhibition space. The project invites visitors to become active participants
within a “mountain colony” comprised of intimate dome tents that have been arranged around a centrally placed
circular stage. A continuous graphically painted silhouette of Los Angeles’ San Gabriel Mountains covers the
walls and is mirrored in a custom designed seating system installed throughout the entire space. The dome
tents, surrounded by the abstracted mountainous landscape painting, function as gathering and meeting spaces,
with the central stage serving as an epicenter for events and screenings. The colony will start with four dome
tents, all inspired by the wigwam originally made by the Lenape people in lower Manhattan.
Also on view is Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI) video project space. One of the most respected nonprofits in
New York, EAI presents a selection of artists’ video works culled from their collection. Located on the ground
floor of X, the EAI video project space is a unique occasion to watch rare material and to exhibit masterpieces of
film and video art to a broad public.
Additionally, on the ground floor of X, D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers Inc. has been invited to install and
operate ARTBOOK@X, a curated bookstore focusing on contemporary art and culture.
About X Initiative
X is a not-for-profit initiative of the global contemporary art community that will exist for one year and present
exhibitions and programming. Advised by a 50+ advisory board comprised of artists, curators, museum
professionals, gallerists, collectors, art historians and critics, X is reaching across traditional boundaries to form
a consortium interested in responding quickly to the major philosophical and economic shifts impacting culture.
X will feature durational artist interventions, site-specific projects, historical in-depth exhibitions, one-night
performances, lectures and weekly events. Questions posed in the form of programming will address relevant
and pressing issues pertaining to the changing landscape of contemporary art.
Media Contact:
Justin Conner at Black Frame
jconner@framenoir.com // 212-226-2196
Opening Reception: July 9, 6-9 pm
X Initiative
548 West 22nd Street - New York
Hours:
Wednesday – Saturday 11am to 6 pm