Brian Jungen
dal 30/11/2006 al 10/2/2007
Segnalato da
30/11/2006
Brian Jungen
Witte de With, Rotterdam
Large sculptures made from cheap plastic deckchairs; endangered species rendered in non-biodegradable, mass-produced consumer objects. Stacking similar patio chairs in Structural Integrity Test (1999) and Mise en scene (2000), Jungen treats them as minimalist units and places his own work clearly in the lineage of conceptual art history.
Solo exhibition
Witte de With is delighted to present Brian Jungen’s solo exhibition this winter,
his first on such a large scale in Europe.
Brian Jungen (b. 1970) is part of the generation of Vancouver-based artists
currently bursting onto the international stage. Born to a Swiss-Canadian father and
First Nations mother and raised in the Dane-zaa nation, his drawings, sculptures and
installations explore elements of his own hybrid cultural identity. Yet his approach
transcends questions of ethnicity, to reveal the complex exchanges of goods and
ideas in our globalized world.
Jungen first came to public attention with his Prototypes for New Understanding
(1998-2005), a selection of Nike Air Jordan trainers that he dissected and
reassembled to resemble Northwest Coast masks. Conflating the transformative power
of ceremonial masks with Nike consumers’ desire to become sport stars by wearing a
particular brand of trainers, Jungen plays with economic and cultural values. In
this and other pieces that adopt material from North American sports culture -
baseball bats in talking sticks (2005) and mitts in The Prince (2006) - Jungen
reveals the power of contemporary idols and links colonial history with today’s
sweatshop labor.
His artistic reputation was secured by his magnificent whale ‘skeletons’ such as
Cetology (2002): large sculptures made from cheap plastic deckchairs; endangered
species rendered in non-biodegradable, mass-produced consumer objects. Stacking
similar patio chairs in Structural Integrity Test (1999) and Mise en sce'ne
(2000), Jungen treats them as minimalist units and places his own work clearly in
the lineage of conceptual art history.
Representing the postmodern, postcolonial world with a wry sense of humor, Jungen
collapses stereotypes and embraces change, flux and instability. His practice
approaches cultural difference as an unstable, reciprocal notion, using it as a
starting point for creativity and critical reflection.
Brian Jungen at Witte de With is curated by Daina Augaitis, Nicolaus Schafhausen and
Zoe Gray. The original show was organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery with the
support of the Audain Foundation and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
In Rotterdam, it is supported by the Canadian Embassy, The Hague. Following its
presentation at Witte de With, the exhibition will travel to the Villa Stuck,
Munich.
The publication Brian Jungen produced by WdW Publishers features essays by critic
Clint Burnham, Tate curator Jessica Morgan, and artist/writer Edgar Schmitz, plus an
introduction by Nicolaus Schafhausen and an interview with Harvard professor Homi K.
Bhabha, by Solange de Boer and Zoë Gray (ISBN: 978-90-73362-69-7, 10 euro).
For more information, please contact press@wdw.nl or call +31 (0)10 411 0144.
Accompanying events
1 Dec 2006, 5 p.m.
FIRST NATION SECOND NATURE
Brian Jungen in conversation with artist/writer Edgar Schmitz.
2 Dec 2006, 5 p.m.
WEST COAST SUCCESS STORY
Gallerist Catriona Jeffries in conversation with Nicolaus Schafhausen about the
Vancouver art scene, past and present.
7 Dec 2006, 7 p.m.
ARTISTS AS CURATORS
Curator James Putnam, author of Art and Artefact: The Museum as Medium, in
conversation with Zoe Gray about artists who explore museology.
14 Dec 2006 , 7 p.m.
CROSS CULTURAL FILM PROGRAM
Artist Melvin Moti presents a program of artists’ films, bringing together his own
interests with those suggested by Jungen’s work.
11 Jan 2007, 7 p.m.
IS CANADIAN ART INTELLECTUAL?
Critic Clint Burnham places Jungen's work within a broader picture of contemporary
Canadian art.
18 Jan 2007, 7 p.m.
CRITICAL ETHNOLOGY
Professor Irit Rogoff gives a lecture on the idea of fieldwork.
11 Dec - 25 Jan
ART NOW: BRIAN JUNGEN
In collaboration with the Rotterdam Foundation for Culture (SKVR), the
Cultuurtraject project Art now will see over 500 adolescents aged 14-15
participating in an intensive, interactive visit to the exhibition and a practical
workshop. For information, see our educational site http://www.educatie.wdw.nl
(Dutch only).
Opening: 1 Dec 2006, 6 p.m.
Witte de With
Center for Contemporary Art
Witte de Withstraat 50 - Rotterdam