Manon
dal 27/4/2009 al 29/6/2009
Segnalato da
27/4/2009
Manon
Swiss Institute - Old location, New York
Manon has pioneered body and performance art since the 1970s. In her ambivalent depiction of female identity, she deliberately affirms gender roles as well as their subversion. The artist is internationally recognized for radical performances and conceptual photographs in which she addresses the construction of identities. Curated by Gianni Jetzer.
Curated by Gianni Jetzer
Renowned Swiss artist Manon has pioneered with body and performance art since the
1970s. In her ambivalent depiction of female identity, she deliberately affirms
gender roles as well as their subversion. Manon is internationally recognized for
her radical performances and conceptual photographs in which she addresses the
construction of identities. Her work is concurrent with artists such as Cindy
Sherman, Adrian Piper or Hannah Wilke.
Her first appearance as an artist, after having been considered for years as other
artist’s muse, was the public release of her intimate environment. The Salmon-
Colored Boudoir (1974) is a sensuous collection of furniture, props, drugs, clothes
and memorabilia evoking the glamorous thus tormented life of the young artist. In
the following year, her performance The End of Lola Montez caused a sensation.
Dressed as a dominatrix, Manon exhibited herself in a cage -- an act of endurance
for the artist suffering from claustrophobia. In the title, she refers to a
historical figure of the 19th century, the highly controversial Lola Montez, whose
determination and temper were to become her trademarks.
On the occasion of the retrospective at Swiss Institute, The Salmon-Colored Boudoir
and The End of Lola Montez will be exhibited outside Switzerland for the first
time.
In 1977 Manon temporarily moved to Paris where she worked on photographic selfportraits
in her studio apartment. In a radical act of change, she shaved her head
to create the legendary series La dame au crâne rasé (The Lady with the Shaved
Head, 1977/78). In addition, the black and white photographic series The Gray Wall
or 36 Sleepless Nights (1979) are on view at the Swiss Institute.
After a break between 1983 and 1990 Manon pursued her artistic work to date.
Her newest work adds to the visual vocabulary of the last decades and touches the
topics of seduction, youth and vanity. In Borderline (2007) the artist shows the
potential of colored self-portrayal. She uses blurry views in vivid colors
oscillating between lady and vamp, beauty and pathology. In the recent series She
Was Once Miss Rimini (2003) the artist enacts the fictitious story of an aging
beauty queen. Manon takes on a variety of gender roles, alternating between male
and female as she represents potential biographies of one and the same person.
On the occasion of the exhibition, Swiss Institute and Helmhaus Zurich are pleased to
release the comprehensive monograph: Manon: A Person. Published by Scheidegger&Spiess the
publication covers the entire range of the artist's work, from her first fetish
installations to the most recent photographic series. These recent works have not been
previously published or exhibited.
Contributors to the catalog include: Jean-Christophe Ammann, Amelia Jones, Jörg
Heiser, Brigitte Ulmer and Gianni Jetzer.
This exhibition has been made possible through a special grant from Pro Helvetia,
The Swiss Arts Council
Image: Manon, La dame au crâne rasé, 1977
For further information or photographic material, please contact Gianni Jetzer,
jet@swissinstitute.net
Opening april 28th, 2009
Swiss Institute
495 Broadway - New York
Gallery Opening Hours:
Tuesday through Saturday 11 am - 6 pm
FREE entry