Christian Andersson
Olivier Blanckart
Valentin Carron
Gabriele Di Matteo
Bob Gramsma
Leopold Kessler
Adam McEwen
Ben Woodeson
Lara Favaretto
Laurent Grasso
Graham Gussin
Werner Reiterer
Nedko Solakov
Jean-Luc Verna
Marc-Olivier Wahler
17/4/2005
OK / Okay
Two sites, New York
With a change of tone the meaning of 'okay' can move from utterly positive to downright dismal. The double exhibition aims to focus on this kind of blurring and movement between meanings, where information that might seem obvious reveals itself as much more ambiguous and subtle. Through the work of 14 European artists, the shows will bring to light the slippage of meaning and translation that shakes up our interpretative system. Presented at two sites: the Grey Art Gallery of New York University and Swiss Institute
OK at Swiss Institute - Contemporary Art
with Christian Andersson, Olivier Blanckart, Valentin Carron, Gabriele Di Matteo, Bob Gramsma, Leopold Kessler, Adam McEwen, Werner Reiterer and Ben Woodeson
OKAY at Grey Art Gallery, New York University
with Christian Andersson, Valentin Carron, Gabriele Di Matteo, Lara Favaretto, Laurent Grasso, Graham Gussin, Leopold Kessler, Werner Reiterer, Nedko Solakov, Jean-Luc Verna and Ben Woodeson
Curated by Marc-Olivier Wahler
The etymology of the word 'okay' is one of the most disputed. Entire books
have been written, linguists debate and no definite agreement seems to be
found on the subject. Strange for a word used often to state that
everything is under control. With a change of tone the meaning of 'okay'
can move from utterly positive to downright dismal. The double exhibition
OK / OKAY aims to focus on this kind of blurring and movement between
meanings, where information that might seem obvious reveals itself as much
more ambiguous and subtle. Through the work of 14 European artists, OK /
OKAY will bring to light the slippage of meaning and translation that
shakes up our interpretative system.
OK / OKAY will be presented at two sites, at the Grey Art Gallery of New
York University in Greenwich Village and at the S I in SoHo, and will
focus on some of Europe's most promising and innovative artists, many of
whom have never shown in New York. The dual location of the exhibition
will provide a literal manifestation of the idea of moving between
meanings in both art and language, and many of the artists will present
different projects at each venue. Each location's show will function
independently but when viewed in combination, the two exhibitions will
accentuate the ambiguity of interpretation and flexibility of meaning
through rifts in space and communication.
Like the other group exhibitions Marc-Olivier Wahler has curated (Under
Pressure and Mayday in 2001, Extra and Liquid Sky in 2003, and Five
Billion Years in 2004), OK / OKAY does not intend to develop a discourse,
nor to deliver a specific message. Art is no longer defined by position or
place. It glides over the visible and exposes the limitless number of
strata that make up its structure. It contributes to the densification of
the real, it adds to its complexity. What matters is the dynamic triggered
by the slippage of interpretations and the constant oscillations between
languages (as between different objects). This dynamic defines the force
of a work of art, it is in this always unstable electric field that a work
of art finds its meaning. In this way, contemporary art is not seen as a
cultural domain in search of possible aesthetic definitions, but as a true
dynamic.
The exhibition OK/OKAY is made possible in part, with public funds from
the New York State Council on the Arts, (NYSCA), the Abby Weed Grey Trust,
ProHelvetia, Etant Donnes, the French-American Fund for Contemporary Art,
Bundeskanzleramt Oesterreich Kunstsektion; the Consulate General of
Sweden, Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Danish Arts Council,
Fundacao Luso-Americana Para o Desenvolvimento and IASPIS.
Image: Nedko Solakov, The Collector of Art, (Somewhere in Africa there is a great black man collecting art from Europe and America, buying his Picasso for 23 coconuts), 1992-2000, mixed media with original artworks, dimensions variable, Courtesy Musee d'Art Contemporain, Lyon
Opening receptions: Monday, April 18, 2005
Grey Art Gallery: 5 - 7
Swiss Institute: 6 - 8
Grey Art Gallery, New York University 100 Washington Square East / New York NY 10003
tel (212) 998-6780 contact: Alyssa Plummer
hours: Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 11:00 am to 6:00 pm; open late Wednesday: 11:00 am to 8:00 pm;Saturday: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. Sunday, Monday, and major holidays: closed
http://www.nyu.edu/greyart
greygallery@nyu.edu
Swiss Institute - Contemporary Art 495 Broadway FL 3 / New York NY 10012
tel (212) 925-2035 Contact: Gabrielle Giattino
hours: Tues - Sat 11 am - 6 pm
http://www.swissinstitute.net
info@swissinstitute.net