FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Regen Projects
633 N. Almont Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Tel. (310) 276-5424
Fax. (310) 276-7430
www.regenprojects.com
CHRISTIAN JANKOWSKI
Above All I'm an Art Lover
January 31, 2009 – February 28, 2009
Regen Projects II
9016 Santa Monica Boulevard
Gallery Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 31, 6 – 8 pm
Regen Projects is pleased to present Above All I'm an Art Lover, an exhibition of work by German artist Christian Jankowski. Conceptually based, his projects blur the boundaries between fiction and reality, often involving a dialogue with a specific social environment. Defying conventional notions of media and performance, Jankowski's past collaborators include magicians, fortunetellers and Customs guards. Exploring the position of the artist, he welcomes what is often a spontaneous or unexpected development as a result of his collaborations. Consequently, participants take on an active role in the work becoming contributors as opposed to subjects, and their association ultimately dictates the development of the work. Combining fictional situations with social interactions, Jankowski is able to create surprising and humorous intersections between popular culture, theatricality and the question of authorship. Employing the media of film and television, he is able to explore the art world and its discourse.
Jankowski's earnest engagement of his medium enables him to recapture art's mystery. His use of a circular mode of production presents a critique of the contemporary relationship between artist and viewer and attempts to break down the speeded-up forms of communication which have worsened our contemporary alienation. In addition, he embeds a strong sense of a human presence in his work through a transformative use of collaboration, humor, the subjective voice and the somewhat naïve manner in which he approaches technology.
(Jeff Fleming, "Christian Jankowski: The Big Wow," in Christian Jankowski: Everything Fell Together. Des Moines, Iowa: Des Moines Art Center, 2005. p. 13)
Jankowski's recent project "Above All I'm an Artlover," was executed in collaboration with the Berlin based collective "The Broken Hearts Club." Filmed at December 2008's Art Basel Miami Beach, this piece will be the realization of his latest performance. The work will be exhibited in conjunction with additional recent projects, including "Rooftop Routine," a film depicting over two dozen hula hoopers moving in unison on the rooftops of Chinatown, New York. Connecting the Manhattan skyline, they bring together otherwise disparate neighbors in an exercise that highlights the vast scale of the city.
Jankowski was born in Gottingen, Germany in 1968. He has exhibited widely throughout Europe and the US, including a recent solo exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Germany. A monograph was published on the occasion of this exhibition. Currently on view in New York's Central Park, are Living Sculptures, presented by Regen Projects and the Public Art Fund.
An opening reception will take place at the gallery on Saturday, January 31, from 6-8 pm. For further information please contact Jennifer Loh, Heather Harmon or Stacy Bengtson at 310-276-5424
Regen Projects
633 N. Almont Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Tel. (310) 276-5424
Fax. (310) 276-7430
www.regenprojects.com
CHRISTIAN JANKOWSKI
Above All I'm an Art Lover
January 31, 2009 – February 28, 2009
Regen Projects II
9016 Santa Monica Boulevard
Gallery Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 31, 6 – 8 pm
Regen Projects is pleased to present Above All I'm an Art Lover, an exhibition of work by German artist Christian Jankowski. Conceptually based, his projects blur the boundaries between fiction and reality, often involving a dialogue with a specific social environment. Defying conventional notions of media and performance, Jankowski's past collaborators include magicians, fortunetellers and Customs guards. Exploring the position of the artist, he welcomes what is often a spontaneous or unexpected development as a result of his collaborations. Consequently, participants take on an active role in the work becoming contributors as opposed to subjects, and their association ultimately dictates the development of the work. Combining fictional situations with social interactions, Jankowski is able to create surprising and humorous intersections between popular culture, theatricality and the question of authorship. Employing the media of film and television, he is able to explore the art world and its discourse.
Jankowski's earnest engagement of his medium enables him to recapture art's mystery. His use of a circular mode of production presents a critique of the contemporary relationship between artist and viewer and attempts to break down the speeded-up forms of communication which have worsened our contemporary alienation. In addition, he embeds a strong sense of a human presence in his work through a transformative use of collaboration, humor, the subjective voice and the somewhat naïve manner in which he approaches technology.
(Jeff Fleming, "Christian Jankowski: The Big Wow," in Christian Jankowski: Everything Fell Together. Des Moines, Iowa: Des Moines Art Center, 2005. p. 13)
Jankowski's recent project "Above All I'm an Artlover," was executed in collaboration with the Berlin based collective "The Broken Hearts Club." Filmed at December 2008's Art Basel Miami Beach, this piece will be the realization of his latest performance. The work will be exhibited in conjunction with additional recent projects, including "Rooftop Routine," a film depicting over two dozen hula hoopers moving in unison on the rooftops of Chinatown, New York. Connecting the Manhattan skyline, they bring together otherwise disparate neighbors in an exercise that highlights the vast scale of the city.
Jankowski was born in Gottingen, Germany in 1968. He has exhibited widely throughout Europe and the US, including a recent solo exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Germany. A monograph was published on the occasion of this exhibition. Currently on view in New York's Central Park, are Living Sculptures, presented by Regen Projects and the Public Art Fund.
An opening reception will take place at the gallery on Saturday, January 31, from 6-8 pm. For further information please contact Jennifer Loh, Heather Harmon or Stacy Bengtson at 310-276-5424