Sindrome di Alice - Elmgreen & Dragset

Dopo Gilber & George è il duo artistico che preferisco, si tratta di Elmgreen & Dragset che in questi giorni a Los Angeles, presso la Galleria Pace presentano la mostra  "The Alice in Wonderland Syndrome" .   Questa coinvolgente presentazione in due parti occupa lo spazio espositivo principale e l'adiacente galleria sud, esplorando i temi della scala, della percezione e della distorsione psicologica attraverso rappresentazioni di raddoppio e ridimensionamento. La mostra segue le recenti personali di Elmgreen & Dragset al Musée d'Orsay di Parigi e all'Amorepacific Museum of Art di Seul, e coincide con il trentesimo anniversario di collaborazione tra gli artisti e il ventesimo anniversario della loro celebre installazione Prada Marfa , inaugurata in Texas nel 2005.

In "The Alice in Wonderland Syndrome" , gli artisti esplorano come la scala influenzi la nostra comprensione della realtà. Per questa presentazione, il duo gioca con le caratteristiche fisiche della galleria di Pace a Los Angeles, utilizzando la divisione architettonica della galleria come struttura per raddoppiamenti e ridimensionamenti. Ogni opera d'arte è presentata a grandezza naturale nella galleria principale, mentre versioni esatte a metà dimensione sono esposte nello spazio adiacente, che gli artisti hanno ridimensionato in una replica a metà dimensione dello spazio principale. Questa duplicazione e ridimensionamento spaziale trae ispirazione dalla condizione neurologica chiamata "Sindrome di Alice nel Paese delle Meraviglie", o dismetropsia, in cui i cambiamenti nella percezione, spesso innescati dalla stanchezza, alterano la percezione della distanza e della scala.

Aggiungere all'Orsay

 Per la prima volta il Museo d’Orsay di Parigi vede un intervento artistico nei suoi spazi storici. Si tratta della mostra “L’Addition” ideata dal duo artistico Elmgreen & Dragset. Dall'inizio della loro collaborazione, questo duo, ama riconfigurare gli spazi espositivi in ​​tutto il mondo creando scene avvincenti che sfidano le nostre idee su luoghi e oggetti familiari, nonché sulle modalitàpresentazione di opere d'arte. 

Il titolo, “L’Addition”, evoca l’approccio degli artisti che consiste nell’impossessarsi del piano terra del museo per installare  le loro opere in questi spazi già ricchi di lavori artistici. Per fare questo, hanno costruito un nuovo luogo che si affaccia su parte della navata delle sculture, dove hanno collocato opere aggiuntive in luoghi inaspettati, creado suggestioni e relazioni fra il passato e il presente.

Foto: Elmgreen & Dragset ©

Senza presenze...Fondazione Prada e il grande intervento di Elmgreen & Dragset

 

Da alcuni giorni la Fondazione Prada ospita nei suoi stupendi spazi il progetto “Useless Bodies?”, realizzato dagli artisti Elmgreen & Dragset.

L'evento si diffonde nei diversi spazi della fondazione in modo omogeneo e suggestivo, creando continui slittamenti di percezione e di idee, in cui si miscela passato, presente e forse anche il futuro. 

La mostra si sviluppa nelle diverse aree, in modo omogeneo, ma in ogni situazione si rimane spiazzati dagli assemblaggi, dall'uso dei materiale e dei contesti. 

Si percorrono così questi ambienti immersivi, i due piani del Podium, la galleria Nord, la Cisterna e il cortile esterno,  che ci accolgono con tantissimi interventi e opere storiche che dialogano con quelle contemporanee in un unicum emozionale. 

L'evento sarà visitabile fino al 22 Agosto. 

Tutte le veduta sono della mostra “Useless Bodies?” di Elmgreen & Dragset 

Fondazione Prada, Milano Foto: Andrea Rossetti  Courtesy: Fondazione Prada

Short Story, Elmgreen & Dragset da König

Foto di  Roman Maerz

La galleria König ospita dal 16 maggio, le opere di Elmgreen & Dragset che presentano tre nuove sculture figurative in un ambiente coinvolgente che trasforma l'aspetto visivo della navata di Sant'Agnese.

Short Story  si apre con una partita tra due ragazzi. Entrando nella sala della galleria, il visitatore incontra un campo da tennis di dimensioni quasi normali ma leggermente elevato. Una rete nel mezzo separa i due giocatori e crea una sorta di dittico orizzontale. Le linee bianche, che sono dipinte sulla superficie del pavimento marrone-arancio, non solo indicano le regole dello sport stabilite, ma richiamano anche visivamente i principi della griglia della modernità e le indicazioni stradali che regolano i nostri modelli di comportamento nello spazio pubblico. Le sculture figurative in bronzo dei ragazzi dipinte di bianco sono poste in diagonale alle estremità opposte del campo - piccole e isolate l'una dall'altra sulla grande superficie. I loro corpi e sguardi sono allontanati l'uno dall'altro, il dialogo e il gioco tra loro si sono fermati. Invece di gioia, il gioco sembra aver creato un disagio, sia per il "vincitore" che per il "perdente". La scena è un'immagine fissa che cattura il momento carico dopo una sconfitta, in cui il pubblico come spettatore continua a girare la storia. È stato un gioco giusto? C'è mai un gioco leale?

Foto di  Roman Maerz

La terza figura in un angolo al di fuori del campo da tennis è quella di un uomo anziano che è mezzo addormentato sulla sedia a rotelle. Con le palpebre socchiuse, il suo mondo interiore sembra sovrapporsi al suo mondo esterno mentre si ritira lentamente dalla realtà che lo circonda. Sembra quasi che la partita di tennis tra i due ragazzi sia solo una visione nella sua testa - un lontano ricordo che riappare in un sogno. Lo scenario di Elmgreen & Dragsets Short Story con le sue narrazioni brusche, l'apparente decadimento del tempo e le realtà in collisione invita a pensare ad argomenti come l'individualismo e la competizione, ma offre anche la possibilità di molte altre letture.

Ricordo che è meglio contattare la galleria per la visita.

Elmgreen & Dragset a Londra presso la Whitechapel Gallery

Dal 27 Settembre al 13 Gennaio 2019 presso la Whitechapel Gallery a Londra si svolgerà un'ampia mostra sugli artisti Elmgreen & Dragset. Come sempre sarà un progetto unico, realizzato pensato appositamente per questo stupendo spazio espositivo. 

CS The first major overview of artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset in the UK combines a large-scale site-specific installation to be unveiled in September 2018 with six new sculptures and 29 works created over 20 years of the artists’ collaboration. Michael Elmgreen (b. 1961, Copenhagen, Denmark) and Ingar Dragset (b. 1969, Trondheim, Norway) have worked together since 1995 and are now based in Berlin. Their beguiling spatial scenarios explore social and sexual politics and unveil the power structures embedded in the everyday. Through displacement and alteration they challenge the architecture of their exhibition venues allowing visitors to re-experience domestic and institutional settings. Commissioned especially for the Whitechapel Gallery, Elmgreen & Dragset’s immersive new installation relates to the gentrification of London’s East End and points to a loss of faith in public space in an era of austerity. Transforming the ground-floor Gallery, this remarkable environment will transport the visitor to an alternative civic space permeated by abandonment. Elmgreen & Dragset said: “This is How We Bite Our Tongue is an exhibition about emotions held inside, not said out loud. It is about withdrawal and resignation, about absence and impermanence, the feeling of loss, of losing agency as well as community. But it is also about reconciliation and resilience”. The artists draw inspiration from the 19th-century Danish painter Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864 – 1916), who subtly turned his depictions of domestic spaces into psychological dramas of bourgeois repression. One gallery is dedicated to Self Portraits – monumental labels carved in marble or painted on canvas – that pay tribute to works of art that have inspired the artists and shaped their identity. Their tributes to artists ranging from Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010) to Mark Morrisroe (1959-1989) are accompanied by a desk complete with a diary and a bottle of whiskey. The Bottle and the Book (2015) invites visitors to break common gallery rules by sitting on the artwork and taking a drink. This Is How We Bite Our Tongue culminates with a display of figurative sculptures presented in a chapel-like atmosphere, much like relics or icons. According to the artists, they ‘speak of misguided reverence and of judgement, lust and fear’. Some sculptures question traditional perceptions of masculinity: in One Day (2015) a young boy gazes at a rifle in a display case; while Invisible (2017) depicts a boy hiding inside a mantelpiece. The housemaid is a recurring figure in the artists’ oeuvre; here Pregnant White Maid (2017) might serve as a symbol of abuse or bear hope of the future. In Elmgreen & Dragset’s uncanny universe, we will never know for sure. Iwona Blazwick, Director, Whitechapel Gallery, said “Having sited a monumental boy on a rocking horse among the admirals of Trafalgar Square, revealed a failed modernist architect’s flat inside the V&A and perched a vulture in the trees of Regent's Park, Elmgreen & Dragset will make visible the disappearance of civic space while also offering an overview of two decades of their uncanny sculpture”. Dina Amin, Phillips’ Head of 20th Century & Contemporary Art Department, Europe, said: "This Is How We Bite Our Tongue is the first major overview for artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset and Phillips is thrilled to support Whitechapel Gallery for this widely anticipated exhibition. At Phillips, we continue to champion and support the work of artists whose transformative works challenge and excite the imagination. Our goal is to foster a new dialogue about artists like Elmgreen & Dragset and we look forward to welcoming both new and longstanding admirers of theirs to this exhibition."

Image Credit: Elmgreen & Dragset, One Day, 2015, Image Courtesy María José Jove Fundación, Photography by  Holger Honck 27 September 2018 – 13 January 2019 Whitechapel Gallery Galleries 1, 8 and 9 Supported by Phillips

Biennale di Istanbul

Eccovi le ultime news sulla prossima Biennale di Istanbul ideato dagli artisti Elmgreen & Dragset  che hanno assunto il ruolo di curatori, chissà se andrà bene o sarà come a Zurigo a Manifesta con un artista/curatore con delle belle idee ma con una realizzazione un poco debole. 

Dal 16 Settembre al 12 Novembre ci sarà tempo per poterlo scoprire.

CS

The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) is pleased to announce the list of artists, duos, and collectives that will take part in the 15th edition of the Istanbul Biennial. The 15th Istanbul Biennial, entitled a good neighbour and curated by artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset, reveals the participating artists of this year’s edition, which takes place from 16 September to 12 November 2017. Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and sponsored by Koç Holding, the 15th Istanbul Biennial brings together artworks by 55 artists from 32 countries, all addressing different notions of home, belonging and neighbourhood. The biennial takes place in six neighbouring venues: Istanbul Modern, Galata Greek Primary School, Ark Kültür, Pera Museum, Yoğunluk Atelier, and Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam. 

“Your neighbour might be someone who lives quite a different life from yours. And hopefully you, unlike many politicians lately, are not the one who chooses to deal with your fear of otherness by fencing yourself off. The artists in the 15th Istanbul Biennial raise questions about ideas of home, neighbourhood, belonging and co-existence from multiple perspectives. Some of the artworks examine how our domestic living conditions and modes have changed and how our neighbourhoods have transformed, while others focus on how we cope with today’s geopolitical challenges on a micro-level. The Biennial takes its form from the invited artists’ personal or analytical statements: an engaging mixture of hopes and visions, of sadness and indignation, of history and present day.” Elmgreen & Dragset, curators of the 15th Istanbul Biennial 

By the Numbers: 15th Istanbul Biennial 2 months 55 artists 32 countries 6 exhibition venues 30 new commissions

List of artists Galata Greek Primary School Heba Y. Amin Born in Cairo, lives in Berlin Mark Dion Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, lives in New York, NY Jonah Freeman & Justin Lowe Born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Dayton, Ohio, both live in New York, NY Kasia Fudakowski Born in London, lives in Berlin Pedro Gómez-Egaña Born in Bucaramanga, lives between Bergen and Copenhagen Lungiswa Gqunta Born in Port Elizabeth, lives in Cape Town Andrea Joyce Heimer Born in Great Falls, Montana, lives in Ferndale, Washington Morag Keil & Georgie Nettell Born in Edinburgh and Bedford, both live in London Olaf Metzel Born in Berlin, lives in Munich Mahmoud Obaidi Born in Baghdad, lives in Burlington, Ontario Henrik Olesen Born in Esbjerg, lives in Berlin Erkan Özgen Born in Mardin, lives in Diyarbakır Leander Schönweger Born in Meran, lives in Vienna Dan Stockholm Born in Thisted, lives in Copenhagen Ali Taptık Born in Istanbul, lives in Istanbul Bilal Yılmaz Born in Manisa, lives in Istanbul Istanbul Modern Volkan Aslan Born in Ankara, lives in Istanbul Alper Aydın Born in Ordu, lives between Ordu, Ankara, Konya, and Istanbul Monica Bonvicini Born in Venice, lives in Berlin Louise Bourgeois Born in Paris, died in New York, NY Latifa Echakhch Born in El Khnansa, lives in Martigny Candeğer Furtun Born in Istanbul, lives in Istanbul Kim Heecheon Born in Seoul, lives in Seoul Mirak Jamal Born in Tehran, lives in Berlin Fernando Lanhas Born in Porto, died in Porto Victor Leguy Born in Sao Paulo, lives in Sao Paulo Klara Lidén Born in Stockholm, lives in Berlin Mahmoud Obaidi Born in Baghdad, lives in Burlington, Ontario Lydia Ourahmane Born in Saida, lives in Oran and London Rayyane Tabet Born in Ashquot, lives in Beirut Young-Jun Tak Born in Seoul, lives in Berlin Kaari Upson Born in San Bernadino, California, lives in Los Angeles, California Kemang Wa Lehulere Born in Cape Town, lives in Cape Town Yonamine Born in Luanda, lives in Harare Xiao Yu Born in Inner Mongolia, lives in Beijing ARK Kültür Mahmoud Khaled Born in Alexandria, lives in Trondheim Pera Museum Adel Abdessemed Born in Constantine, lives in London Njideka Akunyili Crosby Born in Enugu, lives in Los Angeles, California Alejandro Almanza Pereda Born in Mexico City, lives in Guadalajara Berlinde De Bruyckere Born in Ghent, lives in Ghent Vajiko Chachkhiani Born in Tbilisi, lives in Berlin Gözde İlkin Born in Istanbul, lives in Istanbul Liliana Maresca Born in Buenos Aires, died in Buenos Aires Lee Miller Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, died in Chiddingly, East Sussex Aude Pariset Born in Versailles, lives in Berlin Sim Chi Yin Born in Singapore, lives in Beijing Dayanita Singh Born in New Delhi, lives in New Delhi Tatiana Trouvé Born in Cosenza, lives in Paris Tsang Kinwah Born in Shantou, lives in Hong Kong Andra Ursuta Born in Salonta, lives in New York, NY Fred Wilson Born in New York, NY, lives in New York, NY Yoğunluk Atelier Yoğunluk Founded in Istanbul, live in Istanbul Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam Monica Bonvicini Born in Venice, lives in Berlin Stephen G. Rhodes Born in Houston, Texas, lives in Berlin Tuğçe Tuna Born in Mons, lives in Istanbul Outside all venues Burçak Bingöl Born in Giresun, lives in Istanbul Lukas Wassmann Born in Zurich, lives in Berlin

The 15th Istanbul Biennial’s Public Programme 

In addition to the two-month-long exhibition, the 15th Istanbul Biennial also features a Public Programme coordinated by artist Zeyno Pekünlü that encompasses a variety of events and discussions related to the concept of “a good neighbour”. 

Without neglecting the burden of history and the immediacy of actuality, the Public Programme focuses on the shared questions that led to a number of important debates in recent years. During the opening and closing weeks of the Biennial, it features symposiums with thought-provoking speakers such as activist and professor Shahrzad Mojab, recognised for her research on the impact of war, displacement and violence on women’s learning and education; professor Joseph Massad, known for his criticism of liberal policies related to multiculturalism; professor of political economy Massimo de Angelis; and architect and scholar Stavros Stavrides, whose work focuses on spatial practices. 

Entitled Chosen Families, the first trails the quest for different kinds of belongings beyond family as an institution. The second, Mutual Fate focuses on urban ecology and strives for finding ways out of anthropocentrism. With panel discussions, screenings, workshops and regular events throughout the Biennial, participants can be found cooking, reading and playing music together. Admission to all Public Programme events is free. More details on the 15th Istanbul Biennial’s Public Programme can be accessed at bienal.iksv.org/en.

The 15th Istanbul Biennial – a good neighbour 

The 15th edition of the Istanbul Biennial, entitled a good neighbour, is organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV). The Biennial is made possible thanks to sponsor Koç Holding, with the patronage of several other supporters, international funders and funding bodies. It takes place from 16 September to 12 November 2017 and access to exhibitions and programming is free of charge. 

Instead of a statement, the curators, artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset, developed 40 questions that have guided the process of making the exhibition. These questions were first presented live in Istanbul by 40 performers of different ages, genders and backgrounds in December 2016, and were shared on the Biennial’s website and social media accounts. A video documentation of the press conference can found through this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvMPti6Hjac.

From Moscow to Sydney: The International Billboard Project

 In anticipation of the exhibition, the 15th Istanbul Biennial launched an International Billboard Project to share the theme of “a good neighbour” in different cities around the world. Through collaborations with cultural institutions worldwide, the International Billboard Project displays a carefully curated selection of photographs by Lukas Wassmann, which capture unexpected encounters paired with questions asking what makes a good neighbour. Host cities include Moscow (Russia), Sydney (Australia), Milan (Italy), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Armagh, Ballynahinch, Belfast, Downpatrick and Newry (Northern Ireland), Southhampton (UK), Calgary (Canada), Plovidv (Bulgaria), and Chicago (USA), Seoul and Gwangju (South Korea).

Elmgreen & Dragset alla Biennale di Istanbul

Trovo particolarmente interessante la notizia che Elmgreen & Dragset siano stati invitati a curare una biennale di Istanbul , trovo più sensato che siano gli artisti a fare arte, col supporto di critici e curatori.

Come sempre più sta succedendo, vedi anche Manifesta e altri eventi,  pare che lo sguardo artistico sia più in voga con i tempi

Press realase

he 15th Istanbul Biennial will take place between 16 September and 12 November 2017. The 15th edition of the biennial will be curated by the artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset.

Elmgreen & Dragset stated, “We are honored to be appointed curators of the 15th Istanbul Biennial, having previously taken part as artists in three editions of the biennial. In light of the current global geopolitical situation, in which we’re experiencing a new rise of nationalism, it will be important for us to curate a biennial based on collaborative efforts and processes. Collaboration is something that feels natural to us, since we have been working together as an artist duo for more than twenty years. A biennial can be a platform for dialogue, and a format in which diverse opinions, perspectives, and communities can coexist.”

Elmgreen & Dragset (Michael Elmgreen, dr.h.c. and Ingar Dragset, dr.h.c.) are an artist duo who have worked together since 1995. Their artistic practice spans many genres, including installation, sculpture, performance, and theater. Their work has been included in the Istanbul (2013, 2011, 2001), Liverpool (2012), Singapore (2011), Moscow (2011, 2007), Venice (2009, 2003), Gwangju (2006, 2002), São Paulo (2002), and Berlin (1998) biennials. The artists were shortlisted for the Hugo Boss Prize, Guggenheim Museum, New York in 2000 and won the Preis der Nationalgalerie, Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin in 2002. In 2012, Elmgreen & Dragset were selected for London’s Fourth Plinth Commission in Trafalgar Square. They were awarded honorary doctorates at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in 2015.

Previous curatorial projects include “The Collectors” at the Danish and Nordic Pavilions at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009, marking the first-ever merging of two national pavilions to present a single exhibition, which received a Special Mention entitled “Curating Worlds.” In 2013, the duo curated “A Space Called Public”, a wide-ranging temporary public art project throughout the city of Munich, with the aim of generating a new conversation about the concept of public space today. The same year, with their exhibition “Tomorrow” at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the artists designed a setting in which they staged paintings, furniture, and artifacts from the museum’s permanent collection. Earlier curatorial projects include “Not a Drop But the Fall”, together with Susanne Pfeffer, Künstlerhaus Bremen (2005) and “Update”, a performance-based festival that was part of Copenhagen’s European Capitals of Culture program (1996). The artists are currently in the process of curating the exhibition “The Others”, opening at König Galerie in Berlin in September 2016.

Other collaborative projects include the artistic direction of the operas “L’Amour de Loin” at the Bergen International Festival (2008) and “Faustus, The Last Night” at Staatsoper, Berlin (2008), Opéra de Lyon (2006), and Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris (2006). The duo’s theater plays include “Drama Queens”, first performed at Skulptur Projekte Münster (2007), and “Happy Days in the Art World”, a Performa Commission for Performa 11 (2011).

Elmgreen & Dragset’s recent solo exhibitions include “Van Gogh’s Ear”, an upright swimming pool sculpture installed at New York City’s Rockefeller Center (Public Art Fund, 2016); “The Well Fair”, a fictional art fair staged in the Great Hall of the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing (2016); and “Aéroport Mille Plateaux”, a Deleuze-inspired airport terminal at PLATEAU, Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul (2015). Additionally, Elmgreen & Dragset have held numerous solo exhibitions in art institutions worldwide, including the National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen (2014); Astrup Fearnley Museet, Oslo (2014); Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam (2011); ZKM Museum of Modern Art, Karlsruhe (2010); Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León (2009); The Power Plant, Toronto (2006); Serpentine Gallery, London (2006); Tate Modern, London (2004); and Kunsthalle Zürich (2001).