3rd Artists’ Biennial 29.07. – at Haus der Kunst 24.09.2017 Künstlerverbund im Haus der Kunst München e.V. 1 3rd Artists’ Biennial at Haus der Kunst Munich 2017 Factor X - The Chromosome of Art Welcome The Biennial, like its predecessor, the Große Kunstausstellung (Great Art Exhibition) is among the major art events in our coun- try. As an exhibition curated by artists, it has a special position, being independent of the conventions of the art market and allowing a view from outside onto its structures and rules. This is especially true this year, where the question has been posed of what makes the status of an artwork and, accordingly, its price. It is statistically proven that artworks created by women are less valued monetarily than those of men. Some- times labels such as “student of” or “studied in” help to confer a particular attraction to an artist. At the 3rd Artists’ Biennial, how- ever, a largely anonymous presentation of the artworks enables an unbiased view of the mechanics of the art market. I am very pleased that the Biennial once again broadens its horizon by cooperating with foreign guests. The Netherlands are considered traditionally as a country open for the new, where prejudices play a minor role and artistic freedom can flourish. It will be exiting to see in how far this will be confirmed in the light of the questions posed in this project. I heartily welcome our Dutch guests to Munich and thank the Künstlerverbund (Artists’ Association) in the Haus der Kunst and all involved for their commitment. And for the visitors to the Biennial, I wish interesting and moving insights into the world of the artists and art. Horst Seehofer Minister President of Bavaria and Patron of the Exhibition 2 Introduction This exhibition invites visitors to reflect on factors which play a role in art and influence how it is perceived and valued. Is the gender of the artist also a factor? How does the chromosome of art make its presence felt? This question can be combined with a current occasion: 2017 sees the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Haus der Kunst, as well as the first Große Deutsche Kunstausstellung (Great German Art Exhibition). At that time no female artists were included at all. Despite debates in recent decades, the issue of gender and the arts still seems to be relevant. What significance do genres, materials and techniques have in the attribution of maleness and femaleness? The experience of a work is usually disputed by the gender codes of its authorship. This exhibition brings the viewer in a tête-à-tête encounter with the work of art and its sensual, physical presence. Some works explicitly portray a particular gender and its associated roles and take a playful approach with ascriptions, idealised images and maskings. Others are more associative in their approach to the issues. An interest in physicality and identity is consistently present. The biennale welcomes special guest artists from the Netherlands, curated by Alex de Vries. In the X-Y Box, an experimental, freestanding wall installation featuring open cubes, artists from the Künstlerverbund (Artists’ Association) present their positions on the topic of the biennale Faktor X – das Chromosom der Kunst (Factor X - The Chromo- some of Art). This short guide supplements a larger exhibition publication with essays and images published by Revolver Publishing. 3 07, 08, 15, 17, 34, 36, 40 23 21 42 27 29 44 03 23 22 10 37 01 12 19 20 13 25 04 31 24 16 38 14 02 11 39 05 18 41 28 06 35 14 43 32 30 33 09 09 09 26 Haus der Kunst Munich, west wing, 28.07. – 24.09.2017, subject to modifications 4 west wing Haus der Kunst 01 E. Berg 17 J. Kurek 34 T. Thiel 02 B. Blauth 18 C. Lammers 35 S. Thiemann 03 D. Comani 19 A. Lohr 36 Toffaha 04 T. Dizdar 20 P. Meinfelder 37 S. Trojan 05 J. de Rooij 21 Monaconomad 38 M. van Es 06 N. Ekici 22 J. Muskee 39 L. van Lieshout 07 N. Ekici & 23 H. Oerlemans 40 S. Wagner S. Marcus 24 G. Passens 41 F. Weinold 08 E. Medora 25 S. Peeters 42 A. Witt 09 A. Frydman 26 P. Reill 43 A. Wodtcke 10 K. Gaenssler 27 R. Rottenfusser 44 X-Y Box 11 P. Gilyte 28 A. Rumland 12 J. Hayward 29 C. Schleiffert 13 R. Hendriks 30 P. Senoner 14 J. Hoek 31 E. Simonyi 15 A. Hollywood 32 A. Sijben 16 Y. Koval 33 A. Steig 5 Factor X - The Chromosome of Art Eike Berg *1966 in Halle, lives near Munich. eike.qxd8.com Die Sirenen / The Sirens, 2010/2016 The body of the artist appears to Sound installation, two loops on two sets dance in a golden cage, but the of headphones 9:39/9:32 min. video continually adapts to the Dimensions variable given frame. Daniela Comani *1965 in Bologna, lives in Berlin. www.danielacomani.net Scenes from the everyday life of a seemingly typical, harmoniously successful partnership are shown Golden Cage, 2001 – however the artist herself is Single channel video installation recognizable in the roles of both 200 x 115 cm the man and woman. Birthe Blauth *1969 in Munich, lives in Munich. www.bblauth.de Eine glückliche Ehe / A Happy Marriage, From classified ads in a rigid, Photographs from the series, since 2003 work in progress robot-like rhythm the desired #4: 2003; #15: 2004, Piezo prints on qualities of men and women are photo rag, each 50 x 60 cm read, alongside with self descrip- #46: 2006, Print on PVC, 200 x 270 cm tions. From the interweaving of voices emerge the actual German ideals of looks, character, behaviour of men and women. 6 A_E Timur Dizdar *1975 in Munich, lives in Munich. www.timur-dizdar.com A chocolate Christmas angel is Ashes to Ashes, 2016 enlarged, cast in porcelain and Pastel drawing, 200 x 300 cm brought to a glowing tempera- ture. DER Engel (the angel), in Rockpool, 2017 German a masculine word, has Pastel drawing, 250 x 220 cm female, harmless attributes but here is black, radiates heat and glows. Nezaket Ekici *1970 in Kirsehir/TR, lives in Berlin and Stuttgart. www.ekici-art.de This is an early work of the performance artist: a self-portrait made of soft material that can be changed by the person seated opposite. When one presses on DER Engel,(THE Angel), 2017 the pedals, the face of the bust Porcelain, ceramic pigments, heating changes and different facial element - 1000 ° C, 220V, concrete block expressions appear. Jacobien de Rooij *1947 in Rotterdam, lives in Haarlem/NL. www.jacobienderooij.nl Ich und meine Puppe /Me and my Doll, 1998, Performance, installation/sculp- At first glance, the landscapes ture, silicone, steel cable, plaster, wood, seem very realistic. However, they organ board, 165 x 150 x 300 cm are not only external landscapes but above all interior landscapes by the artist. One is absorbed into them as if into an artificial world. 7 Factor X - The Chromosome of Art Nezaket Ekici Expedition & Shahar Marcus Medora Shahar Marcus (Shirin Damerji, Claudia Djabbari, *1971 in Petach Tikva/IL. Andrea Faciu, Sandra Filic, Peggy Meinfelder) One sees the artists sharing a meal in the Dead Sea. They This group of Munich artists of eat food, drink wine and break differing national origins, founded bread – always keen to keep the in 2005, presents a group por- unstable balance and not be trait consisting of overlapping carried away by the waves. portraits, thus creating a kind of collective feminine ideal image. Salt Dinner, 2012 Video performance HD/mov, mp4, 16:9; Expedition Medora, 2015 colour, sound, 3:19 min. Installation, laser printing on transpar- Performers: Nezaket Ekici, ent film, overhead projector, variable Shahar Marcus dimensions Co-director and Photographer: Ben Hertzog Editor: Simha Talalaevsky Assistants: Maya Elyran, Tamar Dekel, Naama Bar-Or Photos by: Maya Elran Anna Produced by Braverman Gallery Tel Aviv Courtesy: Braverman Gallery Tel Aviv Frydman and the artists *1962 in Ludwigshafen, lives in Munich. www.anna-frydman.com The drawings show an interest in physicality and an individual state of mind while also discussing violence. 8 E_H Patricija Gilyte *1972 in Kaunas/LT, lives in southern Germany and Lithuania. www.patricija-gilyte.net schlagen, (Strike), 2017 hauen, (Hit), 2017 The British painter Lucian Freud drehen, (Turn), 2017 supposedly had at least 14 Watercolour on paper, 140 x 100 cm children. Each one had only one father. By means of satellite dishes and gloves, which switch between everyday objects and creatures, a connection between Katharina the artists’ children is construct- Gaenssler ed. *1975, lives in Munich. www.katharinagaenssler.de Renowned for her large-scale photographic installations of rooms from a myriad of individual images, Gaenssler shows early negative montages, photographs of her own body in which her Die ca. 14 Kinder von Lucian Freud, (The interest in the splitting of the Roughly 14 Children of Lucian Freud), image space becomes clear. 2016-2017, Installation (S / M / L gloves, satellite dish), dimensions variable Julie Hayward *1968 in Salzburg, lives in Vienna. o.T. (geflügelte Beine), www.juliehayward.com/de/ (Untitled, Winged Legs), 27 x 22 cm o.T. (gekreuzte Beine), The large-scale sculpture I (Untitled, Crossed Legs) 16 x 25 cm wanna go home references o.T. (gespiegelte Beine), organic but also technoid forms. (Untitled, Mirrored Legs), 14,5 x 20,5 cm o.T. (gerade Beine), The black colour enhances the (Untitled, Straight Legs), 22 x 15 cm impression of heavy weight.