Ugo Rondinone: Vocabulary of Solitude

Arken Museum of Modern Art, Ishøj

16 December 2017 - 30 December 2018

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Step inside Ugo Rondinone’s dreamscape inhabited by 45 lifelike clowns.

Slumbering clowns with cheerful hats at rakish angles and glittering, festive costumes are moving into ARKEN. The clowns have been created by the renowned Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone, and they are the focal point in December when the museum opens its doors for the star artist’s great solo exhibition.

ARKEN’s 150-metre-long Art Axis forms the setting for the exhibition, which has been mounted in close collaboration with the artist. 45 hyperrealistic clowns cast from male and female models make up the installation vocabulary of solitude from 2014. Usually clowns are happy, energetic and entertaining, but here they are the opposite: contemplative and passive. They convey melancholy, as they do not meet our intuitive expectations of the funny clown. They are merely human beings who have just stepped out of their roles and their clown shoes; or are on their way into their roles and are just about to tie their shoelaces – captured in a peaceful moment before the show begins.

“An artist is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with the visual” Ugo Rondinone

Vocabulary of Solitude is a portrait of a single person’s day represented in 45 acts. They are individually titled in the present tense: be. breathe. sleep. dream. wake. rise. sit. hear. look. think. stand. walk. pee. shower. dress. drink. fart. shit. read. laugh. cook. smell. taste. eat. clean. write. daydream. remember. cry. nap. touch. feel. moan. enjoy. float. love. hope. wish. sing. dance. fall. curse. yawn. undress. lie. Each passive clown is a stand-in for one of these actions. Together they form an endless 24-hour loop.

Intuitive joy and empathy

Ugo Rondinone’s work oscillates between the romantic outlook of the natural world and the existential introspection of the inner world. He plays on our intuitive and impulsive recognition of motifs like a clown, a tree or a rainbow. The rainbow in particular primarily signals beauty, emancipation and innocence. In addi­tion the rainbow tells a fundamental political story of personal freedom, as the symbol par excel­lence of the LGBT milieu and the rights of homosexuals. The simple, solid message is that you are free to love the one you love. This is an indisputable, universal human right that may be taken for granted in Denmark, which is generally known as the world’s first country to introduce civil marriages for homosexuals. However, not everyone enjoys this right, so there are still freedom struggles to be fought. The rainbow speaks a global visual language that inspires empathy, joy and fighting spirit.

Speaking to heart and mind

With few resources Rondinone stages well known figures and symbols in displaced ways, and we see them with new eyes. He is internationally recognized for his immersive installations, video works, photographs, large-scale drawings, paintings and sculptures. He is an enterprising, dynamic artist who also works as a curator alongside his artistic practice. Common to all his works is the way they speak to both heart and mind.

Ai Weiwei: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

New York, NY

12 October - 11 February 2018

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‘We see fences everywhere. To divide, to set up some kind of border. It’s about territory. Very often it’s brutal and not negotiable. We should rethink about our status as human beings, and rethink about humanity as one.’
Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei unveils his most ambitious project to date in New York City. Organised by the Public Art Fund with partnering support by Frahm & Frahm, the city-wide intervention Good Fences Make Good Neighbors takes place at landmark sites including Washington Square Park, Central Park, and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Documentary images and artwork also appear on lampposts, bus shelters and newsstands across all five boroughs.

Created in response to the international migration crisis and current global geopolitical landscape, Ai co-opts the symbol of the security fence to give it powerful new social and artistic meaning. Over 300 sculptures and site-specific interventions erupt across the city, altering our experience of some of New York’s most recognisable monuments. Ai’s striking installations draw attention to the role of the fence as a divider, and invite us to reflect on the psychic and physical barriers that divide us; the issue at the heart of current immigration and refugee issues today.

SOFTER: Jenny Holzer at Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace, Woodstock

28 September - 31 December 2017

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Blenheim Art Foundation is delighted to present SOFTER: Jenny Holzer at Blenheim Palace.

As one of America’s most loved living artists since the 1980s, Holzer’s practice circles around language in order to question systems of power and authority in society. Since 2010, Holzer’s work has been focused particularly on modern conflict. On her first visit to Blenheim Palace, she became fascinated by the palace’s own military history; not only as the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, but also originally built as a reward to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, for military triumphs in the 1704 Battle of Blenheim. Holzer uses this legacy as a starting point to look at the timeless and universal theme of conflict, across time and countries.

Using painting, stonework, light projections and her celebrated LED light installations, Holzer simultaneously challenges viewers and engages with the historical precedents that have cemented Blenheim Palace’s enduring legacy.

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Every evening 28 September – 10 October, the Palace hosts Jenny Holzer’s spectacular light projection shows. Projected onto the historic façade of the palace and on the island nearby, Holzer’s text-based light works are shown for twelve free nights.

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This is the fourth exhibition of contemporary art hosted at the historic Palace and continues Blenheim Art Foundation’s commitment to exposing new audiences to contemporary art by showcasing the most important artists working today within one of England’s most treasured landmarks.

Ugo Rondinone: I ♥ John Giorno

Sky Art, New York

21 June - 25 November 2017

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On the evening of the June 21st summer solstice, Ugo Rondinone: I ♥ John Giorno—the first major U.S. exhibition about the American poet, artist, activist and muse John Giorno— opened simultaneously across 13 locations in New York City. I ♥ John Giorno is a work of art by Giorno’s husband, the Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone. The exhibition is a celebration of the life and work of John Giorno—an artist whose work has influenced generations. Taking place in his chosen hometown, the exhibition affords a unique opportunity for Giorno’s contributions to be recognized within the canons of American poetry and art history, and celebrates the artist’s 80th birthday.

I ♥ John Giorno is an unprecedented collaboration between leading non-profit and alternative spaces across New York, which are joining forces for the first time to mount a multilayered exhibition on a single subject. Partner venues include: Artists Space, High Line Art, Howl! Happening, Hunter College Art Galleries, The Kitchen, New Museum, Red Bull Arts New York, Rubin Museum of Art, Sky Art, Swiss Institute, White Columns, and 80WSE Gallery. Reconfigured as a festival, including installations in galleries and public spaces, as well as a full roster of public programs and events, I ♥ John Giorno is free and open to the public. 

Expanding upon the exhibition that took place at Palais de Tokyo in Paris from October 2015 to January 2016, I ♥ John Giorno has been re-conceptualized specifically for New York, highlighting Giorno’s significant relationship with the city, and his singular role in creating and fostering community here. The 18-part exhibition has been divided by Rondinone into chapters reflecting the layers of Giorno’s life and work, his longstanding influence on and dedication to his chosen hometown of New York City, and his relationships with artist friends, lovers and collaborators including: Richard Bosman, Phong Bui, Angela Bulloch, Anne Collier, Verne Dawson, Judith Eisler, John Giorno, Mark Handforth, Matthew Higgs, Pierre Huyghe, Françoise Janicot, Scott King, Elizabeth Peyton, Ugo Rondinone, Erik Satie, Kendall Shaw, Michael Stipe, Billy Sullivan, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Peter Ungerleider,  Joan Wallace, and Andy Warhol, whose work will be presented as part of the festival.

The exhibition format echoes the symbiotic relationship between Ugo Rondinone and John Giorno, who have been both partners and collaborators for the past two decades. Rondinone describes the show saying: “I ♥ John Giorno is a kaleidoscopic exhibition about the life and work of American poet and Tibetan Buddhist John Giorno, whose rich and stimulating life has woven many threads of American culture and spirituality. Within the dreamscape of the exhibition, one is invited to wander through the juxtaposed realm of art and poetry where image and language build upon themselves in a layered stream of consciousness driven by the biographical, the conceptual, and the emotional.”    

See the Sky Art website specifically for the exhibition http://skyartny.com 

Ugo Rondinone: the sky over manhattan

Sky Art, New York

1 April - 19 June 2017

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Frahm & Frahm unveil 'the sky over manhattan', a work conceived by Ugo Rondinone to adorn the façade of the new building of Sky Art, New York.

Sky Art is a temporary nonprofit art center located in the heart of Manhattan, New York, created to present the exhibition Ugo Rondinone: I ♥ John Giorno, produced by Frahm & Frahm and Moinian Group. Versatile and ever-changing, the almost 10,000 square foot space and 30 foot high ceilings allow for the display of large-scale sculpture and site-specific installation, giving ambitious scope for a variety of curatorial projects.

Michelangelo Pistoletto at Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace, Woodstock

15 September – 31 December 2016

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Michelangelo Pistoletto at Blenheim Palace (14 September – 31 December 2016) was the iconic Italian artist’s largest show in the UK to date, with over fifty works on display including new works inspired by the palace.

A founding father of the Arte Povera movement, Pistoletto is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of his generation. The exhibition at Blenheim Palace explored the diverse range of his fifty-year practice, from painting, mirror works and sculpture to large-scale installation, as well as showcasing new works made specifically for Blenheim Palace and integrated into the fabric of the Palace’s eighteenth-century interiors and surrounding grounds.

John Armleder in Mykonos

Athens School of Fine Arts, Mykonos

4 August – 25 September 2016

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John Armleder in Mykonos (4 August – 25 September 2016) was a playful and immersive exploration of the Swiss artist’s work since 2000, combining visual art, sculpture and interior design.

Curated as a procession through the school’s many rooms and terraced garden, Armleder’s work was also combined with outdoor sculptures by artists Yoshitomo Nara and Ai Weiwei, making the show a vibrant celebration of colour, pattern, sensory exploration, materials and pop aesthetics by three leading contemporary artists.

Ai Weiwei at Cycladic

Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens

20 May 2016 - 30 October 2016

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Ai Weiwei at Cycladic (20 May – 30 October 2016) was the Chinese artist’s first major exhibition in Greece, and introduced the Greek audience to his practice through some of his most canonical works.

The exhibition opened with a look at his recurring use of particular materials which draw parallels with Greek artistic tradition, such as wood and marble. As his first exhibition in an archeological museum, Ai also made new work in response to the museum’s permanent collection, highlighting the way in which contemporary art can converse with artefacts from the past.

The second part focused on Ai’s recent activities on the Greek island of Lesvos which he first visited during winter 2015 to document the unfolding refugee crisis. A number of works created in response to his time in the camps, as well as a selection of photographs by local Greek photographs, were displayed. 10% of all exhibition proceeds went towards two NGOs providing valuable aid to the refugees; Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Greek NGO METAdrasi.

Within a Realm of Distance: Lawrence Weiner at Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace, Woodstock

10 October - 20 December 2015

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Lawrence Weiner: Within a Realm of Distance (10 October – 20 December 2015) was a solo exhibition at Blenheim Palace by one of the founding figures of American Conceptual Art, Lawrence Weiner.

Since the 1970s, Weiner’s primary medium has been language and typographic texts which appear as interventions in public space – mounted on the side of buildings, busses and bridges to name but a few. Weiner designed exclusively new work in response to the space at Blenheim Palace, affixing his dictums to the outside façade, walls and ceilings of the palace, creating a surprising dialogue between the Minimalist aesthetics of his work and the opulent Baroque setting of Blenheim. The palace being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this innovative exhibition broke boundaries in terms of display, installation, and curation outside the typical white cube space.

Ai Weiwei at Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace, Woodstock

1 October 2014 - 26 April 2015

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Ai Weiwei at Blenheim Palace (1 October 2014 – 26 April 2015) was the inaugural exhibition of contemporary art staged at Blenheim Palace.

The exhibition showcased over fifty works by the celebrated Chinese artist and activist, including several new works made specifically for the palace. The exhibition seamlessly integrated Ai’s practice into the interiors, like a game of hide-and-seek, creating thought-provoking parallels between the contemporary artwork and the Great Masters’ works that inhabit the palace. The exhibition saw contemporary art break out of the white cube space, opening it up to new audiences and meanings. The show was organised whilst the artist was still detained in China, sparking worldwide outrage and protest. Ai organised the exhibition form a distance in Beijing, using a sophisticated full scan of the palace, as well as plans and models.

Ai Weiwei: Not at Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace, Woodstock

1st October - 14th December 2014

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Part one of the portrait of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, estranged from his biggest UK exhibition to date.

Part one of the portrait of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, estranged from his biggest UK exhibition to date.

Yoshitomo Nara: Greetings from a Place in My Heart

Dairy Art Centre, London

3 October - 7 December 2014

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Yoshitomo Nara: Greetings from a Place in My Heart (3 October – 7 December 2014) was the largest exhibition of Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara’s work in the UK to date, featuring seminal and unseen pieces by the artist.

The exhibition included painting, sculpture, and a unique retrospective of Nara’s drawings spanning 30 years. Nara is best known for his paintings of children and animals sporting fiendish expressions and provocative stances, depicted against pastel-coloured backdrops. Exploring the psychological universe of childhood experience, Nara’s world straddles the make-believe of infantile imagination, adult anxiety, and rebellion in a compelling, humorous style which has made him one of the most internationally-renowned Japanese artists of his generation.

Julian Schnabel: Every Angel has a Dark Side

Dairy Art Centre, London

25 April - 27 July 2014

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Julian Schnabel: Every Angel has a Dark Side (25 April – 27 July 2014) was a comprehensive solo exhibition of Julian Schnabel’s paintings, with new and unseen works spanning the last decade.

Large, imposing canvases lined the walls displaying Schnabel’s characteristic expressionist figurative style, all bold strokes, vivid tones and impasto texture. The works included were a fine display of Schnabel’s mastery of material, combining paint, print collage and written word to create the poetic combinations, literal layers of meaning, visual disjuncture and rich compositions which he is celebrated for.

Island

Dairy Art Centre, London

11 October - 8 December 2013

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Island (11 October - 8 December 2013) brought together works by over forty established and emerging international contemporary artists.

The exhibition revolved around the unfolding narrative of Aldous Huxley’s 1962 utopian novel Island, with the viewer progressing through the exhibition as if chapter by chapter. Artists included Ai Weiwei, Jake & Dinos Chapman, George Condo, Urs Fischer, Cyprien Gaillard, Terence Koh, Sergej Jensen, Adriana Lara, Takashi Murakami, Sigmar Polke, Ugo Rondinone, Sterling Ruby, Tomàs Saraceno, Julian Schnabel, Cindy Sherman, Douglas White, Zeng Fanzhi.

This large selection of artists provided a rich, varied take on notions of utopia, of the then and the now.

John Armleder: Quicksand

Dairy Art Centre, London

25 April - 17 August 2013

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John Armleder: Quicksand (25 April - 17 August 2013) was a retrospective of Swiss Conceptual artist John M Armleder.

A joyous celebration of colour, pattern, abstract painting, installation, sound, video, light; Armleder’s show was an immersive, vivid visual feast of pop aesthetics and interior design, all reflected in the shimmering mirrors of hovering disco balls.

Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads

Arken Museum of Modern Art, Ishøj

February 2012

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Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads from the Frahm collection are shown at the Arken Museum of Modern Art in Skovvej, Denmark.

As a single installation taking centre stage at Arken, Zodiac Heads is a captivating series of sculptures that recreates the twelve signs of the traditional Chinese zodiac. The work sees Ai explore modern China’s complicated relationship with its own history and culture over the last two centuries.