NEW IN THE BOOKSHOP: KATE COOPER "LOOK BOOK" Edited by Ellen Blumenstein, Heike Catherina Mertens Texts by Hannah Black, Ellen Blumenstein, Christina Weiss, Catherine Wood This publication accompanies the first institutional solo show by Kate Cooper, winner of the 2014 Schering Stiftung Art Award. Exploring the format and presentation inherent to image production, Cooper returns to the CGI female models used in her exhibition at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, to create a new series of works situated within the fictional space of the lookbook. Through her videos, exhibitions, and photographic works, Cooper explores the role of gender and what agency images might possess in and of themselves. Producing images becomes akin to building infrastructure; her computer-generated bodies are imbued with power and put to work. The imagery of advertising is hacked. The female labor inherent in these modes of production becomes refocused in an economy of withdrawal, enacting a refusal of representation. Along with Cooper’s new series of images, LOOK BOOK includes a new short story by Hannah Black titled “Personal Trainer,” appendices by KW curator Ellen Blumenstein, an introduction by Christina Weiss, and subtitles and slogans (“Is seeing everything? Are you all-unseeing?”) by Catherine Wood. Copublished between KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin and Sternberg Press, Berlin Available via our website and in the bookshop. #worldfoodbooks #katecooper #sternbergpress #kwberlin (at WORLD FOOD BOOKS)
NEW IN THE BOOKSHOP: KATE COOPER "LOOK BOOK" Edited by Ellen Blumenstein, Heike Catherina Mertens Texts by Hannah Black, Ellen Blumenstein, Christina Weiss, Catherine Wood This publication accompanies the first institutional solo show by Kate Cooper, winner of the 2014 Schering Stiftung Art Award. Exploring the format and presentation inherent to image production, Cooper returns to the CGI female models used in her exhibition at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, to create a new series of works situated within the fictional space of the lookbook. Through her videos, exhibitions, and photographic works, Cooper explores the role of gender and what agency images might possess in and of themselves. Producing images becomes akin to building infrastructure; her computer-generated bodies are imbued with power and put to work. The imagery of advertising is hacked. The female labor inherent in these modes of production becomes refocused in an economy of withdrawal, enacting a refusal of representation. Along with Cooper’s new series of images, LOOK BOOK includes a new short story by Hannah Black titled “Personal Trainer,” appendices by KW curator Ellen Blumenstein, an introduction by Christina Weiss, and subtitles and slogans (“Is seeing everything? Are you all-unseeing?”) by Catherine Wood. Copublished between KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin and Sternberg Press, Berlin Available via our website and in the bookshop. #worldfoodbooks #katecooper #sternbergpress #kwberlin (at WORLD FOOD BOOKS)
Specific context in which the event’s profile is located divides participating galleries into two categories. Ones just sell or attempt to sell, while the others focus on expressive statement.
art berlin contemporary still cleverly evades strict art fair categorization. But even though the platform does everything not to be labeled as such, the majority calls it an art fair. It seems that abc has not created a stable identity yet. What is more important, however, is the fact that the event remains fresh and evolves year by year. It is not afraid of discarding unnecessary features and experimenting with new ones.
abc has all features of an art fair: eye-catching art stars, famous collectors, celebrities, and curators. Gallerists get press attention and media coverage. An essential range of attractions accompanies the event. Thousands of visitors elbow their way to take part in a guided tours for adults and children alike, film screenings, art talks. Food court, book and clothing stands, and even a ping pong table are just round the corner.
Specific context in which the event’s profile is placed divides participating galleries into two categories. Some just sell or attempt to sell, while the others focus on a clear statement. Many exhibitors refrain themselves from complaining about abc’s unusual character, room for improvement when it comes to the sales figures, or the fact that event’s profile could have been more international to attract wider audience. Fortunately enough, any bitterness caused by low sale results is skillfully hidden behind a cheerful smile.
The galleries that decided to base their strategies on a statement just nailed it. This year abc was one of a kind virtuoso performance of nonchalant balancing on the edge of mockery and impoundment of an art fair’s commercial formula. It was sort of a playground which enabled both conceptual freedom and expositional pranks. The galleries proved that it is possible to joke and look at themselves from a distance, while still being serious players on the market.
Lack of abc’s homogeneous profile influences individual presentations. The booths seem to stage independent and intertwining mini-shows rather than typical art fair stands. At the entrance John Miller greets the visitors with advertising columns entitled Commercial Monuments. People depicted on the posters represent a melting pot of various social groups photographed during Middle of the day project which began in 1994 and still continuous. The passersby presented in a form of huge advertisement work perfectly, especially at the art fair location where on the gradient background they create an illusion of mirrored reflection of incoming visitors and form a part of the monument.
Installation detail, Courtesy of the artists and Société, abc - art berlin contemporary, 2015
A little bit further, just next to the food court, Societé set up their stall. Its design was directly inspired by clothing chain stores’ appearance. After all, it is fashion what has the utmosts influence on a daily life. Societé’s offer consists of publications, watches, perfumes, blouses, jackets and t-shirts made by gallery’s artists. The writing on the merchandise refers to corporate rhetoric (My dream is not your dream, Everything I do is the future, Get a job where you kill people). Judging from how quickly the booth got crowded, it was definitely one of abc’s highlights.
Mocking art fairs’ formula, Société accidentally compliments Kate Cooper’s Experiments in Absorption, which was displayed just a few steps away. The minimalistic installation presented by Neumeister Bar-Am examines reactions to images in the era of its hypercapitalistic production and distribution. Low bass coming from looped video creates a strong gravity field and draws attention to the emotionless, digitally generated images and animations. Did the experiment work out? Check out #katecooper on Instagram.
Screen shoot #katecooper
Posthumanistic threads dominated Sprüth Magers’s stand. The gallery presented stills from Ryan Trecartin’s and Lizzie Fitch’s videos, which were previously displayed at the Venice Biennale (2013) and KW Institute for Contemporary Arts in Berlin (2014/2015). However, the tone of narcotic trip representative of the videos and installations mixing together many different styles, languages and techniques taken from pop culture appears rather flat when reprinted. The accompanying sculpture_ Field Walker_ also combines many different elements. The stand itself seems to create an illusion of fictional character of the entire situation. Unfortunately, there is something missing.
Ryan Trecartin & Lizzie Fitch, installation view,
Sprüth Magers at abc - art berlin contemporary, 2015
Constant Dullart’s Jennifer in Paradise showed by Future Gallery has become ametanarrative over the time. Each presentation of the work (the first one took place in2013) adds new meanings to the photograph. Previously, it told a story about manipulation, hiddenmessages, memory and reproductive function of image in digital reality. Althoughrepeatedly exploited, it still seems to be one of the most famous subjects. It is a pity that Dullart didn’t show his latest project titled DullTech . It would certainly fit better to the formula of the fair.
Constatn Dullaart, Jennifer in Paradise, installation view stolen from Future Gallery’s Facebook Fan Page
Manipulation is one of the major motifs presented by Eigen + Art and Lada Nakonechna. Politically engaged exhibition stands in opposition to uncomplicated character of other booths and is one of abc’s strongest points. Having a large-scale photograph in the background (_Poorly Transferrred to a Diffrent Context, a Manipulated Screen of an Image From the Internet _Dated July 27, 2014 Made in Donegal Area of Ukraine), Lada Nakochelna refers to a relation between contexts, fiction and facts as well as trust in the presented image. The process completes with a series of photographs of bombarded housing estates, in which the areas marked by bombs are covered with pencil drawings depicting shadows of trees.
Lada Nakonechna, Installation view, Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Eigen + Art, Berlin Photo: Otto Felber
Lastly, a pinch of gore and a cup of terror to experience. BQ presented a series of thriller-like, black & white photographs by Carina Brandes. In this project, the artist portrays herself as a lone wanderer, traveling through hectic and abstract sceneries. She goes away, vanishes and comes back physically altered. Amorphous shapes of her body must have quickened pulses of some visitors!
Carina Brandes, Installation view, Photo: Roman Maerz, Berlin, Courtesy of the artist and BQ, Berlin
The list of the highlights can continue. But what is more important than mentioning another participants is noticing that abc’s 8th edition boasts more signs of progress than aging. The formula of the event evolves and in no hurry strengths its character and brand. Keep it up, abc!
Mariusz Urban
main photo: Courtesy Galerie Barbara Weiss and Meyer Riegger
MUSEUM 48: KW Institute for Contemporary Art / Exhibition Kate Cooper
Imagine the day when we will all have our replicas, as real as reality, as independent as we can be, as loving and sexy as we would like to be. This exhibition "Rigged" by Kate Cooper help you facing this future, how replicas be become real, and more real and perfect than we are.
