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press release
Jonathan Monk
Small Works
August 31st - October 5th 2002
Opening Friday August 30th 2002 from 17-19
It is a great pleasure to present an exhibition with Jonathan Monk.
Entitled Small Works, the exhibition shows new works that tell nostalgic,
melancholic and often witty stories.
Approaching art history with his tongue in his cheek, Monk refers
to well-known art works by appropriating conceptual elements or
titles. This practice challenges the imperatives of originality
and innovation and can be seen both as a homage to his artist heroes,
as a gentle mockery of art history or even as a degradation of his
own position as an artist. Questioning the authorities of art in
a surprising, non-academic and intelligent way, his works deal with
matters of identity (as an artist), of history, time, and the making
of art.
The 16mm film loop "'Oh, The Grand Old Duke of York. Gilbert & George
1972 front to back & vanishing & reappearing forever" is a film
version of a Gilbert & George flip- book, each page showing them
descending steps. This book was made from a short film by Gilbert
& George, which Monk now has returned to something resembling it's
original form. Each page has become a film frame, showing the artists
descending steps and walking out of the frame only to magically
reappear seconds later to repeat the same journey. The original
piece has been revived and the distinction between fiction and fact,
real and fake, has been blurred. The loop and the title suggest
that they will keep descending the stairs, vanishing and reappearing
forever.
Another work for this show is "Today Is Just a Copy of Yesterday
(Holiday)". Monk has made a slide of a postcard from a holiday location
he recently visited. This slide has been copied, then a copy was
made of the copy - the process continues to allow a new slide to
be shown each day of the exhibition. The motive deteriorates slowly
over time. With each new day the melancholic title of the piece
comes true - although in a very literal and absurd way. The final
slide will be a total abstract version of the original one which
comments on the making of art and on an artist's fear of repeating
himself. But it also shows a sad view on existence itself, a Sisyphosian
repetition of life and time.
These works and several others in this show all show Monk's often
ironic and demystifying approach to art and to the modernist heroes
of art history. The "Small Works" question when and how objects
turn into art pieces. They comment on and strip down the conveyed
art history and our perception of art.
We welcome you in the gallery.
Kind regards
Galleri Nicolai Wallner
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