Lucas Ajemian
September 3rd - October 22nd 2004
Opening Friday September 3rd from 17-21
Kirkhoff is proud to present the American artist Lucas Ajemian’s
first solo exhibition in the gallery. Ajemian will present two new
video pieces: one composed by a series of new drawings also on show.
”The Haunt, Phase 1” is an videoinstallation. During the past years,
Lucas Ajemian has collected several cut-outs from American newspapers,
refering to comtemporary events in US and in politics. Calling to mind
a space somewhere between censorship and slander in the media
distribution of information, parts of the images are left untouched
while the surrounding context is covered over in black ink. With the assistance of commercial motion graphics designers, The Lifelong Friendship Society and basic 3-D applications, Ajemian has
animated different cut-outs and composed a grotesque picture of a
surreal violent space. Formally, the different events and fragmented
images co-exist in a complex, multilayered and superimposed space. The
3D-design draws out nuances between static and moving forms and
time-based media versus ”media based time”. The practice shows Lucas
Ajemian’s great interest in media overlap where new perceptual forms
occur.
Furthermore, some of the cut-outs are shown as well. These drawings
undermine the events they depict and reflect the void of knowledge the
public may have of them. The drawings refer to the contemporary
selection of photos in the press and to the current political
environment. In connection to the cut-outs a serie of drawings he has
been developing since 2003 called ”Turnstiles & Revolving Doors”
are also shown, which are collected advertisements and images from
commercial magazines. Lucas Ajemian has added signs of containment,
consumerism and tourism on the original photos, which make the viewer
reflect on how subjectivity is formed in constituent society.
The other exhibited video is based on a media footage of car
commercials. A male voice-over comments the images. The work shows
Lucas Ajemian’s interest in subjectivity and which impact consumerism
in contemporary society has on the subject.
Lucas Ajemian (born 1975, based in New York) deals with issues of
subjectivity, anonymity and authority in the urban space. The
works can be seen as a critique of lifestyle consumption, tourism,
politics and the media, and how these discourses influence contemporary
society. He has exhibited in Europe and USA, e.g. at Artist Space (NY),
White Coloumns (NY) and The Prague Biennual. He is represented in
MOMA’s collection.
