Christian Jankowski "Strip the Auctioneer"
Petzel Gallery
This event has ended.
The art of the auction is center to Jankowski's installation, "Strip the Auctioneer." The gallery space, set in auction-house colors, contains sculpture, photographs and a video connected to a live auction that was orchestrated by Jankowski in May of 2009. The action takes place at Christie's auction house in Amsterdam and incorporates the auctioneer, Amo Verkade, as the desired possession. Verkade bids his garment piece by piece down to his hammer. He strips himself of his suit, baring and transforming those parcels of clothing into objects of desire. Jankowski's auction-house burlesque seduces the public at first sight with sharp humor while at the same time questions the relationship between the economic and the symbolic value of art. It emphasizes the ambiguity of where exactly meaning and value resides. The distinction between fiction and reality highlights the inherent theatrical mechanics of the sales process, creating a live parody of the auction and its players. "Strip the Auctioneer" was part of "Take the Money and Run," a project that combined an exhibition at de Appel arts centre with an auction at Christie's Amsterdam (May 2009).
[Image: Christian Jankowski "Strip the Auctioneer" (2009) auctioneer's sock, wood pedestal 36 x 22 x 16 in.]
Media
Schedule
from March 04, 2010 to March 27, 2010