Stephan Doitschinoff “Three-Planet Lifestyle”
Jonathan Levine Gallery (557C W 23rd St.)
This event has ended.
Jonathan LeVine Gallery presents Three-Planet Lifestyle, a solo exhibition of new works by Sao Paulo-based Brazilian artist Stephan Doitschinoff (Calma), in what will be his third solo exhibition at the gallery.
At first glance, Doitschinoff’s work appears to be a visual narrative infused with religious and esoteric references but closer examination reveals a process of appropriation and re-signification. He uses recognizable religious icons such as the altar, the procession and anthropomorphic characters but removes all mystic and ideological content, appropriating the imagery and adding contemporary symbols created from personal reflection and observation. In Three-Planet Lifestyle, sinking boats full of books, moons studded with flags and collapsing skyscrapers allude to the rupture of a strict system and the consequences of unintentional actions.
For this series of paintings, drawings and sculptures, Doitschinoff was inspired by the teachings of Estonian writer and activist Kalle Lasn. As the founder and editor of Ad Busters, a publication dedicated to advance a new social activist movement for the information age, Lasn blames consumer culture for transforming humanity into a selfish species on the verge of ecological crisis. In 2006, the World Wildlife Fund confirmed his concerns in the Living Planet Report, outlining how mankind will need at least two planets’ worth of resources by 2050.
Multiple pieces carry the artists signature inscription, ‘CRAS’, referring to the human habit of procrastination. Doitschinoff states, “The clearest symptom of our time is procrastination and the strange idea that the future will fix itself. Since the complexity of environmental issues is so massive, society would rather deal with everyday tasks. Recycling, pedaling bikes and buying fair trade is only creating a falsely optimistic future and being used as a balm to alleviate individual guilt. While we tidy up our drawers and do the dishes – inside the house is on fire”
Stephan Doitschinoff was named Most Promising Artist by the Sao Paulo Art Critics Association and has exhibited at institutions worldwide, such as the San Diego Contemporary Art Museum, Foundation Cartier, the Museum of Sao Paulo, Museum of Modern Art Sao Paulo, the Afro Museum and the Vergueiro Cultural Center. The documentary film TEMPORAL (2008) documents the research Doitschinoff conducted in Bahia, Brazil, regarding religion syncretism, African animism and Brazilian folklore, as well as the site-specific work he created throughout the village over the course of three years. In 2008, Gestalten published CALMA: The Art of Stephan Doitschinoff, followed by CRAS in 2012.
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Schedule
from September 10, 2015 to October 10, 2015
Opening Reception on 2015-09-10 from 18:00 to 20:00