Artist Talk: Tuesday, 28 February 2017, at 6pm
Opening: Tuesday, 28 February 2017, at 7pm
28 February – 15 April 2017

“How does one think the history of fine art as an artist? Kariž responds to this question not only with a direct reference to an individual artwork but in particular through the means of using a quote in the work of art – its positioning, the way it is integrated into the work and how in correlation with other material acquires a different meaning, etc. Hence the artwork simultaneously becomes a vision and interpretation of the past, a statement to the challenge posed by art history. In his own original way, Žiga is also an heir of modernism; more precisely, of modernism, anti-modernism and postmodernism at the same time: in his work, all post-1900 art mutually interacts and communicates. He always perceives artwork through its interpretation, through the relation to another fine art to which he further juxtaposes the phenomena of popular culture and socio-political events.ˮ (from the text of Gregor Podlogar)

For art practice of Žiga Kariž photography always played a very important role, so for his upcoming show in Photon Vienna he is preparing new installation, related to the specific role and understanding of photography among other media. Kariž’s series of nudes unashamedly uses pornographic material from the Internet for his cut-outs, assembling the female body on a green-yellow acrylic paint background.

Žiga Kariž (born 1973) is Slovenian visual artist, working in a cross section of conceptual art, new media and traditional visual art practices, mostly painting. His work was exhibited worldwide, recently in Cubus-M Gallery Berlin, Calvert 22 London, Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst, Leipzig and many others. In 2003 he represented Slovenia at 50th Venice Biennial.
Also known for the “renaming” project, in which he – together with other two artists – officially changed its formal identity to Janez Janša (famous Slovenian politician).

 

Photos from the opening