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until 30.09. | #2144ARTatBerlin | Esther Schipper presents from 31st August 2018 the Solo Exhibition Empathy I by the artist Simon Fujiwara, the first Exhibition with the Gallery.
Esther Schipper is pleased to announce the first solo exhibition of Simon Fujiwara with the gallery. The artist, who has been a member of the gallery since January 2018, will present a new, large-format installation that provides an immersive simulator experience.
Empathy I was inspired by the artist’s experience in various places of popular leisure, from historic mass attractions such as Neuschwanstein Castle to theme parks such as Disneyland Paris. Working closely with a company that produces adventure park rides, Fujiwara began to develop his own immersive simulator experience, which does not refer to fantastic or historical experiences, but brings the viewer into the “real world” by finding found footage and me Perspective camera work simulates. Fujiwara’s simulator ride physically imitates the gestures of the film’s various experiences, and suggests a physical connection between the images on the canvas and the body through the synchronization of the seating platform seats.
Fujiwara‘s starting point for this work was his interest in the accelerated dynamics of today’s use of images, especially in production and consumption, and the increasing fetishization of individual experience, in the age of mass media. With Empathy I, Fujiwara radically shifts the focus from the image to the body, and sees the work not as a film, but as a “sculptural experience”. In an intimate environment – the work can only be seen by two simultaneous visitors – Empathy I translates and expands the experiences of others – from the tragic, the ecstatic to the banal – into one’s own body experience. Thus, the duration of work is a function of the biological limits of the human body, while its content has been selected according to the ability of the brain to grasp meaning under such intense simulated physical conditions. So not a narrative element in the foreground, but the images generate a primary physical experience of danger, silence and speed, sadness and joy.
In a socio-technological climate in which the individual is increasingly confronted with group or mass identification, Empathy I reflects on an increasingly simulated world that is both excitingly charged and disturbingly efficient.
The exhibition is generously supported by the Lafayette Anticipations – Fondation d ‘entreprise Galeries Lafayette. On October 12, 2018, Fujiwara opens a solo presentation at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris
© Simon Fujiawara, Empathy I, 2018 / Courtesy the artist; Esther Schipper, Berlin;
Lafayette Anticipations – Fondation d’entreprise Galeries Lafayette, Paris
Fujiwara (* 1982 in London, lives and works in Berlin) has become known in the last decade by staging complex exhibitions exploring the deeply rooted mechanisms of identity construction for individuals and societies. Fujiwara addresses the intrinsic contradictions of image and narrative – from social media and self-staging to marketing strategies and the formation of history – and shows the complexity and paradox of our simultaneous search for fantasy and authenticity. Fujiwara’s work, which manifests itself in various media from sculpture to installations to video and painting, is a constant account of the sources of the real world that inspire them. But instead of just presenting comments, the artist creates a unique universe populated by challenging and often absurd new narratives that are as intellectually as emotionally stimulating.
The catalog for Fujiwara’s large solo presentation at the Kunsthaus Bregenz, Hope House, will be released in autumn. The book contains essays by Joshua Simon, Thomas D. Trummer and Norman Rosenthal as well as a complete documentation of the exhibition, which contains a true-to-life replica of the Anne Frank House Museum reconstructed in the Kunsthaus Bregenz, which is based on a “build your own” Model of the Anne Frank House Museum and contains a comprehensive overview of recent works.
Vernissage: Friday 31st August 2018, 2 pm – 9 pm
Ausstellungsdaten: Friday, 31st August – Sunday, 30th September 2018
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Image caption: © Simon Fujiawara, Empathy I, 2018 / Courtesy the artist; Esther Schipper, Berlin; Lafayette Anticipations – Fondation d’entreprise Galeries Lafayette, Paris
Exhibition Simon Fujiwara – Esther Schipper | Zeitgenössische Kunst in Berlin | Contemporary Art | Exhibitions Berlin Galleries | ART at Berlin
