Aram Bartholl

Werke

Obsolete Presence

Odysee, Möhnesee, Kunstverein Arnsberg, 2017 © Aram Bartholl

Festival of Future Nows, Hamburger Bahnhof, 2017 © Aram Bartholl

Seasons of Media Arts, ZKM - Zentrum für Kunst und Medien, Karlsruhe, 2020 © Aram Bartholl

temporary public sculpture 4C print on forex, wood, mirror 200×240 cm Obsolete Presence leaves both exhibition space and dry land behind. A hand reaching up out of the water holds a smart phone in picture-taking position. The ‘screen’ of the two-dimensional print is a mirror that reflects the image of visitors holding their own camera phone. During the 2017 ‚Odyssee‘ exhibition at Möhnesee in North Rhine-Westphalia, the sculpture ultimately disappeared under a gradually-rising water level. The work was premiered at the exhibtion Odyssey, Kunstverein Arnsberg in June 2017. It was shown also during the Festival of Future Nows at Hamburger Bahnhof in September 2017 and at Seasons of Media Arts, ZKM - Zentrum für Kunst und Medien, Karlsruhe, 2020

The Perfect Beach

Phra Nang beach, Krabi, Thailand Biennale 2018 © Aram Bartholl

performance in public performers, aluminum pipes, flag canvas print 4,50 × 3,20 m The performance ‘The Perfect Beach’ refers to the cliché and dream of a perfect tropical beach as the ultimate exotic place, which is also connected to the concept of ‘Paradise’ based in Christian-Western culture. The work is comprised of a set of three large prints displaying different tropical beaches and are carried around by performers along the shore of Krabis’ Phra Nang beach. Very popular as wallpaper backgrounds for computer desktops, the colors of these ultimate beach photographs are often extremely saturated and extra palm trees are added in Photoshop. Visitors of the Biennale and tourists are invited to pose and take pictures in front of these prototypical beach prints while experiencing one of Krabi’s iconic beaches. The self referencing holiday snapshot of a beach displayed on a beach confronts the visitors with the question of reality in times of post social media life. Is this the ultimate beach? Shown at Phra Nang beach, Krabi, Thailand Biennale 2018

Map

Map, SFMOMA, San Francisco, 2019 © Aram Bartholl

A temporary sculpture in different locations since 2006, Since 2019 permanent steel sculpture in Arnsberg. 600 x 450 x 25 cm, steel, powder coated. The project ‘Map’ is a public space installation questioning the red map marker of the location based search engine Google Maps. “Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.” With a small graphic icon Google marks search results in the map interface. The design of the virtual map pin seems to be derived from a physical map needle. On one hand the marker and information speech bubble next to it cast a shadow on the digital map as if they were physical objects. When the map is switched to satellite mode it seems that they become part of the city. On the other hand it is a simple 20 px graphic icon which stays always at the same size on the computer screen. The size of the life size red marker in physical space corresponds to the size of a marker in the web interface in maximal zoom factor of the map. Where is the center of a city? In the city center series ‘Map’ is set up at the exact spot where Google Maps assumes to be the city center of the city. Transferred to physical space the map marker questions the relation of the digital information space to every day life public city space. The perception of the city is increasingly influenced by geolocation services.

Common Ground

Werkleitzfestival, Dessau, 2019 © Aram Bartholl

temporary public sculpture wood construction, carpet, concrete weights 740 × 400 × 650 cm Common Ground is a temporary site specific sculpture commissioned by Werkleitz Festival. The 2019 edition “Model und Ruine” unites 13 public art positions in and around Georgengarten park, Dessau. Typical for the 19th century the park features a series of small buildings, pavilions and build ruins which serve as a ‘fake’ romanticized landscape-scenery. Today the most common backdrop is the greenscreen. It is used in film and other media productions to ‘key in’ any desired digital image as a background. The greenscreen represents all the possibilities of cultural production, a blank space and projection surface disconnected from physical boundaries. But common ground is also a place of consent and social relationship in times where a single tweet of a president makes world markets collapse within seconds. The 6,5 meter tall green surface is a post-digital scenery on top of a much bigger romantic scenery of 19th century feudalistic times. It is also just a new tree in the park. Werkleitz runs in conjunction with the festivities of the anniversary of 100 years of Bauhaus. Thanks to the whole team making this work possible.

3V

Skulptur Projekte Münster 2017 © Aram Bartholl

site specific installation, Münster Aluminium, acrylic glass, thermoelectric generator, electronics, LEDs, tea candles, steel chain Skulptur Projekte Münster 2017 10.6. – 1.10.2017 The otherwise closed pedestrian tunnel which leads to the castle Münster is open during Skulptur Projekte. Five candle powered LED chandeliers light up the dark concrete tunnel. Each chandeliers consists of ten LED tea candle reading lamps mounted on an aluminum ring. With help of the thermoelectric effect the heat of the candles is converted directly into 3V electricity to power the LED lamps. The bright and cold LED light contrasts the warmth flickr of the classic candle. Twice a day (every five hours) the guard is replacing the burned down candles. 3V is one of three works which were commissioned and produced by Skulptur Projekte Münster. Each of these different site specific works incoporate thermo electric technology. Thermo generators convert heat from fire directly into electricity which then is used to power different state of the art electronic devices. Fire, which is in fact the first human technology serves as a power source and as catalyst for human communication.

Keepalive

Landart Kunstverein Springhornhof Neuenkirchen, Germany, 2015 © Aram Bartholl

permanent outdoor sculpture rock, steel, router, usb-key, thermoelectric generator, fire, software, PDF database 100×110×90 cm Landart Kunstverein Springhornhof Neuenkirchen, Niedersachsen, Germany. Commissioned by Center for Digital Cultures, Leuphana University Lüneburg; curated by Andreas Broeckmann, Leuphana Arts Program The boulder from the region Neuenkirchen, Niedersachsen contains a thermoelectric generator which converts heat directly into electricity. Visitors are invited to make a fire next to the boulder to power up the wifi router in the stone which then reveals a large collection of PDF survival guides. The piratebox.cc inspired router which is NOT connected to the Internet offers the users to download the guides and upload any content they like to the stone database. As long as the fire produces enough heat the router will stay switched on. The title Keepalive refers to a technical network condition where two network endpoints send each other ’empty’ keepalive messages to maintain the connection.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keepalive To visit the piece please arrange an appointment with Springhornhof.de. The project ‘Keepalive’ by Aram Bartholl was realised in the context of the research project ‘Art and Civic Media’, as part of the Innovation Incubator Lüneburg, a large EU project funded by the European Fund for Regional Development and the Germna State of Lower Saxony.

Eckdaten

arambartholl.com

Installation, Konzeptkunst, Medienkunst, Partizipation, Skulptur

* 27.12.1972

Aram Bartholl uses sculptural interventions, installations, and performative workshops to question our engagement with media and with public economies linked to social networks, online platforms, and digital dissemination strategies. He addresses socially relevant topics, including surveillance, data privacy and technology dependence, through his work by transferring the gaps, contradictions, and absurdities of our everyday digital lives to physical settings. The effect is twofold. The works create an at-times bizarre confrontation with our own ignorance of globally active platform capitalism, and they renegotiate network activities as political forms of participation on an analog level using the potential of public space. Bartholl thus initiates a performative process to catalyze a renewed understanding of individual action within a collective and self-determined network discourse. Conceptually and technically, he uses the same aesthetics, codes, and communication patterns that users are familiar with from YouTube, Instagram, and video games. A purposeful contextualization employs the logic of the Internet while at the same time undermining it with individual strategies.

Bartholl has exhibited at MoMA Museum of Modern Art NY, Skulptur Projekte Münster, Palais de Tokyo, Hamburger Bahnhof, Seoul Museum of Art and the Thailand Biennale among other as well as conducting countless workshops, talks and performances internationally. Aram Bartholl is a professor for art with digital media at HAW Hamburg, he lives and works in Berlin.

Vita

CV - Aram Bartholl

*1972 in Bremen, Deutschland

Ausbildung: 2002 Dipl.-Ing. für Architektur der Universität der Künste (UdK)
Seit 2005 Selbständiger bildender Künstler
Seit 2019 Professor für Kunst, Schwerpunkt digitale Medien an der HAW Hamburg

Einzelausstellungen

2019 Roehrs & Boetsch, Zurich, Open
panke.gallery, Berlin, Strike Now!!
SMAC, Berlin, True Depth
2018 Emmanuel gallery, Denver, Your shopping cart is empty
La Chaufferie, H.E.A.R., Strasbourg, France, Is this you in the video?
Import Projects, Berlin, Your parcel has been delivered (to your neighbour)
2017 Fotomuseum, Winterthur, Switzerland, SITUATIONS #91
2016 Kunstverein Arnsberg, Arnsberg, Germany, Remind Me Later
2015 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, Dead Drops at Palais de Tokyo
Babycastles, New York, Point Of View
2014 DAM Gallery, Berlin, Hurt me plenty
2013 Kasseler Kunstverein, Kassel, Hello World
xpo gallery, Paris, Retweet if you want more followers
Aksioma, Ljubljana, Go!Go!Go!
xpo gallery, Paris, OFFLINE ART: new2
2012 DAM Gallery, Berlin, Germany, Reply All

Gruppenausstellungen (Auswahl)

2020
The Sea Is Glowing, Exportdrvo, Rijeka
The Supermarket Of Images, Jeu de Paume, Paris

2019
Link in bio, MdbK, Leipzig
Immortality – The Ural Bienniale, uralbiennale.ru, Ekaterinburg
Playmode, Maat, Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, Lisbon
Metanatural Landscapes, panke.gallery, Berlin
Vienna Biennale 2019, MAK Design Labors, Vienna
Modell und Ruine, Werkleitz Festival, Dessau
Kunst und Kapital, Kunstraum Bogenhausen, München
SF MOMA: Snap + Share, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco

2018
Biennale d’art contemporain de Strasbourg, Hotel des Postes, Strasbourg, France
Monitoring, Kasseler Dokfest, Kassel, Germany
Thailand Biennale, OCAC, Krabi, Thailand
The Seoul Mediacity Biennale, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul
Le Grand Monnayage, 8e biennale internationale d'art contemporain de Melle, Melle, France
Otra Visita A La Escultura, Laboratorio Arte Alameda, Mexico

DATAMAZE, DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Prague

Ein gemachter Mensch , Kallmann Museum, Ismaning, Germany

2017
Festival of Futurenows, Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin
Escaping the Digital Unease!, Kunsthaus Langenthal, Langenthal, Switzerland
Odysey, Kunstverein Arnsberg, Möhnesee, Germany
immaterial, Kunstverein Bochum, Bochum, Germany
Skulptur Projekte Münster 2017, LWL, Münster, Germany
Hyperpavilion, Venice Biennale, official extended program, Venice, Italy
BoCA, Biennial of Contemporary Arts, Lisboa & Porto, Portugal

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