Treats - Open your eyes and get to it!
Hongjung Park, New York
Elke Werneburg, Bielefeld
10.2.2015 7 PM
In the world of art, suffering, disease and death as well as existential issues and problems inflicted by these aggravating circumstances have always played an important role and continue to be the object or art — however, particularly in recent times people take a great interest in these topics, for instance in the works and the suicide of the author and painter Wolfgang Herrndorf († 2013) as well as in the movies, texts and installations of Christoph Schlingensief († 2010). In 2011, the posthumously arranged pavilion, in which the works of Schlingensief were presented, was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale. In his most rewarding book „So schön wie hier kann‘s im Himmel gar nicht sein!" (loosely translated: „Heaven can’t be a nicer place“), Schlingensief describes the sensations and perceptions during his cancer disease. He is trying to get clear about the way how to handle his disease. However, he knows one thing for sure: he is not willing to join the club of those saying „we have been through all of it".
„No, the most important thing to me is: things are to be learnt by me and I also can get insights and draw conclusions from the circumstances. I find it essential to live and realize freedom and to redefine freedom, and it also seems to be important to learn to be more generous... Should I ever get well again, I do not want to just forget about it and run off scared... I would consider this a self-delusion and a complete lie. Just as deceiving as to pose in front of a camera afterwards with a glass of champagne and play VIP to collect money for some cancer foundation." He is not rejecting this altogether as being wrong: „But I think, that you can do more than that. You can try to at least reduce the stupidity of the discussion about diseases, suffering and death in society, at least a little bit." (page 180).
At the exhibition taking place today here in the akw, the artists try to do just that. Both artists - Elke Werneburg, German artist and for more than 10 years initiator and instigator of the auto-kultur-werkstatt (akw) and the Korean artist Hong Jung Park, who is living in New York — try to oppose this stupidity between nightmare scenario’s and fleeing. Instead of the widely spread attitude to obediently follow the medical regulations and instructions and to submit oneself to the treatments and therapies according to the motto „Take a deep breath and get to it" and to continue to live on as if nothing ever happened after the disease, these two artists have arranged an experimental set-up here at the akw in order to relocate the usual perspectives and to present new and different approaches and perceptions.
On the one hand each of the artists has realized this project for their own sake, but at the same time these works enter into a dialog with each other. By the way, it all began with a dialog: in May 2015 Elke Werneburg encountered Hong Jung Park at her exhibition in Venice, which took place at the same time as the artist’s biennial. The two artists got into conversation and found, that personal experiences were the main reason for each of them to create their latest works — with her installations Hong Jung addresses particular experiences in her childhood when she frequently stayed in hospital. Furthermore, she underlines the mental and physical healing with the help of particular remedies and healers, but primarily the healing by devotion. Elke Werneburg documents her investigation of her consumption of medicines during one year after she had contracted a life-threatening disease. She takes up an issue that already had kept her busy since the presentation of her installation and performance Liebesnester 2007 at the Salon of Louise Bourgeois in New York.
When encountering Hong Jung for the first time in Venice, Elke almost immediately felt the desire to exhibit Hong Jung’s fascinating and colorful installations along with her own works at the Treppenhausgalerie in Bielefeld. It‘s almost a minor miracle that this worked out successfully and it never would have been possible without the commitment and dedication of the two artists and the efforts of all the other supporters. For instance it was a big challenge to transport and hang up the Italian infusion bottles of glass. Many thanks to all that have rendered possible this exhibition in the way it can be seen today.
Despite all differences in their works the two artists have similar artistic strategies and methods. Both artists mainly use "real" materials: Hong Jung uses infusion bottles of glass, ampullas for syringes and IV lines, filled by her with natural-colored water. Furthermore, she shows embroidered drawings on hand-made paper (Please) and on tulle (Love). Elke has compiled all the packaging materials of the medicines she took during one year of her disease and built the „Werneburg” from the packets. From the blister packs she crafted a curtain (Blistergeflüster) and the package leaflets served her for the manufacturing of a second curtain (Effekte in Kopf und Körper). Additionally, she presents an experimental set-up with regard to the pills (Pillenexperimente: Pillen sind keine Lutschbonbons) — a table full of glass tubes, filled with various liquids (saliva, coffee, red wine, tea, ouzo) planted side by side. This setup has been designed by Elke to demonstrate the possible processes in the human body — which is becoming an experimental area.
Although the two artists are dealing with the same topics — disease and healing — and although they realize a similar artistic strategy by using „real“ materials, they have different approaches and perspectives, different ways of looking at things. The viewers of the works have to find access to the different artistic approaches and perceptions with regard to diseases, which are being expressed visually by the materials used, on the one hand by the colorfulness of the installations of Hong Jung and, on the other hand, by the packaging materials, predominantly in black, white and silvery, in the works of Elke. On the one hand Elke Werneburg shows great courage in having a close look at her consumption of medicines in relation to her steadily improving health and healing, but in doing so she, as well as the viewer of her work, becomes frightened by the sheer quantity of pills and their possible side-effects and implications. On the other hand Hong Jung wants to emphasize and visualize the interpersonal connections, the love and devotion that can emerge from diseases, which can lead to the start of a new life, again and again. In her view „treats" become the symbol for humanity. I think that in her works a different way of understanding of disease is being expressed, which is strongly influenced by Hong Jung‘s Buddhist orientation — which means a change of perspectives, leaving the area of individual experiences of suffering, leading to a supraindividual view and understanding, which can overcome the suffering and replace it by a colorful and creative game, an area, where all individuals are connected with one another.
This exhibition is a continuation of the dialog that began in Venice, a passage. In the title „Treats — Augen auf und durch" the different points of origin are being characterized, nonetheless they are connected with each other. According to Hong Jung Park, „Treats“ comprises her complete project and most of her works are named „Treats“. She outlines the meaning of this expression: “The definition of the word "treat" in English language, is to try to heal, cure, or a sweet food. lt is a perfect word to describe humanity." The works of Elke Werneburg are headlined "Augen auf und durch ("Open your eyes and get to it”). According to her, this expression implies the decision of each individual person to apperceive and to realize things, in her case to comprehend which medicines she took, in what way they act and to take the courage to commit oneself to this predefined course, with all the possible consequences.
The entanglements you can see here, in brief outline:
In the main exhibition room on the one hand the „Die Werneburg“, a construction not yet finished, with tower and portal, at the same time with obsolete, decrepit components, parts, which have collapsed again or still have to be built. Next to Elke‘s construction you can see Hong Jung’s large-scale work Treats, consisting of infusion bottles of glass, filled with liquids of all colors, clear colors in any shade, expressing the beauty, transparence, clarity and serenity in all variations of the objects, in each moment of time. The dripping from the bottles and the subtle, colorful pictures that emerge on the cloth, appear as allegories for the abundance and plentifulness, which is arising through humanity.
Contrasting with this work you will find the arrangement Samsara: 300 meters of IV lines, joint to petals or a nest, with clear, red and blue water flowing through, endlessly, again and again, driven by a motor — getting mixed with a darker violet, possibly a token indicating that all of us seem to move in the same hamster wheel again and again, whilst the differences between people and their gender are vanishing more and more.
Finally, on the stairs Elke‘s silvery curtain of blisters appears, showing in a frightening way the enormous quantity of pills consumed. Just like a portal blazoned with ornaments, the curtain opens its door, giving access to another world and to — nine red embroidered drawings: Please by Hong Jung — several hands, completely different from one another, always holding a cigarette, indicating the many intoxicants and drugs we use in order to deafen and distract ourselves and to blur our vision of reality.
Eventually, in front of the window, the large and tender embroidery with black and white filaments on black tulle follows in Hong Jung’s work Love — a female person, the mother, dearly embracing her tiny, weak child, so that it is well protected and save. Next to it Elke‘s Experimentierstation is located: in this work many different colors, liquids etc can be discovered, even little plants here and there.
When striding through the curtain of package leaflets, one can imagine the courage that it takes to really read the complete contents of the leaflets and to really understand it — to take into account the help and healing as much as the danger and risks. Along with this work an audiotape has been produced, comprising the negative side effects — all of it being a loop, a cycle.
And finally two large frames (Treats 1, Treats 2) are presented, containing different medicinal ampullas, the one to the left filled with bright colored liquids in smaller bottles, the one to the right showing rather soft, subdued colors in larger bottles — an installation instead of painted portraits, created by the artist to visualize „female and male", showing the differences and similarities of the two genders as well as their diversity.
In the cabinet in the entrance area you can find more information regarding the life and work of the two artists. As yet, I had no opportunity to delve into these materials. However, the huge number of exhibitions by Hong Jung Park, who was educated at one of Korea’s most distinguished art colleges, is remarkable. She has been exhibiting and working as an „artist in residence“ in Europe, Africa and Asia for many years.
Dr. Irene Below, Art historian, Werther
Hongjung Park, New York
Elke Werneburg, Bielefeld
10.2.2015 7 PM
In the world of art, suffering, disease and death as well as existential issues and problems inflicted by these aggravating circumstances have always played an important role and continue to be the object or art — however, particularly in recent times people take a great interest in these topics, for instance in the works and the suicide of the author and painter Wolfgang Herrndorf († 2013) as well as in the movies, texts and installations of Christoph Schlingensief († 2010). In 2011, the posthumously arranged pavilion, in which the works of Schlingensief were presented, was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale. In his most rewarding book „So schön wie hier kann‘s im Himmel gar nicht sein!" (loosely translated: „Heaven can’t be a nicer place“), Schlingensief describes the sensations and perceptions during his cancer disease. He is trying to get clear about the way how to handle his disease. However, he knows one thing for sure: he is not willing to join the club of those saying „we have been through all of it".
„No, the most important thing to me is: things are to be learnt by me and I also can get insights and draw conclusions from the circumstances. I find it essential to live and realize freedom and to redefine freedom, and it also seems to be important to learn to be more generous... Should I ever get well again, I do not want to just forget about it and run off scared... I would consider this a self-delusion and a complete lie. Just as deceiving as to pose in front of a camera afterwards with a glass of champagne and play VIP to collect money for some cancer foundation." He is not rejecting this altogether as being wrong: „But I think, that you can do more than that. You can try to at least reduce the stupidity of the discussion about diseases, suffering and death in society, at least a little bit." (page 180).
At the exhibition taking place today here in the akw, the artists try to do just that. Both artists - Elke Werneburg, German artist and for more than 10 years initiator and instigator of the auto-kultur-werkstatt (akw) and the Korean artist Hong Jung Park, who is living in New York — try to oppose this stupidity between nightmare scenario’s and fleeing. Instead of the widely spread attitude to obediently follow the medical regulations and instructions and to submit oneself to the treatments and therapies according to the motto „Take a deep breath and get to it" and to continue to live on as if nothing ever happened after the disease, these two artists have arranged an experimental set-up here at the akw in order to relocate the usual perspectives and to present new and different approaches and perceptions.
On the one hand each of the artists has realized this project for their own sake, but at the same time these works enter into a dialog with each other. By the way, it all began with a dialog: in May 2015 Elke Werneburg encountered Hong Jung Park at her exhibition in Venice, which took place at the same time as the artist’s biennial. The two artists got into conversation and found, that personal experiences were the main reason for each of them to create their latest works — with her installations Hong Jung addresses particular experiences in her childhood when she frequently stayed in hospital. Furthermore, she underlines the mental and physical healing with the help of particular remedies and healers, but primarily the healing by devotion. Elke Werneburg documents her investigation of her consumption of medicines during one year after she had contracted a life-threatening disease. She takes up an issue that already had kept her busy since the presentation of her installation and performance Liebesnester 2007 at the Salon of Louise Bourgeois in New York.
When encountering Hong Jung for the first time in Venice, Elke almost immediately felt the desire to exhibit Hong Jung’s fascinating and colorful installations along with her own works at the Treppenhausgalerie in Bielefeld. It‘s almost a minor miracle that this worked out successfully and it never would have been possible without the commitment and dedication of the two artists and the efforts of all the other supporters. For instance it was a big challenge to transport and hang up the Italian infusion bottles of glass. Many thanks to all that have rendered possible this exhibition in the way it can be seen today.
Despite all differences in their works the two artists have similar artistic strategies and methods. Both artists mainly use "real" materials: Hong Jung uses infusion bottles of glass, ampullas for syringes and IV lines, filled by her with natural-colored water. Furthermore, she shows embroidered drawings on hand-made paper (Please) and on tulle (Love). Elke has compiled all the packaging materials of the medicines she took during one year of her disease and built the „Werneburg” from the packets. From the blister packs she crafted a curtain (Blistergeflüster) and the package leaflets served her for the manufacturing of a second curtain (Effekte in Kopf und Körper). Additionally, she presents an experimental set-up with regard to the pills (Pillenexperimente: Pillen sind keine Lutschbonbons) — a table full of glass tubes, filled with various liquids (saliva, coffee, red wine, tea, ouzo) planted side by side. This setup has been designed by Elke to demonstrate the possible processes in the human body — which is becoming an experimental area.
Although the two artists are dealing with the same topics — disease and healing — and although they realize a similar artistic strategy by using „real“ materials, they have different approaches and perspectives, different ways of looking at things. The viewers of the works have to find access to the different artistic approaches and perceptions with regard to diseases, which are being expressed visually by the materials used, on the one hand by the colorfulness of the installations of Hong Jung and, on the other hand, by the packaging materials, predominantly in black, white and silvery, in the works of Elke. On the one hand Elke Werneburg shows great courage in having a close look at her consumption of medicines in relation to her steadily improving health and healing, but in doing so she, as well as the viewer of her work, becomes frightened by the sheer quantity of pills and their possible side-effects and implications. On the other hand Hong Jung wants to emphasize and visualize the interpersonal connections, the love and devotion that can emerge from diseases, which can lead to the start of a new life, again and again. In her view „treats" become the symbol for humanity. I think that in her works a different way of understanding of disease is being expressed, which is strongly influenced by Hong Jung‘s Buddhist orientation — which means a change of perspectives, leaving the area of individual experiences of suffering, leading to a supraindividual view and understanding, which can overcome the suffering and replace it by a colorful and creative game, an area, where all individuals are connected with one another.
This exhibition is a continuation of the dialog that began in Venice, a passage. In the title „Treats — Augen auf und durch" the different points of origin are being characterized, nonetheless they are connected with each other. According to Hong Jung Park, „Treats“ comprises her complete project and most of her works are named „Treats“. She outlines the meaning of this expression: “The definition of the word "treat" in English language, is to try to heal, cure, or a sweet food. lt is a perfect word to describe humanity." The works of Elke Werneburg are headlined "Augen auf und durch ("Open your eyes and get to it”). According to her, this expression implies the decision of each individual person to apperceive and to realize things, in her case to comprehend which medicines she took, in what way they act and to take the courage to commit oneself to this predefined course, with all the possible consequences.
The entanglements you can see here, in brief outline:
In the main exhibition room on the one hand the „Die Werneburg“, a construction not yet finished, with tower and portal, at the same time with obsolete, decrepit components, parts, which have collapsed again or still have to be built. Next to Elke‘s construction you can see Hong Jung’s large-scale work Treats, consisting of infusion bottles of glass, filled with liquids of all colors, clear colors in any shade, expressing the beauty, transparence, clarity and serenity in all variations of the objects, in each moment of time. The dripping from the bottles and the subtle, colorful pictures that emerge on the cloth, appear as allegories for the abundance and plentifulness, which is arising through humanity.
Contrasting with this work you will find the arrangement Samsara: 300 meters of IV lines, joint to petals or a nest, with clear, red and blue water flowing through, endlessly, again and again, driven by a motor — getting mixed with a darker violet, possibly a token indicating that all of us seem to move in the same hamster wheel again and again, whilst the differences between people and their gender are vanishing more and more.
Finally, on the stairs Elke‘s silvery curtain of blisters appears, showing in a frightening way the enormous quantity of pills consumed. Just like a portal blazoned with ornaments, the curtain opens its door, giving access to another world and to — nine red embroidered drawings: Please by Hong Jung — several hands, completely different from one another, always holding a cigarette, indicating the many intoxicants and drugs we use in order to deafen and distract ourselves and to blur our vision of reality.
Eventually, in front of the window, the large and tender embroidery with black and white filaments on black tulle follows in Hong Jung’s work Love — a female person, the mother, dearly embracing her tiny, weak child, so that it is well protected and save. Next to it Elke‘s Experimentierstation is located: in this work many different colors, liquids etc can be discovered, even little plants here and there.
When striding through the curtain of package leaflets, one can imagine the courage that it takes to really read the complete contents of the leaflets and to really understand it — to take into account the help and healing as much as the danger and risks. Along with this work an audiotape has been produced, comprising the negative side effects — all of it being a loop, a cycle.
And finally two large frames (Treats 1, Treats 2) are presented, containing different medicinal ampullas, the one to the left filled with bright colored liquids in smaller bottles, the one to the right showing rather soft, subdued colors in larger bottles — an installation instead of painted portraits, created by the artist to visualize „female and male", showing the differences and similarities of the two genders as well as their diversity.
In the cabinet in the entrance area you can find more information regarding the life and work of the two artists. As yet, I had no opportunity to delve into these materials. However, the huge number of exhibitions by Hong Jung Park, who was educated at one of Korea’s most distinguished art colleges, is remarkable. She has been exhibiting and working as an „artist in residence“ in Europe, Africa and Asia for many years.
Dr. Irene Below, Art historian, Werther