Joan Jonas

“I think it’s necessary to be on the edge. What scares me, draws me.” —Joan Jonas

Haus der Kunst in Munich presents the most comprehensive solo exhibition of the internationally renowned artist Joan Jonas (b. 1936, New York) in Germany to date. Following her studies in sculpture and art history, Jonas was among the founders of performance when it emerged in New York City in the 1960s and 1970s. Her work is informed by a fundamental interest in the social function of narration and ritual for societies. Since the early 2000s, the artist has been increasingly concerned with current ecological issues in the wake of climate change, placing non-human life forms and eco-systems at the centre of her artistic consideration.

Through her constant experimentation with performance, video, and installation, Jonas has repeatedly pushed the boundaries of art and influenced numerous generations of artists, establishing enduring relationships of exchange. In accordance with Jonas’ methodology, in which she updates and medially shifts existing performances or installations, the exhibition at Haus der Kunst does not follow a chronological-linear structure. Rather, it fans out to sketch the thematic and formal interconnections between the works of different periods.

The exhibition brings together key works that mark turning points in Jonas’ œuvre. The installation Stage Sets (1976) formulates an expanded, dynamic understanding of sculpture and establishes Jonas’ practice of translating performative practices into manifest exhibition formats. Juniper Tree (1976/1994) constitutes the first work by Jonas to be derived entirely from a long-established collective narrative. Lines in the Sand (2002/2005) testifies to her continued interest in updating and rewriting mythological narratives against the backdrop of current social developments. Five works from the series My New Theater (1997–2006) are reminiscent of a minimalist object, a proscenium stage, and a camera obscura, uniting Jonas’ negotiation of space, illusion, and framing within image production.

The single channel video Wolf Lights (2004/05) is installed under the columns outside the building, illuminating the audiences’ way to the entrance of Haus der Kunst. In the middle hall, the public space at the centre of the house, visitors encounter Jonas’ most recent work, Rivers to the Abyssal Plain (2021). Presented for the first time in Europe, the installation introduces the artist´s preoccupation with water as a manifold eco-system as well as her artistic approach to research. The relationship between nature and artistic creation also characterises the multi­media installation at the centre of the exhibition, Reanimation (2010/2012/2013).

The exhibition is accompanied by two performances by Joan Jonas: Mirror Piece I & II (1969/2018), in which Jonas introduced the motive of the mirror to reveal power structures of the gaze and gender roles. In her most recent performance Out Takes: What the Storm Washed In (2022), which will have its European premiere at Haus der Kunst, Jonas combines video footage with live music, text and performance. The musical composition is by Ikue Mori.

The exhibition has been conceived by the artist and Haus der Kunst in collaboration with Tate Modern, London, and is curated by Julienne Lorz and Andrea Lissoni with Elena Setzer.

Programme

Performance
Joan Jonas, Mirror Piece I & II (1969/2018)
September 9, 2022, 6pm
September 10, 2022, 5 and 6pm

Performance
Joan Jonas, Out Takes: What the Storm Washed In (2022)
November 13, 2022, 6pm

Artist talk
Joan Jonas with Andrea Lissoni
November 14, 2022, 7pm

Film screening
Joan Jonas, Selected works
As part of the programme “Open Scene” at Filmmuseum München
November 17, 2022, 7pm

Film screening and artist talk
Martine Syms, The African Desperate (2022)
Film screening followed by an artist talk with Martine Syms, Andrea Lissoni and Elena Setzer
A cooperation with MUBI
October 10, 2022, 7pm