anonymous gallery is honored to present work from the acclaimed artist Vito Acconci.
“Now! No more waiting” Vito Acconci suddenly announces 10 minutes into his 1974 lyrically charged exercise Turn-On. In this activity Acconci repeatedly addresses the viewer with sharp truths that verge on a stream of conscious ramblings. Then as quickly he pronounces these confrontations, he turns his back to the audience. His protest continues as elegantly expressed through the humming of a familiar old classic; reminiscent of good days, finer times. Increasingly agitated, he swiftly returns and jolts us back into ourselves with a loud NOW!
From his beginnings in poetry to one of his most charged and transitional films, the exhibition Here, There . explores the core of Acconci's long and varied practice - a commitment to pushing the boundaries of what language can achieve, both as carriers of meaning and as sonic elements that can evoke emotional response.
Acconci's lesser known work as a poet is characterized by an exploratory nature, often using words as the means for the dissolution of traditional distinctions between author and audience. Through his interactive and participatory use of wordplay, he invites the public to become an active collaborator in the construction of meaning. This engagement transforms the act of reading into a dynamic and interactive experience, blurring the lines between the solitary act of reading and the communal act of performance.
Acconci’s performances, early work in video and technology, and later his public activities and architecture with Acconci Studio, continued to process language as a means to explore the boundaries between themes of intimacy, power dynamics, and the relationship between individuals and their surroundings. Acconci’s exploration of the body, space, and systems of communication, has left a lasting impact on the world of contemporary art and continues to influence artists and thinkers today. Throughout the exhibition, please check http://anonymousgallery.com/exhibition/vito-acconci and instagram @anonymousgallery for updates on related programming associated with the show (readings, screenings, special events). anonymous gallery intends the exhibition as a starting point; a to-be-continued examination of Vito Acconi’s long and spanning career. We ask the audience to re-examine: what is it that we have gained, what has changed, what do we see that is there, here, and now?
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Acconci's interest in the body and its relationship to space, ultimately led to a focus on design. In 1988 he formed the Acconci Studio, a group of architects whose projects incorporate sculpture, furniture, public art and architecture.
Vito Acconci was born in the Bronx, New York in 1940. He received a B.A. from Holy Cross College and an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa. His work has been widely shown internationally, in solo exhibitions at the Sonnabend Gallery, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, Germany; Brooklyn Museum, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and The Museum of Modern Art, New York, among many others. His work has been showcased more recently at Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago; and PACE Gallery, London. In 1987, a major retrospective of his work, entitled Vito Acconci: Domestic Trappings, originated at La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art in California and traveled to sites throughout the United States. In 2016, a major retrospective of Acconci's work was organized by MoMA PS1 in celebration of their 40th anniversary, titled Vito Acconci: Where We Are Now (Who Are We Anyway?), 1976.
His work has also been shown in numerous group exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale; Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels; Documenta 5, 6, and 7, Kassel, Germany; several Whitney Museum of American Art Biennial Exhibitions, New York; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, and the Kunstverein and Kunsthaus, Hamburg, Germany.
In addition to original fiction and poetry, Acconci has written critical pieces for catalogues and publications including New Observations, October, and Artforum. Among his numerous awards are grants from the American Academy in Rome; Berlin Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst; Guggenheim Foundation; New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. He has taught at many institutions, including the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax; California Institute of the Arts, Valencia; Cooper Union; School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Yale University, and Parsons School of Design.
Acconci Studio's architectural projects have included United Bamboo, Tokyo, Japan; the Storefront for Art and Architecture, New York, Courtyard In The Wind, Munich, Germany, and the artificial Mur Island, Graz, Austria, among others.
Acconci lived and worked in Brooklyn, New York, until his death in 2017.
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anonymous would like to acknowledge and thank Maria Acconci, Acconci Studio, and Electronic Arts Intermix, along with others who have thoughtfully consulted and contributed.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PRESS, OR SALES INQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT: hello@anonymousgallery.com
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:
Vito Acconci .