Berlin-based conceptual artist Florian Slotawa at P.S.1, New York, until 14 Sep

Exhibition Description:

P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center will be presenting the first solo New York exhibition of work by Berlin-based conceptual artist Florian Slotawa. Slotawa rearranges and recontextualizes what already exists, rather than creating new objects from scratch. He assembles and arranges furniture and everyday objects in elaborate compositions that respond to the rooms and spaces in which they are presented.

For this exhibition, Slotawa creates the twelfth in a series of works he began in 1996, called Besitzarbeiten, or "property works." Most of the contents come from his Berlin apartment, including his washing machine, dining table, wardrobe and kitchen sink, have been transported into the gallery, leaving the apartment absent of key appliances and furniture. Within the exhibition these personal objects are recast within the public realm, as they provide the material for a work of art. Slotawa recasts his personal objects within the public realm and adds new dimensions to familiar objects, creating a relationship between the artist and the institution of the museum. He uses possessions that are neither altered or damaged, and will return them to their original location for everyday use after the exhibition.

Florian Slotawa was born in Rosenheim, Germany in 1972. He lives and works in Berlin.

Description:

Image: Florian Slotawa.
Besitzarbeit XII: Pier and Water (2008).
Mixed media. Dimensions variable.
Photo: Matthew Septimus. Courtesy P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center.

Full Contact Details:

P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center is located at 22-25 Jackson Avenue at 46th Avenue in Long Island City, Queens, across the Queensboro Bridge from midtown Manhattan.