Curators:
Constantin Hartenstein & Clemens Wilhelm
Artists:
Nike Arnold (D), Michael Brynntrup (D), Francisco Montoya Cázarez (MEX), Stefan Ewald (D), Constantin Hartenstein (D), Lilli Kuschel (D), Rebecca Loyche (USA), Bjørn Melhus (D/NO), Jonathan Monaghan (USA), Oval Office (D/FI), Amy Reid (USA), Reynold Reynolds (USA),Julia Charlotte Richter (D), Nicolas Rupcich (CL), Lior Shamriz (ISR), Christoph Schlingensief (D), Isabell Spengler (D), Villa Vaudeville (D), Clemens Wilhelm (D), Elizabeth Wurst (PE)
I SEE Info:
"The more that I see the less that I know for sure" - John Lennon
The "I SEE International Video Art Festival" is an initiative of the German artists Constantin Hartenstein and Clemens Wilhelm. After touring with their festivals "Greener on the other side" (Clemens Wilhelm) and "Berliner" (Constantin Hartenstein) in the USA, theUK, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Estonia and Iceland, they team up and present a new and exciting video art program inChina. "I SEE" consists of both an International and a German program, presenting the video works of 20 artists. It will be screened in China's most vibrant art capitals Chongqing, Chengdu, Shanghai, and Beijing.
The word "video" derives from the Latin word "videre" and simply means "I see". We very often use the phrase "I see" in conversations to communicate to our partner that we understand what is being said. We also utter it in moments of sudden recognition: "I see!"
Video is the most prominent medium of our time. Most people under the age of 40 grew up with it and cannot remember a time before video. Nowadays, videos spread around the globe via the internet in split seconds. They influence us immediately, cause diverse reactions, and can even change the course of world politics. Pixelated amateur videos have entered our news programs. Video has revolutionized the way in which we all document our lives. Every aspect of life - important or not - is being captured on video. It comes as no surprise that this powerful medium has interested artists from the moment of its invention.
But what is it that we see? What are we so desperately or enthusiastically trying to capture? What is the medium video telling us about our present, or about us? Could it be true that the more we see the less we know for sure?
- Constantin Hartenstein & Clemens Wilhelm
"I SEE" is funded by the Insitut für Auslandsbeziehungen, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany (Beijing), and the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany (Shanghai & Chengdu). Further financial support comes from the partners AG Kurzfilm and German Films. The Chinese hosting institutions are Organhaus Art Space (Chongqing), A4 Contemporary Arts Center (Chengdu), Rockbund Art Museum (Shanghai), and WhereWhere Art Space (Beijing).
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM INFO:
Is the end of the world near? Who is to blame for the current crisis? Are we addicted to picture taking? Do we live our lives in isolation? Do we still experience the world or only a mediated experience? What happens to our photos after we die? Is advertising the driving force behind overconsumption? Are we obsessed with our bodies? How alienated are we in the age of social media? Are fantasy worlds an alternative to everyday life? Is our love for technology perverted? What would we do if we were old but had a lot of money? What happens if there are no more movies to be made? And what does it mean to have a long life?
The International Program shows a collection of 14 artists' work, who reflect on these and many more questions. The videos share a certain mood of estrangement. In many of the works it seems as if one is looking at something familiar but this something has already changed its meaning. In each video, there seems to be something wrong with the presented image. There is a strange mood of subconscious unease oozing out of the works. But there is also hope, there is humour, there is the absurdity of existence itself.
策划人：
Constantin Hartenstein & Clemens Wilhelm
参展艺术家：
Nike Arnold (D), Michael Brynntrup (D), Francisco Montoya Cázarez (MEX), Stefan Ewald (D), Constantin Hartenstein (D), Lilli Kuschel (D), Rebecca Loyche (USA), Bjørn Melhus (D/NO), Jonathan Monaghan (USA), Oval Office (D/FI), Amy Reid (USA), Reynold Reynolds (USA),Julia Charlotte Richter (D), Nicolas Rupcich (CL), Lior Shamriz (ISR), Christoph Schlingensief (D), Isabell Spengler (D), Villa Vaudeville (D), Clemens Wilhelm (D), Elizabeth Wurst (PE)
I SEE简介：
“越是看得多,我越是看不清”-约翰·列侬
英语中的“影像”(video)是从拉丁语“videre”演变来的,其意义就是“我看”(I see)。我们常常在对话时用这个短语来表示我们已经明白了对方所说的。我们也会在突然明白某事时发出惊叹:“I SEE!(原来如此!)
影像无疑是我们这个时代最突出的媒介。大部分40岁以下的人都是看影像长大的,他们也不记得之前那个没有 影像的时代。如今,影像通过互联网在全球范围飞速传播。他们可以立刻影响我们,引起各种各样的反应,甚至可以改变这个世界的政治进程。分辨率很低的业余影像充斥着我们的新闻节目。影像也改革着我们记录和生活的方式。我们生活中无论重要与否的方面都被影像捕捉到。毋庸置疑,我们的艺术家也会在他们的创作时对 这个强大的媒介产生兴趣。
但是我们到底看到了什么?是什么让我们如此执着或狂热地尝试去拍摄?影像这个媒介又在如何述说我们的现在,或述说我们?对我们来说,是不是真的看得越多,反而越糊涂?
- Constantin Hartenstein & Clemens Wilhelm
“I SEE”项目由德国对外文化关系学院,德国驻北京大使馆,德国驻上海,德国驻成都总领事馆共同赞助。后续资金支持,由“AG短片”及“德国电影”提供。中国主办机构包括重庆器.Haus艺术空间,成都A4当代艺术中心,上海外滩美术馆,以及北京哪里哪里艺术空间。
国际项目简介：
世界末日快到了么?如今的危机应该责备谁?我们是否拍摄成瘾?我们是否生活得孤立?我们是否还在体验这个世界,还是一切都只是媒体经验?等我们死后,我们的照片怎样了?是否广告是我们过渡消费的罪魁祸首? 我们是否对自己的身体着迷?在社会媒介的时代,我们是如何被离间的?幻想的世界是我们平凡生活的替代品 么?我们对技术的偏爱是否被扭曲了?如果我们很⽼老了却还有很多钱怎么办?如果再也没有人生产电影了怎么办?长寿的意义是什么? 国际项目展示了14位艺术家的作品。他们反思了以上的,甚至更多的问题。这些影像都展现出了一种疏远的情绪。大部分的作品都让我们感觉是某人在观察某种熟悉的东西,但其意义却早已被改变了。每一个影像都让我们觉得其呈现出的图像似乎有些异常。有一种奇怪的潜意识的焦虑情绪,从作品中溢出。但其中也有希望,有幽默,有存在本身的荒谬。