Candice Breitz
14 Dec 2006 - 27 Feb 2007
Candice Breitz
Working Class Hero
(A Portrait of John Lennon)
Candice Breitz explores the workings of commercial pop culture within the global context. Working Class Hero (A Portrait of John Lennon) was produced by White Cube, London, and realized in the context of a residency at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead (England) during 2006. The installation brings together twenty-five ardent John Lennon fans to re-perform his first solo album John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band (1970). The work – recorded parallel to the artist undergoing Primal Therapy with Dr. Arthur Janov – probes the trauma of Lennon’s childhood and is one of the most moving albums of the 20th century. Following Lennon’s cue, twenty-five hardcore fans use their re-performance of it to vent their own pain, anger, and despair. In addition to eight fans from the Newcastle area and five fans from Liverpool, the performers include participants from Wales, Scotland, Japan, Italy, and the USA. The installation has a looping duration of 39 minutes and 55 seconds. Breitz is obsessed with the repetition that characterizes the loop, the use of which enables her to evoke the endless anxiety and constant churning of the psyche that is inherent to Working Class Hero. As in her previous portraits of Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, and Madonna, Breitz explores the tension between global culture and its local manifestations. As the singing fans interpret the album and weave it into their personal biographies, Working Class Hero also starts to sketch a striking image of contemporary Great Britain.
Candice Breitz was born in Johannesburg (South Africa) in 1972, holds degrees from the University of Witwatersrand (Johannesburg), the University of Chicago, and Columbia University, and has participated in the Whitney Independent Studio Program run by the Whitney Museum in New York. Her recent solo shows include presentations at the following venues: Castello di Rivoli, Turin; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Modern Art Oxford, Oxford; De Appel, Amsterdam; White Cube, London; Baltic Art Center, Gateshead. She also participated in the Biennials of Johannesburg (1995), Venice (2005), São Paulo (1998), Kwangju (2000), Taipei (2000), and Istanbul (1999). The artist lives in Berlin.
Candice Breitz
The Making of Working Class Hero (A Portrait of John Lennon), 2006
Shot at the Culture Lab, Newcastle University, United Kingdom, August 2006
25-Channel Installation: 25 Hard Drives
Duration: 40 minutes
Courtesy: Jay Jopling / White Cube
Photograph: Pierfrancesco Celada
Working Class Hero
(A Portrait of John Lennon)
Candice Breitz explores the workings of commercial pop culture within the global context. Working Class Hero (A Portrait of John Lennon) was produced by White Cube, London, and realized in the context of a residency at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead (England) during 2006. The installation brings together twenty-five ardent John Lennon fans to re-perform his first solo album John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band (1970). The work – recorded parallel to the artist undergoing Primal Therapy with Dr. Arthur Janov – probes the trauma of Lennon’s childhood and is one of the most moving albums of the 20th century. Following Lennon’s cue, twenty-five hardcore fans use their re-performance of it to vent their own pain, anger, and despair. In addition to eight fans from the Newcastle area and five fans from Liverpool, the performers include participants from Wales, Scotland, Japan, Italy, and the USA. The installation has a looping duration of 39 minutes and 55 seconds. Breitz is obsessed with the repetition that characterizes the loop, the use of which enables her to evoke the endless anxiety and constant churning of the psyche that is inherent to Working Class Hero. As in her previous portraits of Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, and Madonna, Breitz explores the tension between global culture and its local manifestations. As the singing fans interpret the album and weave it into their personal biographies, Working Class Hero also starts to sketch a striking image of contemporary Great Britain.
Candice Breitz was born in Johannesburg (South Africa) in 1972, holds degrees from the University of Witwatersrand (Johannesburg), the University of Chicago, and Columbia University, and has participated in the Whitney Independent Studio Program run by the Whitney Museum in New York. Her recent solo shows include presentations at the following venues: Castello di Rivoli, Turin; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Modern Art Oxford, Oxford; De Appel, Amsterdam; White Cube, London; Baltic Art Center, Gateshead. She also participated in the Biennials of Johannesburg (1995), Venice (2005), São Paulo (1998), Kwangju (2000), Taipei (2000), and Istanbul (1999). The artist lives in Berlin.
Candice Breitz
The Making of Working Class Hero (A Portrait of John Lennon), 2006
Shot at the Culture Lab, Newcastle University, United Kingdom, August 2006
25-Channel Installation: 25 Hard Drives
Duration: 40 minutes
Courtesy: Jay Jopling / White Cube
Photograph: Pierfrancesco Celada