Damir Očko
01 Feb - 06 Mar 2014
DAMIR OČKO
Studies on Shivering
1 February – 6 March 2014
Künstlerhaus, Halle für Kunst & Medien (KM–) is proud to announce the first solo exhibition by the Croatian artist Damir Očko in an Austrian institution.
For this major exhibition, the artist developed a new body of work that has been unfolding for the past two years. The exhibition will present various "Studies on Shivering" through which the artist has questioned his approach to the process of film-making, which, besides central film work, includes an array of creative expressions, such as poetry, musical scores, collages, research, music, and even cinematic studies on 16mm film.
The exhibition Studies on Shivering is specifically conceived for the exhibition rooms of the Künstlerhaus, Halle für Kunst & Medien (KM–) and will establish its conceptual framework based on an approach taken by the artist in constructing context for his films.
The central interest is focused on his new film titled "TK", devised through various means and presented alongside materials such as musical scores, collages, and other works – all related to the film either by addressing the process of film-making or providing different access points to the film itself, expanding beyond the usual display of the cinematic work and constructing a unique space on its own. The exhibited artworks are based on the outcome of "Studies on Shivering", a specific phenomenon
explored by the artist, where the bodily function of shivering and the narrative fragments of his poetry delve deeply into the microscopic features to draw attention to the mechanism of this primordial, uncontrollable reflex within a highly complex and politicised field of interactions between society, control, and violence. Očko initiates a process by which he seeks to establish a space where film, research, and poetry meet.
Leading the artist is a profound curiosity in the politics of the body and the way the body is present in society as a political element. This project is keen to look for the context in which we speak about shivering, but also about violence and unrest.
People don’t just shiver from coldness or fear; they may also do so as a political
reaction to the social context in which the body is present.
Damir Očko’s new film "TK" meticulously follows a group of bodies, among others, an old man struggling with Parkinson’s disease, through various situations where exposure or even a state of calmness can trigger the mechanism of shivering, while simultaneously becoming a place for poetry to harmonise its own narrative fragments among bodies, rhythms, sounds, and meanings. The title refers to the phonetic description of the sound that the stone makes when it hits the ground, or the sound that can be performed by biting and teeth chattering, further explored in other "Studies on Shivering" presented at the exhibition.
Accompany Očko’s first major solo exhibition in Austria will be a catalogue published by Verlag für moderne Kunst, Nuremberg.
The Film “TK” has been produced by Kreativni sindikat/Creative Syndicate (Zagreb) with generous support by HAVC Croatian AudioVisual Centre. Additional support has been provided by Yvon Lambert Gallery (Paris) and Tiziana di Caro Gallery (Salerno).
Damir Očko has realised various solo exhibitions, including: The Body Score, Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris (2013), The Kingdom of Glottis, Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2012), On Ulterior Scale, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf (2011) and MMC Luka, Pula (2012). Solo shows by Damir Očko have also been presented at Tiziana di Caro Gallery, Salerno, Kunstverein Leipzig, Kunsthalle München, Munich. He has participated in collective exhibitions at MUDAM, Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxembourg, MSU, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb, Villa Romana, Florence, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, HIAP Helsinki; and in festivals, such as Videoformes, Clermont Ferrand, 25FPS, Zagreb, Videobrasil, São Paulo; and in residences: Temple Bar Gallery & Studios, Dublin, Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, KulturKontakt Austria, Vienna.
His works are held in public collections, such as at MUDAM, Luxembourg, Le Plateau, Paris, CNAP, Centre national des arts plastiques, Paris, and numerous private collections.
Studies on Shivering
1 February – 6 March 2014
Künstlerhaus, Halle für Kunst & Medien (KM–) is proud to announce the first solo exhibition by the Croatian artist Damir Očko in an Austrian institution.
For this major exhibition, the artist developed a new body of work that has been unfolding for the past two years. The exhibition will present various "Studies on Shivering" through which the artist has questioned his approach to the process of film-making, which, besides central film work, includes an array of creative expressions, such as poetry, musical scores, collages, research, music, and even cinematic studies on 16mm film.
The exhibition Studies on Shivering is specifically conceived for the exhibition rooms of the Künstlerhaus, Halle für Kunst & Medien (KM–) and will establish its conceptual framework based on an approach taken by the artist in constructing context for his films.
The central interest is focused on his new film titled "TK", devised through various means and presented alongside materials such as musical scores, collages, and other works – all related to the film either by addressing the process of film-making or providing different access points to the film itself, expanding beyond the usual display of the cinematic work and constructing a unique space on its own. The exhibited artworks are based on the outcome of "Studies on Shivering", a specific phenomenon
explored by the artist, where the bodily function of shivering and the narrative fragments of his poetry delve deeply into the microscopic features to draw attention to the mechanism of this primordial, uncontrollable reflex within a highly complex and politicised field of interactions between society, control, and violence. Očko initiates a process by which he seeks to establish a space where film, research, and poetry meet.
Leading the artist is a profound curiosity in the politics of the body and the way the body is present in society as a political element. This project is keen to look for the context in which we speak about shivering, but also about violence and unrest.
People don’t just shiver from coldness or fear; they may also do so as a political
reaction to the social context in which the body is present.
Damir Očko’s new film "TK" meticulously follows a group of bodies, among others, an old man struggling with Parkinson’s disease, through various situations where exposure or even a state of calmness can trigger the mechanism of shivering, while simultaneously becoming a place for poetry to harmonise its own narrative fragments among bodies, rhythms, sounds, and meanings. The title refers to the phonetic description of the sound that the stone makes when it hits the ground, or the sound that can be performed by biting and teeth chattering, further explored in other "Studies on Shivering" presented at the exhibition.
Accompany Očko’s first major solo exhibition in Austria will be a catalogue published by Verlag für moderne Kunst, Nuremberg.
The Film “TK” has been produced by Kreativni sindikat/Creative Syndicate (Zagreb) with generous support by HAVC Croatian AudioVisual Centre. Additional support has been provided by Yvon Lambert Gallery (Paris) and Tiziana di Caro Gallery (Salerno).
Damir Očko has realised various solo exhibitions, including: The Body Score, Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris (2013), The Kingdom of Glottis, Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2012), On Ulterior Scale, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf (2011) and MMC Luka, Pula (2012). Solo shows by Damir Očko have also been presented at Tiziana di Caro Gallery, Salerno, Kunstverein Leipzig, Kunsthalle München, Munich. He has participated in collective exhibitions at MUDAM, Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxembourg, MSU, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb, Villa Romana, Florence, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, HIAP Helsinki; and in festivals, such as Videoformes, Clermont Ferrand, 25FPS, Zagreb, Videobrasil, São Paulo; and in residences: Temple Bar Gallery & Studios, Dublin, Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, KulturKontakt Austria, Vienna.
His works are held in public collections, such as at MUDAM, Luxembourg, Le Plateau, Paris, CNAP, Centre national des arts plastiques, Paris, and numerous private collections.