Jason Dodge
Liberty - with 3 works by Laurent-David Garnier
19.03. – 30.04.2017

Jason Dodge (*1969 Newtown, Pennsylvania, lives in Berlin) has been a Bremerhaven scholarship holder since April 2016, which he will finish at the end of March this year. At the end of his stay in Bremerhaven, he is showing “LIBERTY” in the Kunsthalle.

The exhibition “LIBERTY” consists of a total of three elements. On display is a new work by Jason Dodge, a compilation of objects from all over the world that can be read together as signs of parallel meanings. Although each object is recognizable on its own - a bottle, a ticket, a shopping cart - it also has the possibility of taking on a different meaning in its special arrangement, perhaps a sign, perhaps a prophecy.

At the same time, Laurent-David Garnier (studied fine arts at the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam, trained perfume manufacturer) will be showing three olfactory works, i.e. works that directly appeal to our sense of smell. Scent or smell has the power to evoke a very special meaning in you, which is anchored in the memory of the respective viewer. Like Jason Dodge’s works, Garnier’s scents also have no fixed meaning. They only acquire this in the sensory interaction with the exhibition visitors.

Jason Dodge is also showing a reconfiguration of a work that he showed years ago. It is a golden lightning rod, which he had remade in triplicate for the exhibition at the Kunstverein. One of these lightning rods will remain with the artist, the second will go to the American poet CAConrad (*1966). The third example, which will become the property of the city of Bremerhaven at the end of the exhibition, will only be on display in the Kunsthalle for a limited time. The lightning rod will only be placed in the exhibition room, pointing north, when CAConrad uses his version of the lightning rod as a compass in the rituals that he performs from time to time in Europe and North America. Whenever CAConrad will use the golden rod, he will inform the Bremerhaven Art Association. The golden lightning rod will only be presented during the respective period of his performance in Bremerhaven. Jason Dodge’s studio is the only fixed point of the work. This is where the golden lightning rod will be permanently installed.

Like most of Jason Dodge’s works, the derivation of meaning is up to the viewer. It may be hopeless to search for the “meaning” of the work. It only comes to life when it is perceived and experienced outside of the museum context.

Curated by Klaus Becké.