“Tate Modern presents the largest survey of Joan Jonas’s work ever held in the UK. Jonas (b.1936, New York) is regarded as a pre-eminent figure in contemporary performance who continues to influence a younger generation of artists. Reflecting the way Jonas works across many different disciplines, this groundbreaking survey is the first of its kind at Tate, combining a gallery exhibition, a ten day live programme in the Tanks with performances by Jonas herself, and a film retrospective in the Starr Cinema. It reveals her powerful impact on contemporary art and her dedication to pushing boundaries to this day.
This immersive exhibition at Tate Modern celebrates Joan Jonas’s outstanding contribution to art over the last five decades, uniting some of the most important pieces from throughout her career. Early and late works are displayed alongside one another, reflecting Jonas’s practice of revisiting her own past, as can be seen in Juniper Tree an installation created in 1994 that evolved from performances staged in 1976 and 1978. Early works include the iconic video Organic Honey’s Visual Telepathy 1972 which explores female identity via the artist’s sexualised alter-ego, while recent installations include Reanimation 2010/13 and Stream or River, Flight or Pattern 2016-17 which broach the issues of climate change and animal extinction – subjects that are central to Jonas’s current practice.” — Tate Modern
Joan Jonas (b.1936). The Juniper Tree, 1976/ 1994. Installation – 24 works on silk, acrylic paint, wooden structure, string of 29 wooden balls, ladder, kimono, mirror, glass jars, 78 slides, box and other materials. Overall display dimensions variable. Tate, purchased 2008 Wilkinson Gallery, London, 2008. Photo courtesy Wilkinson Gallery, London, photo by Peter White © 2017 Joan Jonas : Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York : DACS, London.
Joan Jonas (b.1936). Lines in the Sand, 2002. Installation. Video (Lines in the Sand 2002/2005, colour, sound, 47:45 min),projection, blackboard, wooden structure, paint, video (Pillow Talk, 2002, colour, sound), monitor with performance video, green wooden couch, sand and relief box, plaster, photographs, paintings). Dimensions variable Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, 2007. Photo by Juan Andres Pegoraro. © 2017 Joan Jonas : Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York : DACS, London.
Joan Jonas (b.1936). Lines in the Sand, 2002. Installation. Video (Lines in the Sand 2002/2005, colour, sound, 47:45 min),projection, blackboard, wooden structure, paint, video (Pillow Talk, 2002, colour, sound), monitor with performance video, green wooden couch, sand and relief box, plaster, photographs, paintings). Dimensions variable. Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, 2007. Photo by Juan Andres Pegoraro. © 2017 Joan Jonas : Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York : DACS, London.
Joan Jonas (b.1936). Wolf Lights, The Shape, the Scent, The Feel of Things, 2005. Video still © 2017 Joan Jonas : Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York : DACS, London.
Joan Jonas (b.1936. Reanimation. Installation, 2010, 2012, 2014. Private collection. Photo by Thomas Müller. Courtesy the Artist and Gavin Brown’s enterprise, New York: Rome. © 2017 Joan Jonas : Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York : DACS, London.
Joan Jonas (b.1936). They Come to Us without a Word II, 2015. Performance at Teatro Piccolo Arsenale, Venice, Italy, 2015. Photo by Moira Ricci. © 2017 Joan Jonas : Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York : DACS, London.
Joan Jonas is curated in close collaboration with the artist by Andrea Lissoni, Senior Curator of International Art (Film), Tate Modern and Julienne Lorz, Curator, Haus der Kunst, Munich with Monika Bayer-Wermuth, Assistant Curator, Tate Modern. The show will tour to Haus der Kunst, Munich, in 2018.
Images courtesy Tate Modern.
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