Daikichi Amano “Human Nature” new book release !

DAIKICHI AMANO HUMAN NATURE

PRE-ORDER NOW !
And get free shipping in Europe.Edition Bongoût | ISBN : 978-3-940907-09-07

23 x 31 cm, 128 pages, Hard Cover

 

 

 

In his photographs, Daikichi Amano (b.1973 in Japan), enfant terrible of Hokusai, does not shun even the most impossible types of embraces.

In his monstrous orgies—elaborate and disturbingly sensual encounters of otherworldly beauty that flirts with the abject—angel-faced women frolic with snakes and earthworms, elegantly contorted and interlaced eels slipping into every orifice of the human body. Live toads are sucked-on gluttonously, cockroaches, larvae and other invertebrates embrace, interweave, absorb and suck on each other until they lock into a hybrid body moving as one under the waves of a new kind of irresistible sensuality.

Each animal possesses its own secret beauty – Amano has made it his calling to reveal their graces: smooth undulating eels, shiny and transparent octopuses arranged in precious and enthralling compositions. Despite being disturbing to the point of nausea, Daikichi Amano’s works are celebrated internationally. He composes new kinds of tableaux with the bodies of actresses, animals and insects, translates his nightmares and visions into frozen images, portraits of an almost surreal beauty.

Amano pursues this photographic enquiry into the bizarre realms of erotic imagination with an obsessive and perfectionist eye for detail, inspired by the Dutch still-lives painters as well as Japanese mythology and the great Ukiyo-E woodcut masters of the Edo period and in particular the erotic Shunga prints.

Textures, surfaces and bodies weave themselves into abstract compositions in his photographs, with flesh, scales and skin taking on the colours of jewels. The abject becomes sublime. This is Amano’s great talent: to reevaluate death not as sterile horror, but as an aesthetic resurrection. He takes up the ancient idea of beauty as ineluctably doomed to wilt, condemned to eventually disappear and thereby aligns himself as an artist in a thousand-year-old poetic tradition that sings of all things fleeting and ephemeral.

Outdoor Art Film Festival | Outside the Box

Bongoût Gallery in collaboration with curator Carolina Hellsgård proudly presents the second installment of its series of film screenings »Outside the Box«. Over the course of three evenings, we will continue our exploration of contemporary perspectives on short film and video art.

In this summer program, we will present 26 international short films that utilize a variety of filmic strategies to exploit the narrative and formal potential of film. An entire program is devoted to Swedish film production, in addition to the two international programs that will showcase films from South Korea, Cuba, Germany, Russia and the US among others.

Friday 16. July at 9 pm | Swedish film program »Nordic Topographies«

The Swedish film program »Nordic Topographies« showcases an exciting cross section of contemporary filmic visions by Swedish filmmakers. It covers a great deal of subject matters and film genres, including art, porn, animation, fiction as well as documentary films. Some of the films take place in such diverse places as Thailand, Lapland and the US. Other films utilize the confined space of a car, the living room or just the bed, to tell captivating stories.

Featured Swedish filmmakers include: Annika Ström, Susanna Wallin, Johannes Nyholm, Pella Kågerman, Ruben Östlund, Jens Jonsson, Hanna Heilborn, David Aronowitsch, Sara Preibsch and Johanna Aust.

Saturday 17 July at 9 pm | International film program »World dominance«

The international program »World dominance« presents a wide spectrum of film making; from 16mm film and low-fi video to advanced digital technologies that push cinema to its limits. Several of the films display protagonists that seem to exist in a state of limbo, alternating between the adolescent and adult world, the twilight moment between wake and dream or even digital layers of reality. Other films concentrate on the reality that is present, may it be as an existence trapped in a small body or as conjoined twins.

»World dominance« presents films by the American filmmakers Harmony Korine and Eliza Hittman, the legendary Austrian director Ulrich Seidl, experimental work by the Norwegian filmmaker Inger Lise Hansen and Paris-based Vincent Moon. It furthermore showcases work by the German filmmakers Astrid Rieger and Ute Ströer as well as the alien resident Vlad Kromatika.

Sunday 18 July at 9 pm | International film program »Crashing visions«

The international film program »Crashing visions« deals with themes like violence, pain and shattered illusions in various ways, often involving a great deal of humor and dark comedic undertones. Formally it is a diverse program, presenting animation, experimental, performance, documentary as well as fiction work.

The second part of the international film program »Crashing visions« features German films from the artist duo Markus Löffler and Andree Korpys, as well as Berlin-based Helene Hegemann and Hanna Doose. The program showcases international films by South Korean director Nayoon Rhee, US based experimental filmmaker Jennifer Reeder and Australian artist Jemima Wyman. It also includes a Berlin documentary by American director Julius Onah, and a rarely shown short film by the legendary UK-German performance group Gob Squad.

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TORSTR. 103, MITTE, U-BHF- ROSENTHALER PLATZ
030 280 93 758, info@bongout.org, www.bongout.org

Fleischeslust | Myriam Mechita & Gregory Jacobsen

Fleischeslust  05. Juni – 11. Juli 2009  Vernissage am 04. Juni 2009 um 19.00 Uhr  Organe, Eingeweide und Genitalien, die ein Eigenleben führen. Sie bilden fleischige Haufen. Sie treten in Interaktion mit Kreaturen, die zwar menschliche Züge haben, doch mit ihren maskenhaften Gesichtern, runzliger, fleischiger Haut und offenen Wunden wirken, als seien sie aus dem schlimmsten Albtraum entsprungen. Glänzende Perlenstränge strömen aus offenen Rehhälsen, als würde sich das Innere der Tiere über den Boden ergießen. Sie laufen ineinander und bilden rätselhafte, schillernde Formen.  So unterschiedlich die Künstler Gregory Jacobsen (US) und Myriam Mechita (FR) arbeiten, beide krempeln die Realität um. Sie stülpen das Innere nach Außen. Machen sichtbar, was sonst im Verborgenen liegt und offenbaren surreale Eindrücke.  “Dance of the Retarded Girl Slumped Sideways”, “Massive head, foul smelling”, “Choked off Clotting Lamp” sind Musiktitel des vielseitigen Chicagoer Künstlers Gregory Jacobsen, die genauso gut Titel seiner in meisterlicher Manier gemalten Ölbilder sein könnten. Ob mit Musik, Malerei, Performance, der Künstler möchte unstimmige, groteske Gefühle hervorrufen. Dies erreicht er u. a. mit dem Ausdruck seiner Geschöpfe, die körperliche Mängel und Zerfall in keiner Weise stören. Sie wirken glücklich und zufrieden.  Myriam Mechita verteilt verstümmelte Tierkörper und abgeschlagene Köpfe in Ausstellungsräumen. Diese versieht sie mit polierten Oberflächen, glänzender Glasur und Glasperlen. Das kontrastreiche Aufeinandertreffen von entstellten Körpern und schimmernden Materialien verleiht den Werken eine enorme Spannung. Spiegel und Glas reflektieren das Licht und spiegeln den sie umgebenden Raum. Es entstehen verzerrte Perspektiven, die die Wahrnehmung attackieren. Die skulpturalen Elemente scheinen im Moment zu verharren, bevor wieder alles zu fließen beginnt. ——————————- Carnal desire  05 June – 11 July 2009  Opening: Thursday, 04 June 2009, 7 pm  Organs, entrails and genitals leading a life of their own, heaps of flesh interacting with creatures with mask-like faces, fleshy and wrinkled skin and open wounds, which, despite bearing human traits, look as though they had escaped from our worst nightmares. Shining strings of pearls are flowing from a deer’s open neck, as though the animal’s bowels were spilling onto the floor, intertwining and forming mysteriously glittering shapes.  Despite obvious differences, the works of Gregory Jacobsen (USA) and Myriam Mechita (France) have in common that they turn reality upside down. Bringing the inner life of things to the fore, their near-surrealist stagings make visible that which usually lies hidden.  “Dance of the Retarded Girl Slumped Sideways”, “Massive head, foul smelling”, “Choked off Clotting Lamp” – Gregory Jacobsen’s song titles could just as well apply to his oil paintings, which he executes in the style of the great masters. Whether he makes music, paints or stages performances, the Chicago-based artist creates disquietingly grotesque atmospheres, which are partly owed to his creatures’ facial expressions: they look happy and satisfied, and not in the least affected by their physical impediments or state of decay.  Myriam Mechita has scattered body parts and cut-off heads of animals throughout the exhibition space. These physical remains are clad in polished surfaces, a coat of shining lacquer, and glass beads. The contrast between the mutilated body parts and the glistening materials creates an almost unbearable tension. The mirrors and the glass reflect the light and the surrounding space, producing distorted perspectives that challenge the viewer’s perception. Mechita’s sculptural elements seem caught in the moment – before everything starts flowing again. ———————– Bongout Gallery Torstrasse 110 10119 Berlin Germany Opening hours: Tu – Sa: 12 – 7pm  +49 (0)30 280 93 758 http://www.bongout.org

 

Miron Zownir

Miron Zownir  23 April – 30 May 2009  Opening: Wednesday, 22 April 2009, 7 pm  With a radical eye, Miron Zownir creates images of people living on the margins of society’s norms and conventions. Zownir is particularly interested in exceptional and extreme situations. Once he has discovered such a corner, he doesn’t let go, sketching and documenting the life of the people that inhabit it. He sheds a light on the dark corners of society, making them visible for all those who would never venture in such areas. Zownir’s images speak about the individual’s loss of control, loneliness, sexuality, intoxication, violence and desire.  Miron Zownir’s pictures of anonymous people are just as enigmatic as his portrait subjects. In his career he has photographed prominent figures such as David Lynch, Klaus Kinski, Ben Becker, Alec Empire or Christoph Schlingensief.  The Berlin-based cult artist manages to establish extremely close contact with the people he photographs. The intensity of the photographer’s quest for the right moment is palpable in his black-and-white close-ups. With a clinically sharp gaze he delves into the subcultures of large modern cities. London, Los Angeles and Moscow are among his stations. In the New York of the 1980s Zownir was called the “Teutonic Phenomenographer” (The Village Voice) for his capacity to track down the daily madness of the local scene.  Bongout Gallery is proud to exhibit the latest photographic work of one of the most uncompromising artists of our time. Beside his activity as a photographer, Zownir also works as a filmmaker and writer. As part of the exhibition, the gallery will present a selection of his short films.  Engelbert Kiefernagel is just as tabooless an artist. Drawings and letters from Miron Zownir’s private collection provide an insight into the work of this headstrong artist, which is marked by extreme erotic fantasies and anarchist thinking.  Bongout is also pleased to announce that Bruno S. will perform one of his legendary live acts on the opening night. Bruno S. is best known for playing the main roles in Werner Herzog’s films “Every Man for Himself and God Against All” and “Stroszek”. Today the actor has resumed his marginal existence as an ambulant street musician. —————————————————————————————————————— Miron Zownir  23. April – 30. Mai 2009  Vernissage am 22. April um 19.00 Uhr.  Mit radikalem Blick erschafft Miron Zownir Bilder von Menschen, die sich am Rand gesellschaftlicher Normen und Konventionen bewegen. Er sucht nach dem Ungewöhnlichen und extremen Situationen. Hat Zownir einen solchen Winkel entdeckt, lässt er nicht mehr von ihm ab. Er skizziert und dokumentiert diesen Ort und seine Menschen. Er holt ihn aus dem Schattendasein hervor und macht ihn auch für all jene sichtbar, die sich niemals aus freien Stücken hierher begeben würden.  Seine Bilder erzählen von Kontrollverlust, Einsamkeit, Sexualität von Rausch, Gewalt und Lust.  Miron Zownirs Fotografien von anonymen Menschen sind genauso geheimnisvoll wie die von ihm Porträtierten. Vor seine Linse traten Persönlichkeiten wie David Lynch, Klaus Kinski, Ben Becker, Alec Empire und Christoph Schlingensief.  Es gelingt dem Berliner Kult-Künstler, eine extreme Nähe zu den von ihm abgelichteten Personen aufzubauen. Die Intensität seiner Suche nach dem richtigen Augenblick ist in seinen Schwarzweiß-Fotografien zu spüren. Mit durchdringender Schärfe gibt er Einblick in subkulturelle Geschehen der Großstädte. London, Los Angelos und Moskau zählen zu seinen Stationen. Im New York der 1980er Jahre verlieh ihm die lokale Szene aufgrund seiner Fähigkeit, den alltäglichen Wahnsinn aufzuspühren, den Namen Teutonic Phenomenographer (Village Voice).  Die Bongout Gallery ist stolz, neue Arbeiten von einem der kompromisslosisten Fotografen unserer Zeit zu präsentieren. Neben seiner Tätigkeit als Fotograf, ist Zownir auch als Regisseur und Schriftsteller aktiv. Einige seiner Kurzfilme werden im Rahmen der Ausstellung gezeigt.  Ein ebenso tabuloser Künstler war Engelbert Kiefernagel. Zeichnungen und Briefe aus Zwonirs Privatsammlung geben einen Einblick in das von extremen erotischen Fantasien und anarchistischen Inhalten geprägte Werk des eigensinnigen Mannes.  Bei der Ausstellungseröffnung erfreut uns ein alter Bekannter mit einem seiner legendären Liveauftritte: Bruno S. Als Schauspieler erlangte er mit den Titelrollen in Werner Herzogs Filmen «Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle» und «Stroszek» Bekanntheit. Heute ist er wieder als Straßenmusikant unterwegs.  —————————————————————————————————————— Bongout Gallery / Showroom Torstrasse 110 10119 Berlin- Germany +49(0)30 280 937 58 info@bongout.org http://www.bongout.org Opening Hours: Tu – Sa, 12 – 7 pm  —————————————————————————————————————— Thanks to Inflagranti Film Berlin.