‘Warriors. Four Films by Luke Fowler,’ installation view at X Initiative
Currently on view at the Dia Foundation’s former space in Chelsea is Phase Two of the X Initiative, featuring solo shows of three European artists: Keren Cytter, Luke Fowler, and Tris Vonna-Michell. This is the first major solo show in the US for each artist, all of whom participated in the New Museum’s triennial earlier this year, ‘The Generational: Younger Than Jesus.’ Phase Two also includes ‘Today and Everyday,’ a group show that presents artworks in the context of a still life photograph, an installation, and lastly, a memento. X Initiative is a not-for-profit association of artists, curators, dealers, and other professionals led by dealer Elizabeth Dee, using the Dia space for one year, starting in March, as an alternative arts space.
X Initiative
Unspooling Time Loops [NY Times]
BOMB on the Inside: X Initiative [BOMB]
X Marks the Spot [V Magazine]
Tris Vonna-Michell, installation view at X Initiative
Keren Cytter’s ‘The Mysterious Serious,’ installation view at X Initiative
Keren Cytter, an Israeli-born artists currently residing in Berlin, works mainly in film, exploring and transforming different cinematic genres. The exhibition includes a new film, ‘Four Seasons,’ as well as a selection of other videos and a group of drawings never before shown in the US. Running across noir, melodrama and the documentary, Cytter’s films depict people on the fringes of sanity, antagonistic relationships amidst tawdry domestic settings. The videos alternate on different screens, with the drawings suddenly illuminated at intervals, allowing for an immersive, theatrical experience.
‘Warriors. Four Films by Luke Fowler,’ installation view at X Initiative
Scottish artist Luke Fowler’s survey, ‘Warriors: Four Films by Luke Fowler 2003-2008,’ mines the documentary form, examining marginalized figures of eccentric artists, the mentally ill, the alienated. Screened in a small theater constructed in an otherwise empty floor, the surrounding silence concentrates the flights of abstraction and lyrical liberties Fowler takes, combining archival recordings with original material in ways that reflect upon the cinematic historical narrative and well as build upon it.
Tris Vonna-Michell’s ‘Photography is my Punishment’ at X Initiative
All three artists work with narratives that are purposefully distorted, and British artist Tris Vonna-Michell’s work may be the most convoluting and acrobatic. Personal, collected, and collective memories in the shape of old photographs, 35mm slidesand record players, and the spoken word coalesce into a fictional narrative as one moves around the room from fragment to fragment.
Keren Cytter’s ‘Pentagram’ at X Initiative
Installation view of ‘Today and Everyday’ at X Initiative
On the roof is ‘Today and Everday,’ a show organized by Margaret Lee, who contributed a still life photograph. Using elements from within the photograph, eight other artists created an installation, transforming each object. As a documentation of the work, a zine published by Used Future is available through the course of the exhibition.
Keren Cytter’s ‘The Mysterious Serious,’ installation view at X Initiative
Tris Vonna-Michell’s ‘Studio A’ at X Initiative
‘Warriors. Four Films by Luke Fowler,’ installation view at X Initiative
Keren Cytter’s ‘Skull’ at X Initiative
Installation view of ‘Today and Everyday’ at X Initiative
Tris Vonna-Michell, installation view at X Initiative
Keren Cytter’s ‘The Mysterious Serious,’ installation view at X Initiative
‘Warriors. Four Films by Luke Fowler,’ installation view at X Initiative
Installation view of ‘Today and Everyday’ at X Initiative
Tris Vonna-Michell’s ‘Wasteful Illuminations’ at X Initiative
Keren Cytter’s ‘The Mysterious Serious,’ installation view at X Initiative
