Moving weightlifting away from preconceived
ideas of oily, grunting men in a fetid-smelling corner of a gym and into
the political sphere is Christian Jankowski’s latest project, Heavy
Weight History.
Christian JankowskiHeavy Weight History, 2013Video, 25 min. colour, sound
The
German artist’s new show at London’s Lisson Gallery will present a
series of photographs, a 25-minute film and an installation, created in
the wake of a trip to Poland, in which weightlifters were invited to try
and pick up a series of huge public sculptures in Poland’s capital,
Warsaw.
Christian Jankowski Heavy Weight History, 2013 Video, 25 min. colour, sound
The
burly bunch are seen sporting their national colours of red and white
while attempting to uproot the enormous, dense monuments.
Christian JankowskiHeavy Weight History, 2013Video, 25 min. colour, sound
Those
they approached include more than one Communist-era memorial, a Ronald
Reagan statue and the figure of Syrenka the Mermaid, an
‘often-vandalised’ symbol of the city, says the gallery, first erected
in 1859.
Christian Jankowski Heavy Weight History, 2013 Video, 25 min. colour, sound
The
efforts of the group to lift these pieces aim to suggest the notion of
‘attempting to lift the very burden of history on to their shoulders’,
according to Lisson Gallery, with Jankowski ‘questioning the continued
relevance and future siting of public sculpture’.
Christian Jankowski Heavy Weight History, 2013 Video, 25 min. colour, sound
The
film takes a documentary feel in the style of a reality television
show, with Jankowski bringing in a sports commentator well-known in his
native Poland to describe the exploits of the beefy fellows.
Christian JankowskiHeavy Weight History, 2013Video, 25 min. colour, sound
Alongside
the Heavy Weight History film, Lisson Gallery will also be showing
Jankowski’s 2012 film Crying for the March of Humanity, which sees the
artist remake a Mexican soap opera, replacing the dialogue with the
actors sobbing.
Christian Jankowski, Heavy Weight History, runs from 31 January – 8 March at Lisson Gallery, 52-54 Bell Street, London NW1www.lissongallery.com
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