Spiritofboz

A «Village of Boz» in Togo

The adventures of Boz are continuing in Togo.

The Togolese representation of Julien Friedler’s  Association for Contemporary Art, lead by Magloire Adabra, is keeping on distributing «Around the Boz in 80 Years» questionnaires all over Togo.
In the first days of December, they were in Tovegan, an important agricultural village, 80 km far from the capital Lomé. The villagers have been seduced by the work and Julien Friedler’s other projects. They have massively completed the questionnaire and a Women Club has even been created around the Ambassador of Boz for Africa, Agnès Mukarubayiza.
Proving their craze, they proposed to rename their canton «Village of Boz» and to consider Julien Friedler as «born in the Village of Boz from Tovegan Canton». An honour.
At the end of December, the Representation was present at the International Fair of Lomé.

We are now in 2010. A very symbolic date, which represents the future in the mind of many. The beginning of a new decade with many political, economical and egological issues.

Since "How do you see the future ?" is one of the questions of Julien Friedler’s "Around the Boz in 80 Years" project, we invite you to share your thoughts, beliefs, fears, wishes, hopes,… of what the future will made. Your personal future as well the future in general.

Respond  in this thread.

And we wish you all the best for 2010 (and the decade).

Some pictures from Julien Friedler’s "Spirit of Boz" art show at Mube, the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture, in Sao Paulo. 

First, a video taken at the opening of the exhibition, October 22, 2009.

And some pictures, from Mube’s official Flickr account :

When a famous Brazilian street artist redesign the main figure from Julien Friedler’s Spirit of Boz.

Project of the Jack Balance graffiti in the parking of the Mube museum (Sao Paulo), for the "Spirit of Boz" art show (starting on October 22, 2009). Artist : Binho Ribeiro.

Perpetuating the tradition of exhibitions like “Chambres d’amis” established by Jan Hoet in Ghent in 1986, «Chambres à part III» will take place again this year in 2009 at La Réserve – Paris : Laurence Dreyfus offers an exhibition of hand-picked artists in an exceptional and prestigious setting.

As part of the programme around the Fiac « Chambres à part III » displays a selection of works, in one of the apartments of 10 place du Trocadéro, the result of a year’s peregrination in search of international contemporary art talents.

Amongst the artists selected are Dominique Blais, Alexandre da Cunha, Olafur Eliasson,Julien Friedler, Monique Frydman, Laurent Grasso, Jeppe Hein, Avish Khebrehzadeh,Thomas Kiesewetter, Kolkoz, P. Nicolas Ledoux, Daniel Lergon, Marilyn Minter, Robin Rhode, Pierre    Rouillon, Wolfgang Tillmans, Oscar  Tuazon, Iris  van Dongen, Katja Strunz, Aaron Young, Yi Zhou…

Chambres à part III
La Réserve – Paris
October 20 - 25, 2009
Preview Monday October 19, from 6 to 9 PM.

Curator : Laurence Dreyfus

Info and contact : www.laurencedreyfus.com

 Photo : one of the works presented by Julien Friedler at the art show, the cup "Africa !" in glass of Murano is dedicated to the Friends of Boz in Togo.

 In preview of the "Spirit of Boz" art show at the Mube (Brazil), this is the first exclusive picture of the giant-size Jack Balance doll which will welcoming visitors at the entrance of the museum. A very impressive work (more than 7 meters high) of the character, in a Superman-like posture, ready to reach the sky. What a great evoiution since his first appearance… in a match box !

Julien Friedler presents “The Spirit of Boz” at Mube

For the first time in Brazil, the Belgian artist Julien Friedler presents “The spirit of Boz” exhibition, from October 22 to November 22, at Mube (Sculpture Brazilian Museum). The exhibition is a chance to know his multiple featured work. Friedler has already exposed his work in countries like Belgium, USA, Bulgaria and Italy. “The Spirit of Boz” is also present in countries like Germany, France, Morocco, Rwanda, Togo, Benin, China, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Israel.

Boz is a complex universe created as a “modern myth”. Permeated by philosophical concepts and pop art and art history references, the show brings to light several coexisting mythologies. Just like the word Boz, a construction with no specific meaning, the entire art project has a playful and humorous, but also psychological aspect. Seeking to regain a humanist ideal, the artist shows his displeasure with the worship of celebrity, membership in cults, social poverty and isolation in itself present in our consumer society.  

The exhibition has 30 works and it comprehends various fields of art: painting, sculpture, literature, video, photography, installation and performance. There are still works in more different supports, like comics strips, t-shirts and a 7 meters height doll which will be located at the museum external area.

The artist will also be present at the exhibition opening to discuss his art work “BeBoz BeArt”, which took place in many countries. Under the motto that there’s an artist inside everyone, he proposes a new kind of art that, beyond reaching the public, includes them in the creative process.    

Before an artist, he is a psychoanalyst. "His art instigates reflection on topics that are part of all human wishes”, says Renata Azevedo, International Relations Director of Mube. Connection with divine, childhood, the Big Bang theory and his large experience as psychoanalyst and writer, arise chaotically in his work, which goes beyond the traditional scope of arts.

“The purpose of ‘Boz Spirit’ is to express a global perception of the world, a complete way of perceiving and revealing existence”, says Jacob Klintowitz, in the release. According to Klintowitz, Friedler’s work is “complete art because he uses all possible elements of language and style. It’s something like an opera from the age of information technology”.

Inside this universe, there’s always the presence of his “persona” Jack Balance, a sort of metaphysical clown revolted against his creator, whose name is a joke on the name of the actor Jack Palance. He always emerges wearing false mustache and nose and a cap that says “Therapy?” (One of his works shows Balance is in a baby chair with a nursing bottle where we can read “whisk”). This character will receive visitors as a seven meters height doll in front of Mube.

Balance will be also replicated in an action in wich performers, dressed as the character, will conduct a sort of public opinion poll. This performance is part of “The Tour of Boz in 80 Years” project that is based on an existentialist questionnaire answered by many people in different parts of the world.  There are questions like “Does God exist?”, “How would you explain this time in which you live?” and “Are you happy?”. According to the artist, his purpose is to create a testimonial work to “keep the spirit of an entire population and to raise no less than a forest of souls”.

For Jacob Klintowitz, the visual shapes of Friedler’s work “resemble those of mass comunication, with fast and humoristic drawing, uniform colors, with delimitated spaces”. The exposition has representative painting works like “Le Shaman” and “La Parole des Anges”, and his three-dimensional view for “Les Demoiselles D’Avignon”, by Picasso. “There’s no claim to the subtle chromaticity of traditional painting or to the classic three-dimensionality”, says Klintowitz. 

About Julien Friedler

Born in 1950, in Brussels, Friedler studied directly with Jacques Lacan, he founded La Moire center of research in psychoanalysis and has lately joined to (or awaked to) the universe of art. In 1997, he rediscovered painting, so present in childhood. Currently he runs a contemporary art foundation (Friedler for Contemporary Art). This year, he performed solo expositions at the National Gallery for Foreign Art, in Bulgaria, and at the Christopher Henry Gallery, in New York.

SERVICE:

Exhibition: “The Spirit of Boz” – Julien Friedler

Venue: Mube – Sculpture Brazilian Museum of Sculpture - Av. Europa, 218 – Jardim Europa – São Paulo/SP
Date: From october 22 to november 22
Tuesday to Sunday, from 10h to 19h.
Free admission

www.mube.art.br

Informations for press

KRP Relações Públicas (11) 3086 3550
Kelly Lobos 
Gudmila Régis – mobile – 55 – 11 - 7690-4767
gudmila.regis@krpnet.com.br
Renata Margoni – mobile – 55 – 11 - 8698-0126
renata.margoni@krpnet.com.br


 
Curated by Isolde Brielmaier
 
May 28 – July 3, 2009 
Opening Reception: Thursday May 28 2009, 6-8 pm
 
Jack Shainman Gallery is pleased to present Signs Taken for Wonders, an exhibition curated by Isolde Brielmaier. In this presentation six artists, Kader Attia, Jn. Ulrick Désert, Julien Friedler, Jeffrey Gibson, Xaviera Simmons, and Carrie Mae Weems, use Africa as their muse as they examine representation, symbolism and the power of the image within the social, economic, political, historical and cultural spheres of the 20th and 21st centuries. Their work explores iconic figures, events and ideas that have contributed, explicitly and implicitly, to the imaging of the African continent around the world. 
 
In Signs, the artists use a range of media — painting, sculpture, photography, video, mixed media and installation — to articulate a particular
person, idea, event or time period that is significant to the role that African countries, cultures and individuals occupy within global politics, popular culture and economy. In so doing, they spotlight both the acknowledged and overlooked roles that international players, African
individuals and the continent as a whole, maintain on every level of the world stage.     
 
This exhibition is collaboratively presented as part of a wider project developed by the Spirit of BOZ Collective which was founded by artist Julien Friedler. An important pillar of this collective’s global movement is the Forest of Souls, an international engagement and production of art by thousands of people from countries such as China, Rwanda, Argentina, Bulgaria, Chile, Germany, Brazil and Morocco. The exhibition Signs Taken for Wonders is thus intended to inscribe itself in a broader effort to gather a multi-national range of artists who will be featured in a series of globally- oriented exhibitions as part of the Forest of Souls project.
 
For further information and press photography please contact Jack Shainman Gallery at (212) 645-1701.
 

The National Gallery for Foreign Arts in Sofia (Bulgarie) presents "Dialogues" de Julien Friedler. Intended as a "conceptual and interactive", art show,  "Dialogues" confronts works by Julien Friedler to the Be Art-Be Boz projects that he initiated a couple of years ago.

In this presentation, personal intimate works dialogue with  global collective ones, dream and reality responds to real, modernity interacts with traditions and writing with visual arts, with the intend the visitors will react and participate, since they are invited to answer the 6 questions of  "Around the Boz In 80 Years".

Julien Friedler’s "Shaman" dialogues with…

…the shaman of the indians Asurini, who took part to the "Around the Boz" project.

Exhibition from May 17 to July 14, 2009. Opening May 16, 5 PM, during the European Night of Museums.

The National Gallery for Foreign Art
St. Alexander Nevsky Square
1000-SOFIA — Bulgarie