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.
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 !
The Christopher Henry Gallery is pleased to present its first solo exhibition of Julien Friedler curated by
Gabrielle Bryers entitled "Who is Jack Balance?".
Covering two floors the exhibition is an introduction to Jack Balance and the World of Boz. A Dante’s
Inferno like quest through the art world, Friedler takes the viewer on an adventure through a parallel
universe of life’s unanswered questions expressed through writing, painting, sculptures, happenings and
conceptual projects. As uncertainty grips the current world mindset the artist endeavors to discover and
interpret this unbalanced world as modern allegories. There is a spirituality in the imperfect world of
Friedler: he helps us to see, understand, and accept the inescapable imperfection that is the human
condition.
Jack Balance is the main character in Friedler’s world, BOOK OF BOZ, a 700 page epic that forms
the core of his entire artwork. The character continually suffers at the hands of his creator – born deaf and
dumb in a match box, he lives in a cage, able to express himself only by whistling or writing on boards. He
is granted speech once a year on his birthday. A metaphysical personage, Jack Balance originally desires
to become human; frequent encounters, however, have him wishing to remain a fictional character.
The works in the exhibition depict the various exploits of Jack Balance while exploring a diverse
range of communication mediums in the visual arts. On the first floor of the gallery are 30 original Comic
Strip illustrations –bright, childishly optimistic pages which introduce the viewer to the BOOK OF BOZ. In
the center of the gallery stands Mappemonde, an exquisite Murano glass sculpture staging the 3 main
characters of the book, its delicate elements symbolizing the fragility of life. The second floor reveals the
background of Jack Balance: a sculptural likeness is surrounded by a projection providing an insight into the
world of BOZ, accompanied by a unique series of photographs depicting the Lives and Deaths of Jack
Balance.
Julien Friedler lives and work between Brussels and Monaco. Friedler started his career as a
psychoanalyst and author. In 1997 he set out to communicate his philosophies in visual form. His work has
been shown throughout the world and at such institutions as Mudima Foundation in Milan, Italy; it will be
exhibited at MUBE, Sao Paulo, Brazil in October 2009 as well as the National Gallery for Foreign Art, Sofia,
Bulgaria in May 2009.
Fom April 17 to May 25, 2009
Christopher Henry Gallery
127 Elizabeth Street
NEW YORK, NY 10013
www.christopherhenrygallery.com
Related :
> Jack Balance (an introduction)
> 2009 program of Julien Friedler’s exhibitions
> The Jack Balance Facebook group
When the biggest picture is not which it seems to be.
Jack Balance, during the debate, alongside Djidrov Krassimir (director of the Arts Academy of Sofia), Doctor Svetlozar Benchev (professor at the Arts Academy of Sofia and artist) and Stella Rouskova.
Munich, March 1st, 2008.
On this first day of March, the Muenchner Kammerspiele theater is the setting for the videoperformance "Spirit of Boz-Around the Boz in 80 Years", as part of the Toy Void/Doing Identity festivals (curated by Bo Christian Larsson) and the first of a series of BeBoz events in Munich all along the year 2008.
Curated by Erno Vroonen, a "kurator" and art historian, this event was focused on Jack Balance and Julien Friedler’s "Around the Boz In 80 Years" questionnaire. The metaphysical clown (and main character of The Book of Boz) was omnipresent : in video, first, in a movie directed by Yves Anchar, and "live", through about fifty incarnations of the clown character, of different ages, sexes, or races, (contrasting with the simple "clones" in the Ostende performance) who have invited the public and the people in the street to participate in the "Around the Boz In 80 Years" project by answering the questionnaire.
> Jack Balance’s gallery (on www.spiritofboz.org)
> The Scribe meets Jack Balance (in Julien Friedler’s Book of Boz, chapter 1 and Audiobook of Boz, episode 1)
> Jack Balance in a beach performance in Ostende, Belgium (August 2007)
> Jack Balance in Buenos Aires (Argentina), December 2007
Jack Balance has different representations : main character from Julien Friedler’s Book of Boz, sculpture or painting, comics character, he appears also on merchandising as for example T-shirts. Metaphysical clown, forced by his creator to be only a character, he seeks to act like a real man.
This picture shows a detail of the installation named The Innocents, exposed in 2002 at the Mudima Foundation in Milan, in 2003 at Espace de Retz in Paris and in 2004 during the Flanders Festival.
Jack Balance in action, performances, installations and works…
The 4th Be Art Show in Latin America had something special. It took place on December 5, 2007, during the "noche de la exposicion" (Gallery Night), DacilArt Gallery, in Buenos Aires (Argentina). The star of the show was obviously Jack Balance, the famous character from Julien Friedler’s Book of Boz.
This colorful character was in the object of an auction sale, which would provide the buyer the right to bring him back home for 3 days and draw, paint, picture him,… Julien Friedler describes this process as "collector’s art", according this Be Art proposition : "To seek art in unexpected places." Besides, a lottery was organized, with this prize : a 10 minutes date with Jack Balance during the night.
Jack Balance, Julien Friedler's double, is one of the 3 metaphysical clowns from the Book of Boz
