BUIA GALLERY
541 w. 23rd St.
New York, NY 10011
T. 212 366 9915
F. 212 366 9846
www.buiagallery.com
info@buiagallery.com
For immediate release:
Good Times Make You Think That You’re the Lucky One
Jan Christensen
November 30, 2006 – January 20, 2007
Opening reception: Thursday, November 30th, 6-8 pm
BUIA Gallery is pleased to present Jan Christensen’s first solo exhibition with the gallery. The installation entitled Good Times Make You Think That You’re the Lucky One consists of a sound system, a Japanese limited edition Plus Minus Zero monitor, a DVD player, and four large canvases.
The sound system plays an eclectic mix of 45 tracks including music, an obscure radio broadcast and samples from an audio recording. The arrangement and the number of speakers echo the multiple overlapping transmissions constituting the soundtrack of the show.
Between the speakers sits the small video monitor. The video displays superimposed layers of lights from cars driving in the night. The blurred lights and occasional lens flares resemble a star-field chasing through the dark. The video is not intended to follow the music specifically, but rather to work as an abstract visual effect that one might loosely relate to the track.
The soundtrack was mixed real-time during a session in the artist’s studio. The ad-hoc mix is intended to bring the audience on a playful ride of sensations and ideas, from the relaxed ambient soundscape of Reload to the aggressive riffs of the guitars of Primal Scream to obscure samples from the radio. The selections reflect some of the artist's interests, covering a range of electronica bands and DJs, and including elements and samples by artists like Donna Summer and Bill Withers.
Hanging on the wall are large canvases with reproductions of the notes and sketches for the work as well as a listing of the tracks and sample material, giving an insight into the music and the overall setup.
Jan Christensen is a graduate of The National College of Art and Design in Oslo and a new gallery artist. A recipient of a Pollock-Krasner and Ingrid Lindbäck Laangard Foundation grants, Christensen has had residencies at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin and FRAC des Pays de la Loire in Nantes. Recent exhibitions include a project room exhibition at Yvon Lambert in New York, a solo exhibition in conjunction with Art Basel at the Kunsthaus Baselland, and a solo exhibition at the SMAK in Ghent. This year Jan Christensen participated in BREEZER at the gallery as well as in Please Love Me: Architectural Style and the Love Letter at the Walker’s Point Center for the Arts in Milwaukee- both met with great reception. Recent press includes two Flash Art reviews and two ARTFORUM.com critics' picks. We are excited to announce the opening of Jan Christensen’s greatly anticipated solo exhibition.