Joe Scanlan

03.02.–11.03.2000

Joe Scanlan
Installation view Galerie Martin Janda, 2000

Joe Scanlan
Custom, 1998
Tasmanian blackwood, glue
220 x 87 x 56 cm

Joe Scanlan
Snowflakes
Drawing

Joe Scanlan
Installation view Galerie Martin Janda, 2000

Joe Scanlan
Installation view Galerie Martin Janda, 2000

Joe Scanlan
Installation view Galerie Martin Janda, 2000

Joe Scanlan
Folding Chair (Prototype), 1997
Wood, varnish, metal

Joe Scanlan
Folding Chair (Prototype), 1997
Wood, varnish, metal

A field of forsythias, some modules of a bookshelf system, the prototype of a folding chair, snowflake drawings, acrylic tears on a wooden designer table...
All are objects from Joe Scanlan’s show on exhibit at Raum Aktueller Kunst Martin Janda from February 3 to March 11, 2000.

A shelf system of poplar wood – the elements nested into each other or held together under tension by twisted pieces of band. This object is an unlimited edition; the objective is the greatest possible number of pieces of this furniture-module in different sizes.

Joe Scalan’s work deals with craftsmanship, inventiveness, and the fascination and investigation of mass-produced products. Not in their capitalistic utilisation for maximizing profits, but rather as a reflection on the aspect of their normality in everyday life. Objects which leave the sphere of the art context and which blend into the normal everyday cycle of our lives - not losing their uniqueness, but instead fixed on serving a different purpose and as a result refusing to play an insistent game of semantics.

Acrylic tears lie on a perfectly crafted wooden table. The tabletop seems to be unfinished at one end. This can be interpreted to be an element of design as well as a break with perfection. The presentation of industrially produced tears presents questions as to the usefulness and the need for products of this kind. The final decision on their value or their uselessness is not made.

Life cycles, questions of economy, and the interlocking of daily routine, consumerism, life, and art are themes Joe Scanlan deals with through objects which blend together classical sculpture, transformation of everyday objects, design and the precision of craftsmanship.