16 January 2009

'Life is over! If you want it' - new exhibition

Cooper Gallery, University of Dundee, January 24th to February 14th

'LIFE IS OVER! If you want it' is a new exhibition at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design from artists Tracy Mackenna and Edwin Janssen - partly derived from their own familial experiences of death by assisted suicide - which combines presentation, education, participation, debate, making and reflection on the themes of art, life and death.

Throughout history, artists have addressed issues of life and death, the emotions arising from death, the images and objects which come to be associated with it, and the philosophies surrounding it.

How we deal with death is a debate that continues to be held throughout our society, not least through the controversial issue of assisted suicide.

This new exhibition offers both an intensely personal look at that process - Edwin’s father (Wim Janssen) died as a result of an assisted suicide at home in the Netherlands in (2000) - but also the much wider issue of the role art can play in mediating issues around life and death.

Speaking of his own experiences, Edwin says, 'My father died through assisted suicide. Dying is a complicated experience in many ways, but for my father this was a good way to go.'

'He was diagnosed with cancer and was given a prediction by doctors that he only had six months to live. That prediction turned out to be correct, but he took control of it towards the end of that period.'

'It was something that he had decided on years before, that this was the way he would like it to be. Before it could go ahead the entire family was consulted and the family doctor was also involved. But it was clear that this was something my father wanted.'

'In the event, the family all gathered around him, said our goodbyes, and he took a drink of the cocktail of drugs that would kill him. The family doctor was in the room throughout the whole time.'

'It was an experience that felt right, but I can’t say it would be for everyone - everyone is different and every situation is different.'

Assisted suicide has been legal in the Netherlands for some years now.

Tracy explains that the exhibition will touch on assisted suicide as part of a wider look at the many issues arising from death and how we deal with it.

'We are looking at how artists can deal with issues of life and death, how they interpret the experiences and emotions arising from it, and also how the debate over these issues is different from country to country, in our case explicitly the difference in approach between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom,' she said.

'Edwin and I returned to Scotland after his father’s death, and not long after that my own father died. This was a hospital experience as opposed to a familial experience at home.'

'It is interesting to see how two societies handle the issues around this completely differently. We are not saying that either of these approaches is right or wrong - this exhibition looks at the differing issues around death, how artists have interpreted this throughout history, how objects and images impact on people’s ideas around death, and the role that art can play in mediating issues around life and death.'

Three new large-scale slide projections will be juxtaposed with historical artworks and wall drawings in the gallery. The exhibition also features wall drawings from the couple’s ongoing series THE JOHN & YOKO DRAWINGS, 2000 - based on a poster made by John Lennon & Yoko Ono for their peace campaign in the early seventies: ‘WAR IS OVER! If you want it, Love and Peace from John and Yoko’. The drawings address a range of social, political and cultural issues.

One slide projection, Life, Death and Beauty: Where Darwin Meets Courbet, (2009), shows a personal collection of art historical and contemporary reproductions and objects, on the theme of life, death and beauty, assembled in the artists’ studio.

The artists will be present in the gallery in a public studio producing work through dialogic reflection on the exhibition and its themes, both visually and through text narrative.

The exhibiton has been funded by the Wellcome Trust, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design Research, and the University of Dundee.

Editors notes

• There are two public events: 3rd February 2009, 1-2pm, extended discussion 2-3pm: Artists’ Talk, Cooper Gallery: a guided tour of the exhibition project - Subject: Artists’ perspectives on mortality: life and death. Tracy Mackenna and Edwin Janssen, artists, in conversation with Lucy Byatt, Head of National Programme, Contemporary Art Society
• 5th February 2009, 2-5pm, Cooper Gallery: SYMPOSIUM - Subject: What role can art play in mediating issues around life and death? Chaired by Dr Anna Notaro, DJCAD, University of Dundee, the speakers include Tracy Mackenna and Edwin Janssen, artists; Mungo Campbell, Deputy Director at the Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery, Glasgow; and Dr Rachel Jones, philosopher, Dept of Philosophy, University of Dundee.
• Tracy Mackenna is Personal Chair of Contemporary Art Practice and Associate Dean of Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University of Dundee, Scotland. Edwin Janssen is Director of the Master of Fine Art Programme at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design. His current PhD study focuses on artist-led curatorial practices, including his own, that explore collections and archives. Since 1997 they have worked collaboratively and have exhibited at venues including Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zürich; Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh; Ikon Gallery, Birmingham; CCA Centre for Contemporary Art, Glasgow. Recent publications include ‘Truth, Error, Opinion’ (Stills, Edinburgh 2009), ‘Shotgun Wedding’ (Atopia Projects, 2007), ‘A Perfect Image of Ourselves’ (CCA Centre for Contemporary Art, Glasgow, 2005).

Cooper Gallery, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design
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