Florian Slotawa

International and National Projects Winter 2009

MoMA PS1

Sunday 22 February 2009 to Monday 14 September 2009
First solo New York exhibition of work by Berlin-based conceptual artist Florian Slotawa. Rather than creating new objects from scratch, Florian Slotawa rearranges and recontextualizes what already exists. In his artworks Slotawa assembles and arranges furniture and everyday objects in elaborate compositions that respond to the rooms and spaces in which they are presented.

In his exhibition located in the 2nd floor Mini Kunsthalle, Slotawa creates the twelfth in a series of works he began in 1996, called Besitzarbeiten, or “property works.” Most of the contents from his Berlin apartment, including his washing machine, dining table, wardrobe and kitchen sink, have been transported into the gallery, leaving the apartment absent of key appliances and furniture. Within the exhibition these personal objects are recast within the public realm, as they provide the material for a work of art. Slotawa adds new dimensions to familiar objects, creating a relationship between the artist and the institution of the museum. These possessions are neither altered or damaged, and will be returned to their original location for everyday use after the exhibition.

Florian Slotawa (b. 1972, Rosenheim, Germany) lives and works in Berlin. He has had solo exhibitions including Solothurn aussen, Kunstverein Solothurn, Switzerland (2008); One After the Other Arthouse, Austin (2007); Modern Art, London (2006); and Haus am Waldsee, Berlin (2005). His work has been included in group shows including Made in Germany (2007) at the Sprengel Museum in Hannover; and Of Mice and Men: The 4th Biennial for Contemporary Art (2006) in Berlin.

Location

MoMA PS1
22-25 Jackson Ave at the intersection of 46th Ave Long Island City
New York Precinct
New York
United States
Furniture stacked together in middle of room
Pier and Ocean (2009)
© All rights reserved Florian Slotawa 2008 United States
Mixed media. Dimensions variable. Photo: Matthew Septimus. Courtesy P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center.