Julian Rosefeldt
born in 1965 in Munich, Germany
works and lives in Berlin
The artist has made a name for himself with lavishly produced 16mm and 35mm films. Projected onto several screens to create a panorama-like effect, his films carry the viewer off into a surreal, theatrical world whose inhabitants are caught in the structures and rituals of everyday life. In what are probably his best known film installations, Trilogie des Scheiterns (Trilogy of Failure, 2004–2005), Rosefeldt dealt with universal themes like the absurdity of human existence, approaching them with slapstick humour and plumbing their deeper philosophical meaning. His most recent film installation American Night takes on decidedly more political issues: Using the stylistic devices of the Western genre, he deconstructs the myth of the founding of America and relates it to the hegemonic ambitions of recent US foreign policy. Like his earlier works, this latest work is rife with biting satirical humour.
Almost all his works are characterised by their complex interweaving of several dimensions of reality, a device he uses to expose the production process. In American Night and The Soundmaker (Trilogy of Failure, Part 1, 2004), for example, he has the camera zoom out so far in an extreme long shot that the film set comes into view. Thus, his films are also always a homage to the medium of film and a reflection on the construction of fictional narratives using cinematographic and iconographic means.
Besides participating in numerous international group exhibitions he presented solo shows in galleries and art institutions worldwide, e.g. 2010/11 at DA2 DOMUS ARTIUM 2001, at Salamanca, the BFI London (2010) at the Berlinische Galerie (2010) at the Kunstmuseum Bonn (2009), Platform China Contemporary Art Institute, Beijing (2007); Haus der Kunst, Munich (2005), Kunst-Werke Berlin (2004); Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin (2002); and the Herzliya Museum of Art, Tel Aviv, Israel (2001). His film Lonely Planet, for which he received the Filmstiftung NRW Award in the international competition of the KunstFilmBiennale Köln in 2007, has been shown at the „Cinéma Prospectif“ of the Centre Pompidou in Paris (2009).
EXHIBITIONS:
10.06. – 27.08.10
Julian Rosefeldt
“Photo Works”
at ARNDT, Berlin
29.4. - 30.5.2010
“Changing The World”
Group exhibition wirh works by Erik Bulatov, Sophie Calle, William Cordova, Wim Delvoye, Anton Henning, Thomas Hirschhorn, Ilya und Emilia Kabakov, Jitish Kallat, Jon Kessler, Karsten Konrad, Julije Knifer, Enrique Martinez Celaya, Josephine Meckseper, Vik Muniz, Muntean Rosenblum, Julian Rosefeldt, Charles Sandison, Dennis Scholl, Nedko Solakov, Hiroshi Sugito, Ena Swansea, Mathilde Ter Heijne, Keith Tyson, Ralf Ziervogel
at ARNDT, Berlin
02.05.–16.05.2009
Julian Rosefeldt
"American Night"
Arndt & Partner, Berlin, Halle am Wasser
CATALOGUE AVAILABLE
20.4. - 16.05.2008
Julian Rosefeldt
"The Ship of Fools"
Solo exhibitionat Arndt & Partner,Berlin
30.05. – 22.06.2006
Julian Rosefeldt
“Lonely Planet”
at Arndt & Partner, Berlin
03.02. – 10.03.2005
Julian Rosefeldt
“The Soundmaker“
at Arndt & Partner, Zurich
Further books and catalogues:
FILM WORKS
ASYLYM
Julian Rosefeldt, The Soundmaker, 2004, 3-channel film installation, filmed on super 16mm, transferred on DVD, 16:9, loop 37 min, edition of 6 + 2 AP, installatin view "Sonambiente", Akademie der Künste, Berlin, 2006 Premiere at the Jewish Museum Berlin: Meine Heimat ist ein dunkles wolkenverhangenes Land
Julian Rosefeldt, My home is a dark and cloud-hung land, 2011, 4-channel film installation, HD, transfered to HD-SR and BluRay disc, Aspect ratio 16:9, Loop ca. 30 min
On the occasion of the group exhibition "How German is it?" at the Jewish Museum Berlin the new four-channel film installaton „My home is a dark and cloud-hung land" by Julian Rosefeldt will be on view. The exhibition runs from from 16 September 2011to 29 January 2012.
30 Artists' Notion of Home
Celebrating Ten Years of the Jewish Museum Berlin
The exhibition "How German is it?" shows works by 30 artists on topics such as family and collective memories, national myths, religion and experiences of migration. Room installations, video- and filmworks, photo series, paintings and graphic prints will be presented. Among the artists are Via Lewandowsky, Julian Rosefeldt, Paul Brody, Arnold Dreyblatt, Misha Shenbrot, Anny and Sibel Öztürk and Raffael Rheinsberg and Lilly Engel, who have been commissioned to produce pieces for this exhibition.
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Group show "Star Voyager" at acmi, Melbourne
22 September 2011- 29 January 2012
Journey through the fact and fiction of space exploration from Fritz Lang to the moon landing, to Star Trek and Avatar.
ACMI presents the world premiere of Star Voyager: Exploring Space on Screen, a major exhibition charting the history and future of space exploration as experienced through the moving image.
From early films by Fritz Lang and Georges Méliès, through to footage of the 1969 moon landing and recent films such as the Alien series, Moon and Sunshine, the moving image has allowed us to experience what most of us can only dream of.
Combining scientific and documentary footage with feature films and video artwork, the Star Voyager exhibition celebrates an enduring fascination with space travel through the imaginations of artists, scientists and astronauts.
Enjoy a rare opportunity to see real NASA artefacts used in space plus film production materials, including costumes from Star Trek, Austin Powers and Total Recall. The exhibition also features an exciting new work, developed here in Melbourne, allowing visitors to explore the surface of Mars in 3D.
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"American Night" at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (acmi) in Melbourne from 21 June to 31 July 2011
Julian Rosefeldt, American Night (II -VII)2009, 2009, from the film: American Night (set of 9 motives), framed each 55 x 90 cm | 21.65 x 35.43 in
Exhibition runs Tuesday 21 June – Sunday 31 July, 2011
A five channel installation that embraces the conventions of the Western film genre, American Night (2009) deconstructs the myths surrounding the foundation of America and offers a scathing commentary on recent US foreign policy.
Entry is free. For further information visit www.acmi.net.au
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Solo exhibition at DA2 DOMUS ARTIUM 2002, Salamanca
Julian Rosefeldt, Making Of (The Ship of Fools), 2007, lightjet print from the film: The Ship of Fools, framed 60 x 80 cm | 23.62 x 31.5 in, edition of 6 + 2 AP
EXHIBTION EXTENDED UNTIL 06 MARCH 2011!
7 October 2010 - 16 January 2011
Julian Rosefeldt's films carry the viewer away into a surreal, theatrical world whose inhabitants are caught in the structures and rituals of everyday life. Despite their enigmatic subject matter and the precision of their production, Rosefeldt’s films are charged with slapstick and satire.
In “Making Of” eight film installations by Julian Rosefeldt will be accompanied by 40 photographic works, illustrating his opulent film work created since 2001. The exhibition sheds light on central themes and motifs, and traces the development of the artist’s oeuvre.
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"American Night" at BFI London, until 6 November 2010
Julian Rosefeldt's film installation 'American Night' | BFI London, until 6 November 2010
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JULIAN ROSEFELDT is the winner of this year’s Vattenfall Contemporary 2010
The prize is assigned in cooperation with the Berlinische Galerie, Berlin, and includes not only an acquisition by the art collection of Vattenfall but also considers a solo exhibition with the artist at the Berlinische Galerie accompanied by a publication. The opening of the exhibition and the award ceremony takes place on Friday, 30 April 2010 at 7 p.m. at the Berlinische Galerie
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