KRISTIAN VON HORNSLETH - ARTIST STATEMENT

How to become a RICH ART COLLECTOR? Hornsleth answers this question with the conviction of a Buddhist, “Buy Hornsleth hang it on your wall and wait 10 years. Today you are investing 10,000 Euro in 10 years it has a value of 500,000 Euro.” This sounds very artistic, doesn’t it? Nevertheless, that is his strategy, buy and believe in me and you will be rich in the future! The last 10 years have proven his declaration, and 10 years later this formula still works.

Hornsleth is a Futilist. Futilism is a method to boost your creativity. Futilism is a method of taking off from what appears to be without meaning and ending up with something meaningful, which is against the classical understanding that takes off from historical empirics. Hornsleth is the creator of his own cult. This cult uses cultural codes that are close to those of Punk, Hip Hop, Philosophy and Hardcore Pornography. He is totally aware of impeding social expectations and attacking personalities of public interest. He uses this consciously to generate publicity, but simultaneously as an expression of antipathy and disgust for social conventions and expectations. Each and every work of art communicates the Hornsleth idea of art and is part of the cult and cult itself.

The New York Times: “This clever Danish artist specializes in the fine art of nipping the hands that feed him.”, NY Times May 20, 2002. Now Hornsleth arrives in L.A. with his Brand New HORN$LETH works for a premiere solo exhibition at ANOTHER YEAR IN L.A. GALLERY.

The work to be shown here is new paintings demonstrating historical European fine art icons blended with Hollywood gloss served ruthlessly chilled and spiced with awful rude disrespectful wording graphic

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CATHY STONE - GALLERY DIRECTOR STATEMENT

Kristian von Hornsleth conjures multiple single issues in his works ranging from clothing and jewelry to multitudes of paintings. Self-referential, the work blasts his name while simultaneously blasting the art world with statements like "Fuck You Art Lovers". The works bearing the blatantly overstated signature coupled with images reflecting the more seedy side of modern culture give a nod to both Warhol and Beuys in their reference to commodification of "POP"ular culture and the signature confirming the validation of "value" itself.

The works are energized with color, image and signature, creating an optic journey spanning social and cultural mores and taboos. Encompassing intense visual dialogue, reflecting humor and pathos, the paintings often play issues against each other, thereby creating a unique explosion of energy and verve.

One could say that the content and titles or the work "Bites the Hand That Feeds" says Hornsleth in his description of the works "Fuck You Art Lovers". The over-the-top sensational aspect or the work creates the opportunity for questioning the nature of "content". In their loose, abstract quality, they can initially be passed over as "one liners" but upon further investigation, the content holds its own, making obvious the investigation and manipulation in both the work and the viewer sharing ground with the likes of Warhol and Beuys which further identifies direction and scope in the work.

Speaking of the time, marking socio-political, gender-bias, social contextualization, all give the work an air of commonality and complexity remarking about the world in which we live through overt juxtapositions/compilations of visuals including poignant text that push the limits of "taste" and appropriation.

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another year in LA is located at 2121 N. San Fernando Road, #13, Los Angeles, CA 90065

Gallery phone: 323-223-4000