JES BRINCH Born 1966 Copenhagen, Married to Vietnamese artist Vũ Thi Trang. EDUCATION Master of Fine Arts (MFA) The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, Denmark 1985 1992. MAJOR ACTIVITIES: ART, TEACHING AND CURATORIAL WORK ART. Artistic work, including production, exhibition, public talks, writing, publication, presentation and dissemination of art and community interaction. In art Jes Brinch uses any media. The primary goal is to experiment and develop new concepts and forms of expression, while questioning and redefining the concept of art, all done in a format that communicates directly and is accessible to the general audience. TEACHING. Jes Brinch considers teaching an extension of his artistic project. Jes Brinch s philosophy of teaching is that art cannot be taught, but must be developed by the individual artist. In the teaching situation Jes Brinch collaborate with the students, both through collective workshops, as well as individual discussion, in an open and non-hierarchical manner, investigating what art is or can be, always searching for new definitions involving the students in the entire process from theory to practice. CURATORIAL WORK. Since the beginning of Jes Brinch s artistic career, Jes Brinch has worked as an artist curator, organising many art shows and cultural events. The ideal is the independent and self-reliant artist, expert in all fields of artistic activity, including theory and practice, as well as presentation, dissemination and promotion of art. ART AND COMMUNICATION For Jes Brinch art is communication. The media is the messenger, not the message. The concept generates the form of artwork. Any media is used uninhibited, both brand new as well as traditional media, and often in atypical combinations. Jes Brinch s production includes installation art, object, light, sound, music, text, pure conceptual work, painting, sculpture, graphic print, t-shirts, posters, anything without limitation. Art is made for the spectator, and Jes Brinch s makes art that is both understandable and entertaining while giving food for thought and intellectual reflection. The art projects are produced from an existential point of view, and take a stand. Art is used as a critical tool to debate and question the values for life that is often taken for granted. Jes Brinch never worked in a linear style, but has made an effort to renew his means of expression. Recently Jes Brinch redefined the classical marble sculpture in a series of works. INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE Jes Brinch is a recognised artist in Denmark, as well as experienced on the international art scene through several exhibitions and projects in Europe, USA and Asia. Jes Brinch has travelled extensively in Nepal and India in 1998 1999, producing art and studying Buddhist culture and art in Tibetan refugee communities, which has given a first hand experience of and genuine understanding of the historical foundations of Asian Buddhist culture. Jes Brinch lived and worked in Vietnam between 2003 and 2010. Jes Brinch speaks adequate Vietnamese. Worked as an independent artist in Hanoi between 2003-2005, in Hoi An 2005-2008, and as artist, organiser and curator of Hanoi Future Art in Hanoi 2008-2010. Vietnam has given Jes Brinch first hand experience of artistic production, cross cultural collaboration, exhibition and dissemination of art in a developing country, under complex and some times adverse conditions for contemporary art practice.
HANOI FUTURE ART is a non-commercial artist initiative for the dissemination and development of experimental art in Hanoi. Hanoi Future Art is a flexible structure for exhibiting experimental art and organizing creative events. The aim is to facilitate a creative cross-cultural dialogue between local and international artists. The majority of the projects has been collaborations between international and local Vietnamese artists, successful in creating cultural meetings, mutual understanding and relevant art projects, that has been received with enthusiasm by both the local Vietnamese audience and the Danish audience. In the period 2008-2009 Hanoi Future Art has presented 14 major exhibition and performance projects, as well as 2 artist talks, 3 video productions, 12 soundtracks, and has published 2 catalogues. PUBLIC ART BURN OUT was a collaboration between Henrik Plenge Jakobsen and Jes Brinch between 1994 and 2000. BURN OUT realised hereto unseen Public Art projects in Copenhagen in 1994, which placed young art from Copenhagen on the international map, and kick started a series of shows of BURN OUT in galleries and museums in Europe and the USA. Jes Brinch has since 2000 continued to do several Public Art projects, exploring the potential for public debate through art. ART & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY is a component of Hanoi Future Art. Art & Technology Laboratory is an experimental laboratory constructed to form a creative meeting point between art and technology. Art & Technology Laboratory organizes collaborations between artists and engineers to establish an interdisciplinary dialogue and guide artists and engineers in practical cooperation and creative thinking. Art & Technology Laboratory has made the production of technically advanced art works possible, integrating kinetics, mechanics, multimedia and experimental art. SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION THROUGH ART Hanoi Future Art has integrated disadvantaged Vietnamese youth in exhibition projects and workshops on equal level with foreign and Vietnamese artists. Successful collaborations has been made with The Blue Dragon Foundation for the Bao luc Violence exhibition. COLLABORATION Jes Brinch considers collaboration the future of art. Collaboration can develop new ideas, new ways of thinking, as well as new artistic expressions and ways of production. Artistic collaboration between fellow artists, as well as collaborations with experts from other fields, such as science, technology, engineering, music, can be mutually stimulating, and generate new ways of thinking and new experience for the parts involved. Jes Brinch has done several collaborations, where the artists have transcended their individual methods of working and personal style in favour of conceptual synthesis and new expressions. Hanoi Future Art was also established in this spirit of collaboration.
CURATORIAL ACTIVITIES Since the beginning of Jes Brinch s artistic career, he has worked as an artist curator, fundraisning and organising art shows and cultural events. Significant curatorial projects included: 1989-1992 Baghuset artist run gallery. Baghuset established a new generation of artists in 1996 Update. This event created a common ground for young art and the underground music scene in Copenhagen 1996, and involved about 100 international artists. 2002 Power to the imagination workshop and public art with 30 participating artists at Moen Island, 2008-2009 Hanoi Future Art. Jes Brinch has an extensive network of Vietnamese, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian as well as European and American artists, art historians and cultural workers, which has been utilized in the cultural exchange work of projects such as Hanoi Future Art. TEACHING EXPERIENCE Jes Brinch have a varied experience teaching art in a wide range of Danish art institutions, from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, to the other major art schools in Denmark, The Copenhagen Technical College s Creative Line as well as in private art schools. As a lecturer Jes Brinch has travelled Denmark extensively, and given lectures on art in the art institutions all over the country. Teaching has been highly prioritized as an extension of Jes Brinch s artistic project and free art practice. Jes Brinch has developed teaching material for conceptual workshops, Idea, execution and result of the art work as well as the teaching manual Here s the recipe: This is how you make good art (Her er opskriften: Sådan laver man god kunst. Publisher: Space Poetry. ISBN 87-7603-078-4). MUSIC PRODUCTION Since 1990 Jes Brinch has been developing electronic music production as an integrated part of his art, including the production of soundtracks for art shows and performances. Jes Brinch defines the genre he works in as Museum Disco, where the intention is to create a welcoming atmosphere that makes the audience want to dance while watching an art show, while at the same time communicating artistic concepts in sound and music. WORKSHOPS AS A CREATIVE TOOL Through Jes Brinch s career he has explored the collective workshop format s pedagogical potential, and has made numerous art exhibition projects utilizing the workshop format as a creative production tool, from collaborations from 1994 and onwards, and most recently as an integral part of Hanoi Future Art s practice. Jes Brinch has experimented with the collective workshop format as a practical teaching tool, collaborating with art students in making exhibition projects within educational institutions.
GRANTS Jes Brinch has experience as a fundraiser for solo- as well as collective art projects. He has received the following major grants: 2009-2011: The National Endowments for the Arts, Denmark 3 year work grant. 2008-2009 Cultural Development and Exchange Fund for Hanoi Future Art. 2006-2008: Danish Arts Council. 2006: Akademiraadets Travelling Fund. 2004: National Endowments for the Arts, 1 year work grant. 1998: Knud Højgaards Fund. 1998: DANIDA s Travel fund. 1995 1998: Center for Contemporary Danish Art. 1994: The Dario Fund. 1991: Hafnia s Travelling Fund. COLLECTIONS Public and private collections of Jes Brinch s artwork: Kunstlaboratoriet Vestfossen Collection, Norway. National Gallery of Denmark, The Engraving Collection. National Endowments for the Arts Collection, Caisse des Dépôts photograph collection. Centre Pompidou - Musée National d Art Moderne, Paris, France. Horsens Art Museum, Kastrupgaardsamlingen, Malmø Art Museum KM2, Sweden. Leif Djurhuus Collection, UPCOMING PROJECTS 2010 Mutant Pop Galleri Loyal, Malmö, Sweden. 2010 Ting (Things) skulpturi.dk, Copenhagen, 2010 Danmarksportræt anno 2010 en guide til nationen for verdens lykkeligste folk (Portrait of Denmark, a guide to the nation of the happiest people in the world), Overgaden Institut for Samtidskunst, Copenhagen, Denmark 2010 Taler til folket (Speeches to the people), Public Art project, Copenhagen, 2010 The Great Illusion Performance project with Erik Pold. Concepts, stage sets and sound by Jes Brinch. Theatre Momentum, Odense, and Dansescenen, Copenhagen, 2010 Exhibition with Vu Thi Trang at Dansescenen Foyer, Copenhagen, SELECTED SOLO SHOWS 2007 The perversions of mechanical normality V1 Gallery, Copenhagen. 2006 DEATH Galleri 21, Malmö, Sweden. 2006 Unlearning reality dissolving self Stalke, Kirke Sonnerup, 2004 Hjemve? (Homesick?). The Royal Danish Embassy, Ha Noi, Viet Nam. 2004 Time to change Stalke Projectroom, Copenhagen, 2001 Death of the family Galleri 21, Malmö, Sweden. 2001 The Boss & Only apparently real The Leisure Club Mogadishni, Copenhagen, 1999 Only apparently real UKS Galleri, Oslo, Norway. 1997 The onearmed poodle Galleri Tommy Lund, Odense, 1997 Funky Groovy Cool Chill Out Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, 1995 Same old useless shit Galleri Tommy Lund, Odense, (Catalog) 1993 You re all dead Galleri Tommy Lund, Odense. 1993 Give the kid a break Galleri Campbells Occasionally, Copenhagen, 1993 Who am I? I am you Hollerups Kunsthandel, Copenhagen, 1991 Naked Mind Baghuset Galleri, Copenhagen, 1991 Welcome to my nightmare Rum 91*92, Copenhagen, 1990 Krasnapolsky, Copenhagen, 1989 Husets Galleri, Copenhagen. 1988 Baghuset Galleri, Copenhagen. 1987 Rådskælderen, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen,
COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN JES BRINCH & HENRIK PLENGE JAKOBSEN (BURN OUT) 2006 Peintres de la vie moderne Modern-life painters - Donation - Caisse des Dépôts photograph collection. Centre Pompidou - Musée National d Art Moderne, Paris, France. 2000 Viva Scanland Catalyst Arts, Belfast, Ireland. 1999 Under the same sky Kiasma, Helsinki, Finland. 1999 Skandaler Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Aarhus, 1998 Untitled Artspace, Sydney, Australia. 1998 Sickly sweet BCA. London, England. 1998 ONTOM Gallerei für Zeitgennössiche Kunst, Leipzig, Germany. 1998 Hvis det var mig der kom til et fremmed sted Public Art project, Aarhus. 1998 Vieanna beef Bricks and kicks, Vienna, Austria. 1998 Untitled Centre Nationale de la Photographie, Paris, France. 1997 Human Conditions Kunsthall, Helsinki, Finland. (Catalogue) 1997 Overdrive Kunsthaus Glarus, Volksgarten, Switzerland. 1997 Transit Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris, France. (Cat.) 1997 Sex snack n pop Titanik, Turku, Finland. 1996 Traffic CAPC, Bordeaux, France. (Cat.) 1996 Crap shoot De Appel, Amsterdam, Holland. (Cat.) 1996 City Space Public art project in Copenhagen, (Cat.) 1996 Shopping Public Art project organised by Deitch projects in New York, USA. (Cat.) 1996 The Scream Arken, Museum of Modern Art, Ishoj, Denmark (Cat.) 1995 Daycare-center AC project room, New York, USA. 1994 Burn out - Kindergarten Gallery Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, 1994 Burn out - Parking Public Art project, Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen, COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN JES BRINCH & PER ELBKE 2007 The Human Mind. Human consciousness seen from within Installation at a temporary exhibition space, Copenhagen, COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN JES BRINCH & MADS STEEN 2000 The Bastard and the bitch Momentum 2000, Moss, Norway. 1999 Hvad vil du bruge dit liv til? (What do you want to use your life for?) OTTO, Copenhagen, 1998 Caught in the act Bicycle thieves Chicago Project Room, Chicago, USA. 1998 Undskyld Hr. Frikadelle (Sorry Mr. Meatball) Frederiks bastion, Copenhagen. (With Peter Holmgård & Sofie Thorsen) 1997 Den Skøre Skov (The crazy forest) Copenhagen, (With Peter Holmgård & Sofie Thorsen) SELECTED GROUP SHOWS 2010 To the road less travelled V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, 2009 The Noble Savage Eric Andersen, Dorte Krogh and Jes Brinch. Hanoi Future Art 023. Hanoi, Vietnam and www.torpedo18.dk, Copenhagen, 2009 Hear the grass grow Eric Andersen, Dorte Krogh and Jes Brinch. Hanoi Future Art 022. Hanoi, Vietnam. 2009 Flowers of Spring with Vu Thi Trang. Hanoi Future Art 012. Hanoi, Vietnam. 2008 WHAT? Hanoi Future Art 001, Hanoi, Vietnam. 2008 The gun and the girls Hanoi Future Art 002, Hanoi, Vietnam. 2008 The Destruction of Atlantis Union, London, England. 2008 Every body counts Kunstlaboratoriet, Vestfossen, Norway. 2008 Eyesore V1 Gallery, Kopenhagen, Denmark 2007 MAD LOVE Young Danish art in private collections Arken Museum, 2007 Oh My God! Kunstlaboratoriet, Vestfossen, Norway. 2006 Nordiske spor Galleri Trafo, Norway. 2004 24 hour exhibition Curator Phi Cuong s house, Ha Noi, Viet Nam. 2004 Tusindfryd Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium, Norway. 2004 Drunk vs. stoned General Store, Milwaukee & Gavin Browns Enterprise, N.Y., USA. 2003 De bortbjudna Malmö Art Museum is visiting Rooseum Rooseum Center for Contemporary Art, Malmö, Sweden.
SELECTED GROUP SHOWS CONTINUED 2001 Alphabet Alfa & Omega Public Art Project in Aarhus, 1999 CAPITAL ART Kunstverein KX, Hamburg, Germany. 1999 Laterna Nordica AIFACS, New Delhi, India. 1999 Pop op Holstebro Art Museum, 1999 Le Grand Praemiere Opening Show Gallery Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, 1997 Political Art Kørners Kontor, Copenhagen, 1997 The End Gallery Christian Dam, Copenhagen, 1995 Fan Också (Damn), Forumgalleriet, Malmö, Sweden. 1995 One Night Stand Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo, Norway. 1994 Something s wrong Nikolaj Copenhagen Contempoary Art Center, Copenhagen, 1994 Glass Box Malmö Art Museum, KM2, Malmö, Sweden. 1994 No Vacancies Austellungsraum Hannau Landerstrasse, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. 1994 Weirdos Jes Brinch curated the group show in SAGA Basement, Copenhagen, 1993 Opening show Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, 1993 Strange Hotel Aarhus Art Museum, Aarhus, 1993 Praktisk Avantgarde Herning Art Museum, 1992 Inferno The National Museum of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, 1992 Baghuset Aarhus Art Museum, Aarhus, 1991 Gadetegn Public Art Billboard-project, Copenhagen, 1991 Gallery Artists Baghuset Gallery, Copenhagen, 1991 Baghuset Stalke out of space, Stockholm Art Fair, Sweden. 1991 Rivegilde Nikolaj Copenhagen Contempoary Art Center, Copenhagen, 1991 Edition Benveniste Baghuset Gallery, Copenhagen, and Horsens Art Museum, 1990 Trafiklyrik Public Art project by BIZ-Art, Copenhagen, 1990 Luxury Culture Sophienholm, Lyngby, 1989 Overgaden, Exhibition Space for Contemporary Danish Art, Copenhagen, 1986 Blindtarm Husets udstillinger, Copenhagen, TEACHING ACTIVITIES 2007 The Workshop for Photography, Copenhagen. 2006 The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Graphics, Copenhagen, Denmark 2006 Samværk (Collaborative work) Exhibition and workshop made with the students of The Copenhagen Technical College Creative Line, Copenhagen, 2002 Workshop with the students of The Copenhagen Technical College Creative Line, resulting in the exhibition project Far (Dad), Copenhagen, 2002 The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, 2002 Teacher and workshop organiser at The School of Photography, Nørrebro, Copenhagen, 2001 Directing the conceptual workshop, Idea, execution and result of the art work at The Copenhagen Technical College Creative Line, Copenhagen, 2001 Teacher and workshop organiser at The School of Photography, Nørrebro, Copenhagen, 1999 Substitute professor at the sculpture department, Frederiks Holms Kanal, at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Directing a one month collaborative workshop with the students, including theoretical discussions, lectures and practical collaboration, resulting in the exhibition party project Flad og glad (Broke and happy), Copenhagen, 1995 2002 Extensive lecturing at Art Schools in Denmark, including The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, The Copenhagen Technical College, The Danish Design School, Odense Academy of Arts, The Jutland Academy of Fine Arts, The Art School of Jutland, Holbæk Kunsthøjskole, Art History Department at Aarhus University and Den Grønne Daghøjskole.
HANOI FUTURE ART was established in 2008 by Danish artist Jes Brinch and Vietnamese artist Vu Thi Trang. EXHIBITIONS AND PROJECTS AT HANOI FUTURE ART HFA 001 WHAT? Exhibition by Ngyuen Khe (VN), Phuong Vu Manh (VN), Robert A. Mody (SE) and Jes Brinch (DK) at Hanoi Future Art, Hanoi, Vietnam 2008. HFA 002 THE GUN AND THE GIRLS. Exhibition by Phuong Vu Manh (VN) and Jes Brinch (DK) 2008. HFA 003 T-shirt edition by Jes Brinch (DK) 2008. HFA 004 T-shirt edition by Nguyen Khe (VN) 2008. HFA 005 T-shirt edition by Phuong Vu Manh (VN) 2008. HFA 006 WHAT? soundtrack by Jes Brinch (DK). Voices of Nguyen Khe (VN), Phoung Vu Manh (VN) and Kirk Evans (US) 2008. HFA 007 MANKIND S CRAZY AMBITIONS. Exhibition by Vuong Linh Dan (VN), Nguyen Hong Nhung (VN) and Jon Stahn (DK)2008. HFA 008 MAGICIAN IS ME. T-shirt edition by Vuong Linh Dan( VN) and Nguyen Hong Nhung (VN) 2008. HFA 009 TO MUCH TELEVISION. T-shirt edition by Jon Stahn (DK)2008. HFA 010 MANKIND S CRAZY AMBITIONS soundtrack by Jon Stahn (DK) and Jes Brinch (DK). Voices of Vuong Linh Dan (VN), Nguyen Hong Nhung (VN) and Jon Stahn (DK) 2008. HFA 011 THE GREAT ILLUSION. Post-modern theatre in times of media overload. Lecture by Erik Pold (DK) 2009. HFA 012 FLOWERS OF SPRING. Exhibition by Vu Thi Trang (VN) and Jes Brinch (DK)2009. HANOI FUTURE ART 013 FLOWERS OF SPRING soundtrack by Jes Brinch (DK) 2009. HFA 014 TRI TUE RAC / TRASH MIND. Performance and video by Le Van Son (VN), Le Nguyen Manh (VN) & Christian Falsnaes (DK)2009. HFA 015 TRI TUE RAC / TRASH MIND. DVD with video documentation of TRASH MIND. 2009. HFA 016 ĐỔ VỠ / INTO PIECES Performance and video by Pham Hoai Anh (VN), Vu Thi Trang (VN), Ehrin Macksey (US) & Vuong Bich Ngoc (VN). 2009. HFA 017 THE PARTY Nguyen Van Ho (VN), Ylva Landoff Lindberg (SE), Nguyen Tu Ha (VN), Radek Stypczynski (SE) & Le Nguyen Manh (VN). 2009. HFA 018 BUSINESS AS USUAL / BUON BAN BINH THUONG Vuong Bich Ngoc, Søren Thilo Funder (DK), Pham Hoai Anh (VN), Anne Bennike (DK), Nguyen Minh Dieu Huong (VN) & Theis Wendt (DK). Curated by Toke Lykkeberg (DK) 2009. HFA 019 SONG HONG / RED RIVER Pham Ngoc Duong (VN), Le Huy Hoang (VN), TSC Tempest (AUS), Ursula Nistrup (DK), Karoline H. Larsen (DK), Henrik L. Jørgensen (DK), Bettina Camilla Vestergaard (DK), Daniel Svarre (DK) 2009. HFA 020 SONG HONG / RED RIVER T-shirt edition 2009. HFA 021 THE REAL TRUE STORY A lesson by Eric Andersen. 2009. HFA 022 HEAR THE GRASS GROW Eric Andersen., Dorte Krogh and Jes Brinch. September 25. October 9. 2009. HFA 023 THE NOBLE SAVAGE Eric Andersen., Dorte Krogh and Jes Brinch. Project collaboration between Hanoi Future Art and Torpedo18, Copenhagen, (www.torpedo18.dk) 2009. HFA 024 HEAR THE GRASS GROW T-shirt edition 2009. HFA 025 CHEEKY MONEY LUCKY MOUNTAIN Giang Thi Chi, Giang Thi Say, Ly Thi Za, LyLy Thi & Ingen Frygt as Black Frygt H mong. Soundtrack by Lonley Boy Choir 2009. HFA 026 ĐẢO GIẢ / THE FAKE ISLAND Malene Bang, Ly Thi Vu & Zven Balslev 2009. HFA 027 ĐẢO GIẢ T-shirt edition 2009. HFA 028 BẠO LỰC VIOLENCE Nguyen My Ngoc (VN), Nguyen Thi Chau Giang (VN), Ngo Phuong Hanh (VN), Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai (VN), Le Thi Thanh Truc (VN), Sandrine Llouquet (FR), and Vu Thi Trang (VN). Anne Bennike (DK) & Nguyen Minh Dieu Huong (VN). Giang Thi Chi (VN), Giang Thi Say (VN), Ly Thi Za (VN), Lyly Thi (VN) and Ingen Frygt as Black Frygt H mong. Curated by Vu Thi Trang 2009. HFA 029 BẠO LỰC T-shirt edition by Ngo Phuong Hanh2009. HFA 030 BẠO LỰC T-shirt edition by Sandrine Llouquet 2009. HFA 031 BẠO LỰC VIOLENCE. Documentary by Vu Thi Trang. Interviews with 5 Vietnamese women about their lives 2009. HFA 032 BẠO LỰC VIOLENCE Catalog. 2010. CATALOG HANOI FUTURE ART. Catalog documenting Hanoi Future Art s activities 2008-2009. Published 2010.
T H E R O Y A L D A N I S H A C A D E M Y O F F I N E A R T S SCHOOLS OF VISUAL ARTS Copenhagen 24-11-2009 Recommendation Jes Brinch has since the late 80's been a highly influential experimental artist in Danish context. His work, thoughts and actions have had a deep impact on the works of both artist of his own generations and younger generations. His work and his general approach towards art have been radically communicative both in formal aesthetics and in value. His obvious pedagogical qualifications are deeply rooted within his artistic thinking, and are derived from a profound artistic responsibility towards thinking and society. I am more than convinced that any Art institution with contemporary ambitions would benefit highly from Jes Brinch's involvement and energy. He has the capacity to introduce all the radical aspects of contemporary art in any situation. Yours sincerely Martin Erik Andersen Professor The Sculpture Department Charlottenborg K O N G E N S N Y T O R V 1 D K 1 0 5 0 C O P E N H A G E N K D E N M A R K T E L. + 4 5 3 3 7 4 4 6 4 0 F A X + 4 5 3 3 7 4 4 6 6 4 E M A I L m a r t i n. e r i k. a n d e r s e n @ k u n s t a k a d e m i e t. d k
THE ROYAL DANISH ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS SCHOOLS OF VISUAL ARTS Copenhagen, December 2, 2009 Recommendation I have known Jes Brinch many years as an artist colleague. He has a rich experience from working as an artist in Asia and is a very good organiser of exhibitions and cultural exchange projects through Hanoi Future Art. Jes Brinch s groundbreaking work has even been noticed in Scandinavia. Even though Jes Brinch has been living in Asia for more than 6 years, he has maintained a strong base in Scandinavian art. He has an extensive network of Danish, Swedish and Norwegian artists, art historians and cultural workers, who has been used well in the cultural exchange work of Hanoi Future Art. Jes Brinch s philosophy of teaching is that art cannot be taught, but must be developed by the individual artist. In the teaching method, he prefers a situation, where he collaborates with the students, which means both through collective workshops, as well as individual discussion in an open and non-hierarchical manner. Investigating what art is or can be, is always a searching for new definitions. Among the students of the Danish art schools he has a reputation for being a dedicated teacher, who has ability to communicate on the student s conditions, and teach through discussions and collaborations among equals. Best regards, Anette Abrahamsson Professor Head of Department The Royal Danish Academy of fine arts Schools of Visual Arts KONGENS NYTORV 1. DK 1050 COPENHAGEN K. DENMARK. TEL. +45 33 74 46 03 FAX +45 33 74 46 64. E-MAIL grethe.knudsen@kunstakademiet.dk Official mailbox bks@kunstakademiet.dk. VAT No. DK 11887317
Note: Eric Andersen is a Danish artist recognised worldwide, and one of the founders of the FLUXUS network. His groundwork from 1957 and onwards has laid the foundation for later generation of artists work with Inter Media Art, Experimental Music, Installation Art and Performance Art. (Note By Jes Brinch.)
Barcelona 2009-12-16 Re.: Letter of recommendation for Jes Brinch To whom it may concern, In order to briefly introduce myself, I am an art historian, critic and curator based in Copenhagen and Barcelona. As a curator, I have co-curated exhibitions such as Momentum the Nordic Biennial of Contemporary Art (Moss, 1998), Populism (Stedelijk Museum, Frankfurter Kunstverein a.o., 2005) and A History of Irritated Material (Raven Row, London 2010). As a critic, I am a regular contributor to publications such as Artforum International, Frieze and Afterall, and my books include the monographs Sture Johannesson (Lukas & Sternberg, Berlin and New York 2002) and Palle Nielsen s The Model. A Model for a Qualitative Society (MACBA, Barcelona 2010). It is my pleasure to write in recommendation of Jes Brinch. Brinch s visual production has, since his early debut in the 1980s, made a profound and lasting impact on the Danish art scene. It is not too much to say that his practice has been a reference point for several generations of artists, at the same time as his work has gained popularity to become familiar to many ordinary museum visitors. At the outset of his career he was among a new generation of artists who introduced strategies of post-conceptualism and appropriation art, and he has done so with an unmistakable satirical edge that always lends his work a dimension of urgent critical awareness and social commentary. His inclusion in Nicolas Bourriaud s Traffic (CAPC Bordeaux, 1995) the exhibition with which Bourriaud launched his seminal concept of relational aesthetics testifies to the recognition that Brinch s work enjoys internationally. Brinch s work is included in several museum collections and has recently been the subject of art historical scrutiny, for example in Rune Gade and Camilla Jalving s art history of contemporary art in the 1990s and beyond, Nybrud ( New Beginnings, Aschehoug, Copenhagen 2006). While there is no doubt about the historical stature of Brinch s work, he has throughout his career continuously sought new challenges in art teaching, curating and gallery organising. His enthusiasm about teaching at different academic levels and in various formats (art school workshops, lectures and studio visits) is one of a kind, and his sociable and outspoken nature ensures that he doesn t bow down to sedentary pedagogic principles, but always relates to the students by seeking out the creative potential that inheres between people in a given situation. Since he initiated it in 2008, Brinch has run Hanoi Future Art, an experimental art centre that focuses on collaborations between Vietnamese and international artists. Here his capacity for organisation and for bringing people together has resulted in a number of exhibitions and projects that have made their mark on a context that lies outside of the beaten track of an otherwise globalised art world. I can warmly recommend Jes Brinch to teaching and advisory positions in colleges and art schools. Please don t hesitate to get in touch on any of the below numbers or addresses if you need any further information from me. Yours sincerely, Lars Bang Larsen Riera Alta 54, 3., 2a 08001Barcelona Spain larsbanglarsen@yahoo.com T. +45 2711 2099