Christian Falsnaes

Christian Falsnaes (born 1980) is a Danish artist living and working in Berlin, Germany.

Education Falsnaes studied philosophy in Copenhagen from 2001 to 2003. After a short stay in Zurich, he went to Vienna and studied from 2005 to 2011 at the Academy of Fine Arts under Daniel Richter, Peter Kogler and Constanze Ruhm.

Career Before his art studies, Falsnaes made performances and interactions in the public space using his background as a graffiti painter. Since 2009, he has developed performances based on a pre-written script. In the beginning, he played a central role in motivating the public to actively participate in the action. "Through the active involvement, the viewer should cross personal boundaries, overcome them and feel the moment of liberation and change. Falsnaes said in an interview : "When I involve the viewer in the process of art production, it is also about sharing all of this, instead of showing the result of my private artistic process."

The study of authority, hierarchies, social and, above all, pop-cultural rituals is an integral part of his art.

"Working with the structure of power, or with group dynamics, is in itself political. It is not so much about people following or responding in a certain way, but about making the audience aware of how certain rituals affect them. "Christian Falsnaes

In his more recent work Falsnaes withdrew physically from the actions. The instructions to the audience are now provided by means of headphones, loudspeakers, or by employed "instructors". Often, his performances are performed as "female versions", in which the earlier role of Falsnaes is taken over by a female performer. He often mixes himself among the audience and participates as a spectator. Through this withdrawal an additional authority transfer takes place, involving the public even more in his art. Many performances are documented in video recordings and the main part of these recordings have been well planned out in advance and live on as independent video works. There are, however, also works of art arising from the actions, such as canvases painted by the audience according to the artist's instructions. This includes "surface memory" where a freshly painted canvas is smeared onto the walls in a public space leaving behind an abstract wall work as well as an altered canvas.

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions (selection) 2016: Front, Yarat Contemporary Art Space, Baku 2016:Thousand Faces, Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen 2016: First, 1646, The Hague 2016: Many, Juan & Patricia Vergez Collection, Buenos Aires 2016: Available, Kunstverein Braunschweig 2015: Front (Kareth Schaffer), KIOSK, Gent 2015:The title is your name, Bielefelder Kunstverein, Bielefeld 2015: Available, Kunstverein Braunschweig, Braunschweig 2014: Performance Works, PSM, Berlin 2014: Art Basel Statements, Art Basel, Basel 2013: Formations of bodies - Opening, KW Institute of Contemporary Art, Berlin 2013:One, DREI, Cologne 2011: ELIXIR, PSM, Berlin 2011: Existing Things, OSLO10, Basel 2011: Fulfilling Your Expectations, Rohde Contemporary, Copenhagen 2010:There and Back, Skånes Konstförening, Malmö, Sweden 2008:Rational Animal, Niederösterreiches Museum, Vienna

Group exhibitions (selection) 2016: Conditions of Political Choreography, CCA, Tel Aviv 2016:20 Years, Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich 2016:The gestural, 21'er Haus, Vienna 2016: Head to Head, Castlefield Gallery, Manchester 2016: Today's Art Festival, The Hague 2016: Take Up Your Space, KAI10 / Arthena Foundation, Düsseldorf 2016: Manifesta 11, Zurich 2016: Im Raum mit, BNKR, Munich 2016: Stellung nehmen, Kestnergesellschaft, Hannover 2015:Preis der Nationalgalerie, Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin 2015: Extension du domaine du jeu, Centre Pompidou, Paris 2015: The city is the star, ZKM | Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe 2015: Destination Wien, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna 2015: History is a warm gun, n.b.k. Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Berlin 2015: Life in a Castle. Works from the Collection, Musée départemental d'art contemporain de Rochechouart 2015: European Media Art Festival, Kunsthalle Osnabrück 2015: More Konzeption conception now, Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen 2015: The Lulennial - a slight gestuary, Lulu, Mexico City 2015: 30 + 30 retro/ perspektiv, Museum für Neue Kunst, Freiburg 2014:Reykjavik Dance Festival, Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik 2014: Public, Art Basel / Miami Beach 2014: Performance proletarians, MAGASIN - Centre National d’art Contemporain de Grenoble 2014: Vertigo of reality, Akademie der Künste, Berlin 2014: Vor Ort, Bielefelder Kunstverein, Bielefeld 2014: Maldives Exodus Caravan Show, Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts, New Zealand 2014: Is it Y(ours)?, Museum Bärengasse, Zurich 2014: Now and again – Performance for video, Fotografisk Center, Copenhagen 2013: Ihre Geschichte(n), Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn 2013: Gelatin - Stop - Anna Ly Sing - Stop, Schinkel Pavilion, Berlin 2013: Maldives Exodus Caravan Show, Serra dei Giardini, Venice 2013: Grundfrage (Question Fondamentale), Crac Alsace, Altkirch 2013: Regionalismus, Salzburger Kunstverein, Salzburg 2013: Enten/Eller, Nikolaj Contemporary Art Centre, Copenhagen 2013: Entweder/oder, Haus am Waldsee, Berlin

Awards 2017: Future Generation Art Prize (shortlist) 2015: Preis der Nationalgalerie (shortlist) 2015: Prix K-Way Per4m 2008: H13 Prize for Performance 2008: International Prize for Performance (shortlist)

Press 2016: АРТ-ТЕРАПИЯ, Баку Журнал, Baku Magazine 2016: Christian Falsnaes, Artist's Favorites, Spike Art Quarterly 2016: Christa Sigg, Der Animateur, ART Das Kunstmagazin 2016: Arielle Bier, The Audience is Present, SEEK magazine 2016: Raimar Stange, Das direkte Verhältnis von Kunst und Publikum, Kunstforum 2016: Sofie Crabbe, Move!, Metropolis M 2016: Raimar Stange, Gegen die Angst, Polar Zeitschrift für Kultur 2015: Annika Reith, Ohne dich gibt es kein Werk, Spex 2015: Marcus Woeller, Kontrollierte Gruppendynamik, Die Welt 2015: Camilla Stockmann, Jeg vil nedbryde afstanden, Politiken 2015: Kito Nedo, Christian Falsnaes, Art Das Kunstmagazin 2015: Sabrina Schleichler, Am Puls der Zeit, Kunstzeitung 2015: Ingeborg Wiensowski, Übernehmen sie die Kontrolle!, Kultur SPIEGEL 2015: Noemi Smolik, Focus: Christian Falsnaes, Frieze 2015: Peter Funken, Schwindel der Wirklichkeit, Kunstforum 2015: Raimar Stange, Angst und Konfliktbereit(et), Kunstforum 2015: Jahresrückblick - Kunstwerk des Jahres, Monopol 2015: Raimar Stange, Christian Falsnaes - Performance Works, ArtReview 2014: Angela Hohmann, Papier muss brennen, Tagesspiegel 2014: Eva Scharrer, Sie verlassen jetzt die Komfortzone!, artmagazine.cc 2014: Lotte Løvholm, Rub your body against a stranger, Kopenhagen.dk 2014: Josie Thaddeus-Johns, The audience is my material: Christian Falsnaes, Sleek Magazine 2014: Julia Halperin, Performance: Do you buy it?, The art newspaper 2014: Marcus Woeller, Und Abends mit die Skulpturen nach Hause gehen, Die Welt 2014: Boris Pofalla, Watchlist: Christian Falsnaes, Monopol 2014: Noemi Smolik, Christian Falsnaes - One (review), Artforum 2014: Raimar Stange, Highlights: Christian Falsnaes, Kaleidoscope 2014: Fanny Gonella, Social construction - Conversation with Christian Falsnaes, Dust Magazine 2014: Raimar Stange, On art and theatricality in Berlin, ArtReview 2014: Maike Müller, Abgewetzt durch Zeit und Pragmatismus (review), Monopol online 2013: Sabrina Schleicher, Singen, Summen, Tanzen, Kunstzeitung 2013: Raimar Stange, Yes we can! Zur Kraft politischer Performances, artist Kunstmagazin 2013: Anne Kohlik, Das Vermächtnis der Frauen im Kunstbetrieb, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 2013: Almuth Spiegler, Starter: Christian Falsnaes, ART - Das Kunstmagazin 2012: Love and security (Artist feature), Tissue Magazine 2012: Kulturpalast, ZDF Kultur 2012: Carson Chan, Express yourself - Portrait: Christian Falsnaes, Spike Art Quarterly 2012: John Beeson, Performance and authority (review), Spike Art Quarterly

Catalogues Christian Falsnaes - ELIXIR, Distanz How to frame - On the Threshold of Performing and Visual Arts, Sternberg Press History is a Warm Gun, n.b.k., Berlin, Verlag Walther König Vertigo of Reality, ex.cat., Verlag Walther König The Lulennial: A Slight Gestuary, ex.cat, Mousse Publishing 30/30 retro/perspektiv, ex.cat. Museum für Neue Kunst Freiburg, 2015 More Konzeption Conception now, ex.cat, Kettler Verlag, 2015 One, ex.cat, DREI, Cologne Søren Kierkegaard Entweder/oder, ex.cat., Verlag Walther König, 2013 H13 Preis für Performance 2007 - 2012, Kunstraum Niederösterreich, 2013 Increasingly colourful – Current Painting from Austria, ex.cat., Kerber Verlag, 2012 Regionale12, ex.cat, Regionale, 2012 Modes of Address, ex.cat., Salzburger Kunstverein, 2012 A good reason is one that looks like one, Message Salon, Zürich, 2012 The present author – Who speaks in Performance?, Revolver Publishing, 2011 PerformIC 2010, ex.cat/DVD, Innsbruck Contemporary, 2010