Rainer Ganahl

November 3–9, 2013 320 West 13th Street
A person wearing a black and yellow dress made up of hammers and sickles.

Rainer Ganahl, “COMME DES MARXISTS”, 2013

Five children modeling colorful garments walk down a runway as an audience watches. Three scarves are hung along the back left wall and three textiles are exhibited on a wall to the right.

Performance showing ‘Marx 4 Kids’

A gallery space with multiple pieces exhibited on the walls. Scarves affixed to the surrounding walls, garments hang on clothing racks in the background, and cardboard signs rest against two adjacent walls. Black chairs are aligned diagonally across the gallery floor.

Rainer Ganahl, Installation view of “COMME DES MARXISTS”, 2013

Multiple works on view inside a gallery space. Two clothing racks hold various garments and four scarves labeled “HERMES MARX” in black lettering hang on a rear wall.

Rainer Ganahl, Installation view of “COMME DES MARXISTS”, 2013

Eight scarves are installed on a white wall. Below and to the left, nine distinct necklaces hang from pins and to the right cardboard signs rest on the floor.

Rainer Ganahl, Installation view of “COMME DES MARXISTS”, 2013

A person draped with garments covering their face and body stands centered in a gallery with a group of people focusing in.

Performance still with ‘Karl Marx cover-up’

Two children walk the runway of a gallery. The child to the left wears a pink and blue jumpsuit with the word “Marx”, a heart symbol, and the word “Pinocchio”. The child on the right sports a similar jumpsuit in red and blue with the word “Marx”, a heart symbol, and the name “Robin Hood”.

Performance showing ‘Marx 4 Kids’

Two people wearing identical striped dress shirts and tweed shorts walk down a runway in a gallery space.

Performance still from “COMME DES MARXISTS” runway show

Two works hung on a white wall. On the left, a strip of cardboard reads “Special 99¢” written in black text on a green background. To the right, a bundle of scarves are intricately tied together.

Rainer Ganahl, Installation view of “COMME DES MARXISTS”, 2013

Four distinct Hermes scarves with various motifs and communist imagery are hung on a white wall. Each are labeled “HERMES MARX” in black text.

Rainer Ganahl, Installation view of “COMME DES MARXISTS”, 2013

Press Release

White Columns presents in collaboration with PERFORMA 13

RAINER GANAHL – “COMME DES MARXISTS”

– A Fashion Project.

November 3 – November 9, 2013

Catwalk performances:
Sunday November 3 and Monday November 4 at 7pm.

Exhibition on view:  Sunday November 3 – Saturday November 9.

______________________________________________

White Columns is pleased to present “COMME DES MARXISTS” a fashion project by the New York-based Austrian artist Rainer Ganahl. The project will feature an exhibition of fashion-related artworks by Ganahl including a series of detourned luxury silk scarves as well as Marx-related clothes and accessories designed by Ganahl. The project will be launched with two catwalk fashion shows at 7pm on November 3 and 4. (Seating is limited and offered on a first-come basis.)

Staged in collaboration with PERFORMA 13 – the city-wide festival of performance art – Ganahl’s project continues his long-term investigations into the relationships between daily life, culture, economic systems and political structures. In a text relating to the project Ganahl states:

“Karl Marx and the use of the hammer and sickle stand for nothing else but a contemporary analysis (observation/an attempt to understand) of how capitalism works – in both just and unjust ways, with all its wealth and poverty effects (across all aspects of life around the globe.) Marx is my analytical machine that teaches me how the world goes round … I am aware that Marx still stirs emotions and that many people might disagree with my use of these symbols and my interpretations, both those who hate Marx and those who admire Marx – if so I apologize with the argument: I simply want to keep the discussion going and that I respect everybody’s opinion.”

Making connections between the industrial revolution, class struggles (past and present), the recent tragedies at the Ran Plaza clothing factories in Bangladesh, the production and consumption of luxury goods, and both fine art and fashion, Ganahl’s project, underscored by his persistent use of humor, draws inspiration from sources as diverse as artists Kazimir Malevich, Blinky Palermo, Richard Serra, and Joseph Beuys; designer Karl Lagerfeld; fashion houses Comme des Garcons and Hermes; high street brands such as Benetton and Joe Fresh, and whistle blower Edward Snowden.

The clothing and accessories – designed by Ganahl – will debut in two catwalk fashion shows to be held on the evenings of Sunday, November 3 and Monday, November 4. With the clothing organized into thematic categories such as: “Marx 4 Kids”, “Comme Des Marxists”, “Snowden Marx” and “Karl Marx Visits David Zwirner on 20th Street”, the catwalk shows will feature predominantly amateur models, many drawn from New York’s community of artists.

The resulting installation – on view until November 9th – at White Columns will feature all of the clothing and accessories, video documentation of the catwalk shows, and drawings and works relating to Ganahl’s larger fashion project.

Catwalk shows: Sunday and Monday, November 3rd and 4th at 7pm. Admission is free, but space is limited and offered on a first-come basis.

“Comme Des Marxists” is presented in collaboration with PERFORMA 13 and is supported by the Austrian Cultural Forum, New York.
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COMME des MARXISTS

White Columns and Rainer Ganahl would like to thank the following designers and artists who helped in both the interpretation and production of individual garments:

Elise Perrotta, Cem Cako, Florentina Leitner, Yesayan Hasmik, Simur Shamaev, Chrisine Marie Heist, Rachel Dainer-Best, Charlotte Linton, Luciano Raimondi, Maria Rauch, Mijia Zhang, Romana Rozsypalova, Jonny Mitchell , Hannah Proeschel, Henny Eickhorst, Julia Hartmann, Michaela Wirsig, David  Laugomer,  Che Chan, Ashley Olan, Alexandra Clark, and Liu Ya-Nan.
______________________________________________

Rainer Ganahl (b.1961) is an Austrian artist based in New York. He studied Philosophy and History at the University of Innsbruck, Austria; at the University of Applied Arts (in the class of Peter Weibel), Vienna; and at the Kunstakademie, Dusseldorf (in the class of Nam June Paik). He was a member of the 1990/91 Whitney Independent Study Program. Ganahl’s work has been shown extensively since then including jointly representing Austria at the 1999 Venice Bienniale. Recent solo exhibitions/projects include Kunstforum, Vienna; Kunstverein Neuhausen; Alex Zachary, New York; Elaine Levy Projects, Brussels, among others. In 1991 he had a solo White Room exhibition at White Columns. His ‘Classical Music Concert’ was staged at the El Mundo department store in East Harlem in 2013 and is the subject of a new publication and live recording from Mousse Publishing and Villa Merkel, Esslingen, Germany.
For more information about this project: info@whitecolumns.org

White Columns / 1970 – 2013 / 43 years of support for artists

Related Press

A person wearing a black and yellow dress made up of hammers and sickles.
Five children modeling colorful garments walk down a runway as an audience watches. Three scarves are hung along the back left wall and three textiles are exhibited on a wall to the right.
A gallery space with multiple pieces exhibited on the walls. Scarves affixed to the surrounding walls, garments hang on clothing racks in the background, and cardboard signs rest against two adjacent walls. Black chairs are aligned diagonally across the gallery floor.
Multiple works on view inside a gallery space. Two clothing racks hold various garments and four scarves labeled “HERMES MARX” in black lettering hang on a rear wall.
Eight scarves are installed on a white wall. Below and to the left, nine distinct necklaces hang from pins and to the right cardboard signs rest on the floor.
A person draped with garments covering their face and body stands centered in a gallery with a group of people focusing in.
Two children walk the runway of a gallery. The child to the left wears a pink and blue jumpsuit with the word “Marx”, a heart symbol, and the word “Pinocchio”. The child on the right sports a similar jumpsuit in red and blue with the word “Marx”, a heart symbol, and the name “Robin Hood”.
Two people wearing identical striped dress shirts and tweed shorts walk down a runway in a gallery space.
Two works hung on a white wall. On the left, a strip of cardboard reads “Special 99¢” written in black text on a green background. To the right, a bundle of scarves are intricately tied together.
Four distinct Hermes scarves with various motifs and communist imagery are hung on a white wall. Each are labeled “HERMES MARX” in black text.

Rainer Ganahl, “COMME DES MARXISTS”, 2013 (A person wearing a black and yellow dress made up of hammers and sickles.)

Performance showing ‘Marx 4 Kids’ (Five children modeling colorful garments walk down a runway as an audience watches. Three scarves are hung along the back left wall and three textiles are exhibited on a wall to the right.)

Rainer Ganahl, Installation view of “COMME DES MARXISTS”, 2013 (A gallery space with multiple pieces exhibited on the walls. Scarves affixed to the surrounding walls, garments hang on clothing racks in the background, and cardboard signs rest against two adjacent walls. Black chairs are aligned diagonally across the gallery floor.)

Rainer Ganahl, Installation view of “COMME DES MARXISTS”, 2013 (Multiple works on view inside a gallery space. Two clothing racks hold various garments and four scarves labeled “HERMES MARX” in black lettering hang on a rear wall.)

Rainer Ganahl, Installation view of “COMME DES MARXISTS”, 2013 (Eight scarves are installed on a white wall. Below and to the left, nine distinct necklaces hang from pins and to the right cardboard signs rest on the floor.)

Performance still with ‘Karl Marx cover-up’ (A person draped with garments covering their face and body stands centered in a gallery with a group of people focusing in.)

Performance showing ‘Marx 4 Kids’ (Two children walk the runway of a gallery. The child to the left wears a pink and blue jumpsuit with the word “Marx”, a heart symbol, and the word “Pinocchio”. The child on the right sports a similar jumpsuit in red and blue with the word “Marx”, a heart symbol, and the name “Robin Hood”.)

Performance still from “COMME DES MARXISTS” runway show (Two people wearing identical striped dress shirts and tweed shorts walk down a runway in a gallery space.)

Rainer Ganahl, Installation view of “COMME DES MARXISTS”, 2013 (Two works hung on a white wall. On the left, a strip of cardboard reads “Special 99¢” written in black text on a green background. To the right, a bundle of scarves are intricately tied together.)

Rainer Ganahl, Installation view of “COMME DES MARXISTS”, 2013 (Four distinct Hermes scarves with various motifs and communist imagery are hung on a white wall. Each are labeled “HERMES MARX” in black text.)