Purple Television
[January 31 2014] : art
Clip from Heavy Weight History by Christian Jankowski
To coincide with his show at Lisson Gallery in London starting from today, Purple Television presents an exclusive clip from Heavy Weight History, the newest film from German artist Christian Jankowski. The film is one component of an exhibition Jankowski produced under the same name, which beside the 25 minute film includes an installation and a series of photographs. Jankowski shot the film last year on location in Poland, where he asked a group of weightlifters to try and lift a number of public monuments in the capital, Warsaw. The statues included multiple Communist-era memorials, a statue of Ronald Reagan and the famous figure of Syrenka the Mermaid- a symbol of the city. Clad in their national colors, the champion Polish weightlifters struggle and strain to elevate the gargantuan bronze and brick monuments, metaphorically attempting to lift the very burden of history on to their shoulders.
Christian Jankowski, clip from Heavy Weight History, 2013, Video, 25 min. colour, sound, © Christian Jankowski; courtesy Lisson Gallery, London.
Christian Jankowski, Heavy Weight History, will be at Lisson Gallery from 31 January – 8 March 2014 www.lissongallery.com
