”I take the term ‘contemporary art’ literally. Art should always deal with the present” says Danish artist John Kørner about his luminous paintings, portraying us as “one big family, regardless of race and age.”
Contemporary life takes center stage in the art of Danish John Kørner – colourful, anonymous figures interact, turning daily life into a vibrant force – and an ”expression of a problem man must endure.”
In this video Danish artist John Kørner introduces ’The Family’ – nine painted family portraits, which question the idea of contemporary family – and his installation ’The Performance’ – where ”the furniture is the stage” and both audience and performers are made up of colorful glass shapes: Glass embodiments created by human breath.
Kørner takes us through his ideas about the concepts of family, humanity, his choices of characters, his painting technique, and the thought processes involved. ”I take the term contemporary art literally. The way I understand it, it should always deal with the present and our present day,” Kørner begins and goes on to explain how he feels he is related to everyone in the city: ”I like observing us all as one big family, regardless of race and age.”
John Kørner (b.1967) is a Danish artist, based in Copenhagen. Kørner is best known for his vibrantly coloured paintings, which feature a mixture of figurative and abstract imagery rendered in watered-down acrylic. Some common motifs are people, animals, boats and trees. In addition to works on canvas, Kørner also paints on ceramics. Kørner attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts between 1992 and 1998 and has exhibited internationally.
John Kørner was interviewed at Gallery Bo Bjerggaard in Copenhagen, Denmark by Christian Lund, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in 2013.
Camera: Klaus Elmer
Edited by: Sara Nina Laub
Produced by Christian Lund
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2013
Supported by Nordea-fonden
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