26 May 2009

KIOSK # 15: Olivia Plender

The London-based artist Olivia Plender (°1977) became widely known through her work-in-progress The Masterpiece (2002 - ), a contemporary revision of Emile Zola’s novel of the same name. Plender’s work combines historical research with elaborate pen and pencil drawings full of allusions to 19th--and 20th-century pulp literature and comic books. Besides comics her work consists of performances and graphically inspired films. Plender often starts from forgotten or barely known historical anecdotes, which she examines for their connections to the present.

For KIOSK Olivia Plender will exhibit new work that refers back to the satirical pamphlet art of the 18th century (William Hogarth a.o.). The work resulted from Plender’s fascination for the comical images that were made during the �South Sea Bubble’ – the economic crisis that resulted from Great Britain’s wild investments in trading projects in the Pacific Ocean, which later turned out to be built on air. From this Olivia Plender tries to draw parallels to the current situation of a society in crisis.

About KIOSK

KIOSK is an initiative by vzw KunstenSite (KuS). Originally, vzw KuS was initiated by the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) at the University College Ghent. Currently it operates independently on the Bijloke site in Ghent. Within the context of a rising international arts campus, vzw KuS deploys its activities in the field of contemporary visual arts. KIOSK is located in a glass pavilion, functioning as a temporary operating base for exhibition projects. The pavilion aims to transcend the receptive nature of an exhibition space, bringing the possibilities and limitations of the given location into play. KIOSK is supported by the Flemish Government.