The Next Quasi-Complex: John Bock's works arrive at the Fondazione Prada in Milan

Until Sept. 24, 2018, German artist John Bock (Gribbhom, 1965) is the protagonist of the exhibition "The Next Quasi-Complex," held at the Fondazione Prada in Milan. The spaces of the Podium have been transformed into a kind of “theater of the absurd” where black humor and disciplines such as philosophy, economics, music, fashion and fragments of everyday life mingle thanks to two installations by the eccentric artist from Gribbohm(Germany): “When I’m Looking into the Goat Cheese Baiser” (2001) and “Lütte mit Rucola” (2006).

The former is a mobile set design used by Bock during one of his performances, while the latter is a living room inspired by the film of the same name in which Bock plays a homicidal madman. The two works are connected by stairs, doors, curtains and tunnels, which are to be walked through to enter a complex and visionary imagery.
The idea of “summuntation” for Bock, or the reference to whatever is left after a lecture or the filming of a movie, is evident from these two installations. When placed side by side with the videos shot during each performance, “summuntation” becomes the visual result of the work itself, documenting the creative and visual outcome of the installation and its possible use.

Lütte mit Rucola, on the other hand, stems from the film of the same name in which the artist plays the role of a homicidal madman who cuts up his victim while still alive. In the context of Podium, the set of the film becomes an installation, recreating the living room where the torture took place. The audience becomes a witness by observing the reconstruction from a balcony overlooking the scene.

Surrounding the central installations are also other constructions, all accessible by stairs, small doors, tents or tunnels. A tent made of stuffed socks houses an assemblage of “dead tools.” Another room houses an installation composed of two display cases that show and at the same time conceal their heterogeneous and surreal contents. Some panels display fragments of stories and diagrams, further evidence of the experimental communication and anti-academic interactions with the public that are emblematic of the artist’s practice. A cylindrical curtain encloses a chair suspended from a chain, in combination with physical attributes, referring to the theme of “LeibSein,” or “BodyBeing” according to the artist’s language.

Then, on Sept. 8, there will be a performance during which John Bock and actors Lars Eidinger and Sonja Viegener will activate the stage of When I’m looking into the Goat Cheese Baiser, moving inside the Podium “like a fly around a carcass.”
The exhibition is open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Next Quasi-Complex: John Bock's works arrive at the Fondazione Prada in Milan

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