First solo exhibition by John Kørner at a Danish art museum in seven years: CRAZY AWAKE

CRAZY AWAKE is the first solo exhibition at a Danish art museum in seven years by contemporary artist John Kørner (b. 1967). At Kunsten in Aalborg, existing works from Kunsten's own collection are displayed, alongside brand new paintings, sculptures, and installations created by Kørner specifically for the exhibition.

 
CRAZY AWAKE – we are sleeplessly awake

The title CRAZY AWAKE points to a feeling of always being ready:
– I have a sense that many of us today are really Crazy Awake in relation to the time we live in. We should actually rest within ourselves, but in reality, we are wide awake and far too attentive to everything. It's like being in a kind of flickering and sleepless state of constantly being ready and unable to find peace and rest, says Kørner about the exhibition title and the overall theme of the exhibition.

Kørner's artworks at Kunsten presented in one cohesive exhibition

John Kørner's works have been part of Kunsten's collection for many years.

– We acquired the first work by John Kørner back in 1997, and since then, we have continuously acquired works, all of which have been shown in various group exhibitions at Kunsten. Now the time has come to showcase Kørner's broader practice in one cohesive presentation, says Kunsten's curator for CRAZY AWAKE, Claire Mary Anne Gould.
 
– For many, John Kørner is a favorite artist in Kunsten's collection. Therefore, it feels easy and natural for him to take over the museum with CRAZY AWAKE. Problems line up for Kørner. He doesn't solve them for us, but reminds us that we must take a stance, and he does it with a strong and convincing artistic voice. A voice that has left its mark on Kunsten since 1997, says Kunsten's director, Lasse Andersson.

John Kørner's ’problems’

Problems are a recurring theme in John Kørner's art. Kørner views problems as an inevitable and integrated part of life for both individuals and society. They encompass contemporary global issues, ranging from consumerism, the consequences of war, and the climate crisis, to well-being and the refugee crisis.

Nature and climate change

The exhibition CRAZY AWAKE is tied together by two recurring motifs: Water and problems. They revolve around issues related to nature and climate change, both as a concern and as a transformative force, emphasizing that the nature around us is undergoing significant change.

Water

The work with water is a recurring theme in John Kørner's practice, both as a motif and as a painterly technique. Kørner paints glaciers melting, bodies bathing, coastlines, and mountain lakes. At the same time, water also plays a fundamental role in the painting process itself.

 
New works are being created during the exhibition period at Kunsten.

Two of John Kørner's new works in CRAZY AWAKE are being created during the exhibition period at Kunsten. They are being produced as a result of John Kørner's new work, Painting Machine: Understanding the crazy new look of international architecture (2024), which is a water installation piece located centrally in the exhibition.

– In the Painting Machine: Understanding the crazy new look of international architecture (2024), paint is diluted with water, forming colored lakes and streams that find their own paths to a canvas located in a basin at the end of the stream installation. Slowly, landscape formations are created on the canvas in the basin, which the audience can observe developing throughout the exhibition period. As the paint dries on the canvas, it provides a natural counterbalance to the planned and controlled aspects of the further painting process, explains Kunsten's curator for CRAZY AWAKE, Claire Mary Anne Gould.
 
John Kørner (born in Aarhus in 1967) is an artist who works across a wide range of media, including paintings, ceramics, installations, video, glass, theater, and book productions. In his work, he embraces a variety of contemporary situations: consumerism, climate change, warfare, and human relationships. At first glance, we are struck by a colorful palette that pleases our eyes and senses until the moment we realize the true message of the artwork.
 
Kørner studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen (1992-1998) and is represented by Galleri Bo Bjerggaard in Copenhagen, as well as Victoria Miro Gallery in London and Keteleer Gallery in Antwerp. He has exhibited solo and in group exhibitions worldwide. His works are part of major collections in Denmark such as Kunsten Museum of Modern Art Aalborg, the National Gallery of Denmark, HEART - Herning Museum of Contemporary Art, ARKEN, ARoS, and internationally at the Center National des Arts Plastiques (CNAP) in France, the French National Art Collection, EMMA Espoo Museum of Modern Art Saastamoinen Foundation in Finland, the Rubell Family Collection in Miami, the Saatchi Collection in London, the Wilfreid Cooreman Collection in Belgium, and Moderna Museet in Stockholm.

The exhibition is supported by

The Augustinus Foundation, The Obel Family Foundation and the Danish Arts Foundation.

Thans you

The exhibition is produced in collaboration with the artist and Galleri Bo Bjerggaard, Copenhagen, with support from Victoria Miro Gallery and additional loans from HEART Museum of Contemporary Art.

The exhibition catalog has been made possible thanks to generous support from Galleri Bo Bjerggaard.

 
Curator: Claire Mary Anne Gould, curator at Kunsten.

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