December 1, 2024: For this year’s “Day without Art,” Franklin Furnace highlights Dan Perjovschi’s 1995 installation and performance “ANTHROPROGRAMMING”.
“At Franklin Furnace New York in 1995 I made one of my most radical projects, having drawn all over the exhibition space, from floor to ceiling, in pencil. I offered erasers at the opening and the audience erased me, literally.” (Dan Perjovschi)
Dan Perjovschi was in residence at Franklin Furnace to create an installation/performance that satirized the art-making and critical process. First, the artist drew thousands of little human faces across the wall space of Franklin Furnace; then, he systematically erased his drawings. The installation included a moving scroll of the artist’s political cartoon drawings and entertaining objects, which viewers were encouraged to touch and enjoy.
The juxtaposition of these two works emphasized the monotonous labor of creating and viewing art against the pleasure of humor and play. The erased drawing became null, and the painstaking labor required for creation appeared pointless in the world of commodity. Amalia Perjovschi performed in conjunction with the exhibition.
original press release:
FRANKLIN FURNACE PRESENTS: ANTHROPROGRAMMING
AN INSTALLATION/ PERFORMANCE BY DAN PERJOVSCHI
Opening November 10, from 6-8 pm and continuing through December 23, 1995
Day Without Art Reception: December 1, from 6-8 pm
Gallery Hours: 12-6, Tuesday to Saturday
Located at 112 Franklin Street, New York, NY 10013
Dan Perjovschi, a Romanian artist, will be in residence at Franklin Furnace to create an installation/performance which will satirize the art-making and critical process: First the artist will draw thousands of little human faces across the wall space of Franklin Furnace; then he will systematically erase his drawings. Included in the installation will be a moving scroll of the artist’s political cartoon drawings and entertaining objects which the viewer is encouraged to touch and enjoy. The juxtaposition of the two works emphasizes the boring monotony of labor (in this case the labor of creating and viewing art) versus the pleasure of humor and play. The drawing which is erased becomes null and the painstaking labor required for creation seems pointless in the world of commodity. Amalia Perjovschi will perform in conjunction with the exhibition.
Franklin Furnace has strong historical ties to artists of Eastern Europe. It has exhibited “Samizdat,” or underground published artworks from the former USSR and Eastern Europe, in such exhibitions as “Point Blank” by Croatian artist, Tomislav Gotovac; “Contemporary Russian Samizdat”; “Books by Russian Avant-Garde Artists”; “Polish Posters”; “Romanian Dada and Surrealism”; “Black and White and Red All Over: Bookworks from Eastern Europe,” among others. Franklin Furnace’s permanent collection, which contains a large number of Eastern European artworks smuggled out at a great risk during the 80s, was acquired by the MoMA in 1993 and is available for research to artists and members of the general public in New York.
