Gunzi Holmström – and then the hare got drunk
Leap Gallery is happy to present 11 animated GIFs by the artist Gunzi Holmström. The collection is live on Makersplace, as well as presented in our online gallery.
The animations are a tribute to several artists who in various ways inspired Gunzi in her own artistic work. In these pieces she has captured the essence of what is significant for her in each artistry. This can refer to aesthetic expressions to some degree, but first and foremost conceptions of life from a philosophical standpoint.
The title of the exhibition ”And then the hare got drunk” is in itself a hommage to Joseph Beuys and his historical performance ”How to explain pictures to a dead hare”. This piece is seen as one of his most significant works and was also later paraphrased by the legendary performance artist Marina Abramovic.
In the performance Joseph Beuys alludes to the fact that our tendency to intellectualize and analyze can be in our way of different experiences, so also when it comes to art. Our need to have art explained to us, prevents us from seeing the essence of it and thus experiencing the artwork for what it is.
In Gunzi’s own interpretation of the performance, she takes it a step further: the dead hare becomes so tired of having art explained to it (and perhaps also of being interpreted by posterity for decades to come?), that it gets enough and feels the urge to just get really drunk.
Biography
Gunzi Holmström has worked as a visual artist since the early 1990s and currently lives in Helsinki, Finland. Gunzi has an MFA from HDK Valand – Academy of Art and Design in Gothenburg, Sweden.
In her professional life as an artist, her outset has often been digital techniques in different forms. She has produced a number of video works that have been shown internationally in several contexts.
Some exhibitions that can be mentioned from her comprehensive CV include Connected! Tate Modern in London, Georges Abstraction Surface in the Center Pompidour Paris, Classical Digital Video Festival in Halifax and New Filmmakers in New York.
In recent years Gunzi has immersed herself in painting, but always to return to the digital media in various contexts. Right now she is also working on an interactive sound installation for Hanaholmen Cultural Center’s art park in Helsinki.
The NFT collection “And then the hare got drunk” is her first step into web3 and we are looking forward to what her craftsmanship and creativity will bring to the space in the future.