Christoffer Joergensen / Volta Basel 9

At VOLTA 9 we are pleased to present YOU AND I ARE NOT SO DIFFERENT, an installation of new works by Christoffer Joergensen. The cinematic title resonates with the artist’s narrative style and his ability to create intriguing fields of tension, for instance between rigid, almost Cartesian grids and a blurry complexity or between abstract patterns and photographic subject matter.
For his Grogram images, the artist manually cuts two different photographs into thin strips and then weaves them together to form a new image. Details of photographs of unrelated people and circumstances are united in this way. Once interwoven, the two images influence and to an extent veil each other. The people in them loose their individuality and become types.

Meanwhile, in his Eurospheres series Joergensen digitally mirrors triangular fragments of his photographs of plenary halls to form hexagonal patterns reminiscent of honeycombs or kaleidoscopes. Dotted around these hexagonal cells are tiny politicians listening, writing or reading the papers. On the one hand, the two elements of the sphere and the pattern conjure a symbolically loaded atmosphere. On the other, one is overcome by a distinct sense of absurdity when looking at the works up close.

Faced with the image tsunami and the general acceleration of existence, Christoffer Joergensen has opted for slower, more long term projects, creating works that speak to us about our alienation, our chaotic times and about our need to find meaning and some structure within them.
Christoffer Joergensen is born in Denmark but lives and works today in Zurich. During 2002-2004 he graduated with an MA in photography from the Royal Collage of Art in London. Joergensen has participated in several exhibitions at Galleri Christoffer Egelund and is today one of the gallery’s permanent artists. He has also been represented at Charlottenborg´s Spring Exhibition and taken part in numerous solo and group shows in galleries and public institutions around Europe, recently shown in a group show at Kunsthalle Luzern.

VOLTA BASEL 9:

VOLTA is a platform for presenting the vision of contemporary art galleries of global repute whose artists represent new and relevant positions for curators and collectors alike. Conceived to bridge a gap between Basel’s pre-existing fairs, VOLTA showcases galleries – whether young or mature – that choose as their mandate to work with the most exciting emerging artists. These galleries must maintain deeply meaningful connections with their artists and follow them throughout their careers.

Encouraged by the response of collectors and curators during the last editions’ solo presentations and carefully considered booths, a much stronger emphasis for VOLTA will be placed on single artist presentations or on booth concepts that bring the work of two artists into dialogue with one another, thus giving emphasis to artists by allowing for a greater understanding of different individual practices.

Select galleries exhibit in the airy loft surroundings of Basel’s Dreispitzhalle, elevating their respective platforms for an experience mutually beneficial to fair visitors and the galleries alike. Showcasing the highest calibre of art bearing salient contemporary positions within an elegant environment: this is VOLTA’s mission.

Volta Basel official website click here