jannis kounellis
ambika P3, london presented by sprovieri gallery
april 23rd - may 30th, 2010

jannis kounellis
'untitled', 2010, london
courtesy of sprovieri gallery london

over the last 40 years of his artistic practice, greek artist jannis kounellis has had many occasions
in which he has created dialogues within the industrial interior spaces of warehouses, churches,
castles and even a cargo ship.

his newest work 'untitled', 2010 is on show at ambika P3, an underground space in central london.
this alternative exhibition venue corresponds to kounellis' version of the 'cavita', a mysterious hidden
place that needs to be deciphered and revealed. on this occasion, he has decided to occupy the centre
of the space by tracing a huge letter 'K' on the ground. the letter of course is meant to remind us of
kounellis, but also of the famous 'K' of kafka's castle, the carpenter who never succeeded in entering
the castle's labyrinth spaces.

kounellis occupies ambika P3 with a vertical installation, which exhibits the visual vocabulary
of his materials, objects and dimensions combined to create a powerful presence in the former
concrete testing hall. he has placed tables following the lines of the 'K', with vertical partitions
of steel topped with coal. these upright structures are entirely covered on both sides with lines
of empty bottles, reminiscent of cathedral stained-glass windows. the steel and glass elements,
all of which are the same size (200 x 180 cm) are the structure on which kounellis has hung
sacks and coats or stretched pieces of fabric held with steel ropes, all reflecting the tensions,
weight and tragedy of human existence.


jannis kounellis
'untitled', 2010, london
courtesy of sprovieri gallery london


jannis kounellis
'untitled', 2010, london
courtesy of sprovieri gallery london


jannis kounellis
'untitled', 2010, london
courtesy of sprovieri gallery london


jannis kounellis
'untitled', 2010, london
courtesy of sprovieri gallery london


jannis kounellis
'untitled', 2010, london
courtesy of sprovieri gallery london


view of the empty glass bottles lined up like windows
jannis kounellis
'untitled', 2010, london
courtesy of sprovieri gallery london


jannis kounellis
'untitled', 2010, london
courtesy of sprovieri gallery london


jannis kounellis
'untitled', 2010, london
courtesy of sprovieri gallery london


stretched fabric held by steel ropes is meant to reflect the tensions, weight and tragedy of human existence
jannis kounellis
'untitled', 2010, london
courtesy of sprovieri gallery london


room of hanging coats
jannis kounellis
'untitled', 2010, london
courtesy of sprovieri gallery london

jannis kounellis (1936) was initially associated with the italian arte povera of the late 1960s,
a movement that tried to free art from the conversations, structures and the market place
restrictions of the day, to make an art relating to the everyday life of people.
starting his career as a painter, he still describes his practice as painting. physical space has now
become his canvas, and in this respect the actual making of his works have become a sort of
performance in which space is articulated by the objects he places within them. thus,
kounellis only works within carefully selected spaces.