Jan Peter Hammer's 'The Anarchist Banker' at Supportico Lopez
At Supportico Lopez in Berlin-Kreuzberg, German artist Jan Peter Hammer presents only his latest video, 'The Anarchist Banker,' in a stark setting: a small room with black curtains, a white wall for HD projection, and a single bench. The 30-minute piece is a televised face-off between a banker responsible for post-2008 financial crisis failures and an interviewer, based on Fernando Pessoa's 1922 text 'The Anarchist Banker.' Hammer transposes Pessoa's dialogue into a contemporary critique of capitalist cynicism, with the banker calmly defending anarchism through free-market ideology. The work's technical perfection and narrative displacement place it between cinema and contemporary art. The exhibition runs from February 5 to March 6, 2010.
Key facts
- Jan Peter Hammer's first solo show at Supportico Lopez features only his video 'The Anarchist Banker'.
- The video is based on Fernando Pessoa's 1922 text 'The Anarchist Banker'.
- The installation includes black curtains, a white wall, a projector, and a bench.
- The banker character defends anarchism through free-market ideas, revealing cynicism.
- Supportico Lopez is a young Italian gallery in Berlin-Kreuzberg since 2008.
- The gallery previously showed works by Henri Chopin and David Wojnarowicz.
- Hammer's work is technically perfect but narratively displaced, fitting contemporary art contexts.
- The exhibition runs February 5 – March 6, 2010.
Entities
Artists
- Jan Peter Hammer
- Henri Chopin
- David Wojnarowicz
- Fernando Pessoa
- Steve McQueen
Institutions
- Supportico Lopez
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Berlin-Kreuzberg
Sources
- artpress —