GYMNASTIC MEDIATIC

Fotografisk Center is proud to present the exhibition 'Gymnastic Mediatic' where Thierry Geoffroy/Colonel has endeavored to focus on how to use the media itself as works of art, spanning from newspapers through television and to Facebook on the internet.
'Gymnastic Mediatic' is a gymnastic exercise for Colonel, where he moves through different media with liberating ease. His strategy is deliberate, a guide to creating new 'penetrations' on how one can express oneself artistically. Artists like Matthieu Laurette, Gianni Motti, Christian Janlowski and Social Hackers share a parallel strategy, though each artist has an individual language and a specific approach to their work.
Colonel has worked with these fundamentals for more than 20 years, most evident through the TV series "Capitain" which had very high viewer ratings. He has used the newspapers classified ad section as art works. the column "Hip Hip Hurra", where one can send personal messages, was used to spread personal manifestations and ideas.
Newspaper reports mixed with fictitious characters and events have also been an important ingredient of Colonels frequently used strategy.

Today the internet is an ideal medium for his work, where both Facebook and MySpace have facilitated new forms of communication. Here one can create art directly for the others internet users - the medium itself being not only a fostering point for ideas but also the messenger. It is the speed and directness of these new forms of communication that fascinate and interest Colonel. The strategy becomes a choreographed exercise where art is moved from the museums and out on the street and through the media.

Thierry Geoffroy/Colonel born in France though living permanently in Denmark has had considerable success, most recently with his PS1 happenings at MOMA in New York. He has had solo shows at, among others, Sprengel Museum in Hannover and recently at Galerie Asbæk, Copenhagen. Colonel has time and again succeeded in pushing the boundaries for ways to communicate. His TV programs are distributed free and numbered and signed DVD copies are sold as art objects. These last few years his concept "Emergency Room" has been launched in many countries. A refuge where one can connect with artists and discuss current issues, especially since exhibitions at museums and galleries have such long planning phases that when the exhibition eventually opens it is already obsolete.

In this way "Gymnastic Mediatic" is a direct continuation of Colonels artistic work.

Thierry Geoffroy/Colonel has received support from the Danish Arts Council.