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Christian Jankowski: The Finest Art on Water / Frieze Projects, Frieze Art Fair 2011

October 14, 2011

No, Frieze Art Fair in London has not (yet) been bought by the Millionaire fair, but if the current trend continues, the only thing that separates them is slightly better taste (maybe). Anyway, the rich are now able to buy not only useless things like Tracy Emin neon signs and Gerhard Richter paintings, but also things you can actually have fun with. Lisson Gallery takes the lead by selling boats. Not the kind of boats you usually see at art fairs such as rubber boats as part of freaky DIY installations, no, real luxury boats, yachts, what else. What they offer is a nice little Riva boat and a slightly bigger vessel. The basic price is 60 million pounds, experts in this market would certainly confirm that this is a justified amount of money, but you can top it up by 10 million and you not only get a nice boat, but an artwork. In this video, we have a closer look at the boat, and CRN’s Brand Manager tells us why this is a good deal. Now, why can’t there be a fair that combines all these beautiful things? We would like to see a fair that combines all that makes sense from a billionaire’s standpoint: Frieze, Basel World, Millionaire Fair – please merge! Maybe we could add some weapon’s fair, too? (Comment by Bernard G. Gobel)

Christian Jankowski: The Finest Art on Water / Frieze Projects, Frieze Art Fair 2011. London / UK, October 12, 2011.

> Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download Quicktime video file.

In conjunction with a luxury yacht company, Jankowski’s project will employ a boat dealer to sell a full-size motor yacht from a conventional gallery stand. This luxury product will be available to buy not only as a boat, but also as a Christian Jankowski artwork. The potential client will be able to enter the salon to see the interior, and hear descriptions of the yacht/artwork.
Working in film, video, performance and installation, Jankowski’s work is collaborative in process, constructing situations that require the subjects to be complicit in his works. Whether wittingly or unwittingly, these participants, their responses and actions are often the crux of the work.

Christian Jankowski (b. 1968) is a German artist based in Berlin. Recent solo shows and projects include: The Perfect Gallery, Pump House Gallery, London (2010); Strip The Auctioneer, Friedrich Petzel Gallery, New York; Jeck We Can, Julia Stoschek Collection, Duesseldorf (both 2010); Now For Something Completely Different, BAWAG Foundation, Vienna; Above All I’m an Art Lover, Regen Projects, Los Angeles (both 2009); and Dienstbesprechung, Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Stuttgart (2008).

Press Release: The Finest Art on Water: Christian Jankowski collaborates with CRN and Riva for installation at Frieze Art Fair London 2011

CRN and Riva, two luxury yachting brands of the Ferretti Group will play a central role in an installation by Berlin-based artist Christian Jankowski, at this year’s Frieze Art Fair 2011. Curated by Sarah McCrory, The Finest Art on Water will be part of Frieze Projects, a series of special commissions which offer viewpoints that will elicit a shift in the viewer’s perception as they move through the fair.

Jankowski has collaborated with yacht builders CRN, featuring the project of a 68 metre vessel produced by the shipyard in the contemporary artwork. The Aquariva Cento, a limited edition boat that is available as a tender for CRN superyachts and embodies the modern Riva style and elegance will also be sculpturally displayed as part of the installation, simultaneously challenging an art audience and yacht lovers.
Jankowski aims to engage directly with the idea of sales and exchange and the value of luxury goods. The Finest Art on Water is not only a yacht but also an art work; an exclusive, ready-made art piece that implicates, involves and engages the spectator.

Visitors to the installation will play the part of prospective buyers, as they view the interior and listen to the description of the boat. Jankowski’s work encompasses film, video and performance in which, consciously or subconsciously, viewers become active participants.
“Frieze has become one of the most influential events in the art world and it is exciting that CRN and Riva will have a presence there to engage with people in this unique way. Our yachts combine cutting edge technology with stunning designs, premium materials and the finest craftsmanship. This project with Christian Jankowski allows us to work in an environment which transcends a yacht from an object to a piece of art,” comments Luca Boldrini, CRN Brand Manager.

CRN specializes in the construction of fully customised mega yachts in steel and aluminium from 46 to 85 metres and has recently launched a revolutionary range of custom leisure boats ‘Dislopen’, combining the aesthetics of open boats with the comfort of displacement yachts.
The Aquariva Cento, designed by Officina Italiana Design, which will be displayed sculpturally at Frieze is the ultimate in elegance and luxury and was commissioned as a special edition to celebrate the hundredth unit of the original Aquariva. The soft, elegant lines of the 33 foot Aquariva Cento exude tradition, whilst still managing to be highly innovative. The valuable, skilfully carpentered woods of the deck are mahogany with maple inlay and the innovative, electronically-controlled, two speed gearbox brings out all the passion and power of the two 380 horsepower Yanmar engines, resulting in an exceptional performance.

Founded in 1842 in Sarnico, Riva is the oldest shipyard in the world never to have interrupted production and is protected by the Italian Fine Arts Society. The original quality and artisan care have been maintained over the years, to which innovation, elegance, style and design have been added.

The history of CRN is a story full of successes, which have been accumulating right from the beginning. Set up by Sanzio Nicolini in 1963, the shipyard immediately established itself in a market which targeted a very selected clientele. This has been the guiding principle behind CRN right from the outset and has earned it a position among the top world builders of luxury mega yachts in association with important designers who helped establish the brand internationally.

Riva and CRN have a strong history of working together, dating back more than 40 years. The two brands have a collaboration to produce a new line of megayachts measuring 50 to 80 metres.

Christian Jankowski
The work of Christian Jankowski is a performance, which engages often unsuspecting collaborators to innocently collude with him, making them ‘co-authors’ of the final result, who often (sometimes inadvertently) participate in the very conceptualisation of the work. The collaborative nature of Jankowski’s practice is paramount, as each participant unwittingly contributes his or her own texture. With Jankowski, there is as much emphasis on the journey as the destination, and the risks and chances inherent in his collaborations ultimately give surprising shape to the final works. The product of a generation that grew up with the ubiquity of film and television, its inherently populist influence is evident throughout Jankowski’s work. Christian Jankowski lives and works in Berlin and is represented by the Lisson Gallery London.

CRN, Riva and the Ferretti Group
CRN and Riva are brands of the Ferretti Group, one of the world leaders in the design, construction and sale of motoryachts with a unique portfolio of some of the most exclusive, prestigious brands in the nautical world: Ferretti Yachts, Pershing, Itama, Bertram, Riva, Mochi Craft, CRN and Ferretti Custom Line. The Group, led by Chairman and Founder Norberto Ferretti and by CEO Giancarlo Galeone, has always been at the very heights of the pleasure boating market due to constant product and process innovation, continuous research and development and cutting-edge technological solutions. The extensive range of yachts on offer is designed by highly specialized technicians and engineers at AYT – Advanced Yacht Technology, one of the most advanced naval research and design centres in the world, which liaises with the Centro Stile Ferrettigroup, an expert team of architects and designers who continuously research aesthetic, functional and innovative solutions, and are built at the Group’s modern production units in Italy and the USA.
The Ferretti Group, established in 1968, is also present in the Unites States through Ferretti Group America, which manages a network of Ferretti Group points of sale specialising in the sale and marketing of the Group brands on the entire North American market. The group is also present in Asia, through a representative office in Shanghai. An exclusive network of around 60 carefully selected dealers guarantees the Group’s presence in over 80 countries, thereby ensuring valued clients receive the very best assistance in marinas all over the world.

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