Vera Frenkel

Vera Frenkel is one of the most respected and influential artists in Canada. Her multidisciplinary projects and videotapes have been seen at documenta IX, Kassel; the Offenes Kulturhaus, Linz; the Setagaya Museum, Tokyo; the National Gallery, Ottawa; the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Biennale di Venezia. A mid-career retrospective of Frenkel's video works was a featured Spotlight Programme at the Canadian Images Festival, and her tapes screened as well in Video Viewpoints at MoMA. Installations at the Goethe-Institute, Toronto; the Canadian Cultural Centre, Paris; the Georg Kargl Gallery, Vienna, the Freud Museum, London, among others, were followed by the touring exhibition of The Institute: Or, What We Do for Love, her current project on the inner life of a dysfunctional cultural institution. First seen at the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, Toronto, then at the Art Gallery of Sudbury and most recently at the Carleton University Art Gallery, The Institute remains a continuing and changing on-line presence at www.the-national-institute.org. Another ongoing web-based work became the centre-piece of Body Missing: From Theft to Virtuality, an international conference on the artist's work and thought at the ICA, London , March, 2003. Edited by Griselda Pollock, these papers will form the basis of the first anthology on Vera Frenkel's work. Vera recently released the long-awaited DVD/CD compilation of her video and media work [developed in collaboration with artist and media maven Mark Jones and designer Gilbert Li].

Creator Id: 215
Social Media Link: Social Media Link
Web Site Link: Web Site Link
Virtual Collection: Original CCCA
Country of Birth: Czechoslovakia
Year of Birth: 1938
City: Toronto
Country: Canada
Type of Creator: Artist
Gender: Female
Mediums: installation, printmaking, text-based, video, web
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Video

Frenkel: Web

Description:

Info: Web

Summary: Web Art Project 'Body Missing': The artist discusses her first web-based art project, "Body Missing," which began in 1995. She was commissioned to create this work for an international meeting of the Inter-Society for Electronic Arts in Montreal. The project was a perfect fit for her style, which often involves multi-layered narratives and media. She collaborated closely with a programmer to develop the site, which did not follow a conventional storyboard but evolved organically, offering a novel experience that was different from the typical corporate or overly graphical websites of that time.

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Frenkel: Objects

Description:

Info: Objects

Summary: Art as a Commodity vs. Sacred Objects: The artist discusses her respect for sacred and ritual objects and contrasts this with her view of art objects as commodities within the market system. She expresses concern about the art world's focus on investment over artistic value and how this affects the creation and reception of art. Her interdisciplinary approach seeks to work outside the traditional cycle of studio, gallery, and collector, aiming to create art that is exploratory and transformative, providing meaningful experiences that challenge the commodification of art.

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Frenkel: Migration

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Info: Migrations

Summary: Social Engagement in Art: In this video, the artist reflects on her personal history as an immigrant and the daughter of refugee parents, explaining how these experiences drive her artwork. She highlights her participation in Documenta 9, a project influenced by the rise of neonazis and their attacks on refugee centers, linking her personal narrative to broader issues of human migration and social engagement. Her work aims to respond to and reflect the realities of the largest human migration in history, emphasizing art's role in addressing contemporary social issues.

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Frenkel: Interdisciplinary

Description:

Info: Interdisciplinary

Summary: Multimedia Approach in Artistic Practice: The artist in this video explains her affinity for working across multiple media, drawing parallels to her interest in blending documentary and fictional elements in her work. She values the collaborative nature of her projects and the diverse expertise that each participant brings, enriching the creative process and expanding the impact of her work across different communities and formats.

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Frenzel: Fiction Fact

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Info: Fiction Fact

Summary: Interplay of Documentary and Fiction in Art: This video explores an artist's work at the intersection of documentary and fictional realities. The artist discusses how blending these elements provokes viewers to question the authenticity of what they see, fostering a sense of skepticism and encouraging a deeper examination of conventional beliefs. The video highlights a specific project about a fictional Canadian novelist, underscoring the artist's playful yet thought-provoking approach to storytelling and reality.

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Frenkel: Bodymissing (2)

Description:

Info: Body Missing 2

Summary: Website as Artwork: The artist discusses their project, "Body Missing", which uses a website to explore the theme of art lost during oppressive regimes. The site is structured around the floor plans of a historical building, encouraging viewers to navigate and interact with the content in unique ways, blending documentary elements with artistic homage to provoke questions about art, history, and memory.

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Frenkel: Bodymissing

Description:

Info: Body Missing 1

Summary: Body Missing Project: This video describes an art project initiated in 1994 involving a multi-city exhibition that focused on the theme of 'other bodies'. It highlights the project's evolution from a site-specific installation in Austria near historical Nazi sites to an internationally recognized exhibit, detailing the thematic exploration of lost art and cultural memory through various installations and media.

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Frenkel: Awareness

Description:

Info: Awareness

Summary: Art and Consciousness: The video features an artist reflecting on the potential of art to raise consciousness, a popular idea during their formative years. They discuss the intent behind their work to provoke thought about difficult knowledge, including trauma and degradation, aiming to foster a deeper awareness of human behaviors and societal issues.

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Work by Vera Frenkel

String Games: Improvisations for Inter-City Video

Work ID: 58096

Description: Vancouver Art Gallery

Collection:

Date Made: 1974

Materials:

Virtual Collection: Original CCCA