A new project by a San Francisco-based artist who, over the last several years, has realized his work in many distinct iterations. Recent projects include
Service-Works: a small foundation he created that awards grants—based upon his income as a waiter in fine-dining restaurant—to other artists, starting an unlicensed therapy practice, attempting to sell a museum curator and his museum office, a collaboration with his wife which involved hiring Danish actors to play the two of them in a video, and creating a small book based on his family members writing about their least favorite projects he has done. His work has been included in exhibitions at the CCA Wattis Institute of Contemporary Art, Centre Pompidou, Arizona State University Art Museum, Yerba Buena Center For The Arts, Greg Kucera Gallery and Eyebeam. He is currently a fellow at Akademie Schloss Solitude in Stuttgart, Germany. He will be in residency at the International Studio and Curatorial Program in the fall of 2009.
In Germany,
Greene is currently working on
You Can Listen: in several locations in the forest there will be small portable mp3 players available for the public to take with them as they enjoy the forest. There will be instructions on how to use the players, as well as other locations where they can be returned. The players will be available on the honor system, so people will be free to pick them up on their own and return them to any of the four locations. The mp3 players will contain a wide variety of content including his own confessional audio journal, a brief biography of obscure American composer Charles Ives—set to one of his songs, an astrological reading of the Duke who once owned the forest, an explanation of a neurological function, a piece of short fiction written collaboratively by two writers, a piece of choreography, a hypnosis session designed to get people into the "zone," a mash up of 18th century German orchestral music with hip-hop and, of course ... a lot more. Most of the content will be in German. This project involves working with an international constituency of artists, writers, actors, singers, dancers, neurologists, sociologists and astrologists.
Exhibiting at Hallwalls,
Character Descriptions is Josh Greene's latest project involving his family. For this particular work he asked his mother, father, wife, older sister, younger sister and younger brother to each write a detailed description of themselves for the purpose of casting actors to play each of them in a video. Greene posted the draft descriptions on several casting websites frequented by Los Angeles based actors and spent a day shooting "screen tests" of 3-5 actors per family member. The exhibition at Hallwalls will include his family's descriptions of themselves as well as a video montage of the screen tests. Greene's previous work with his family includes,
Least Favorite, a book of his family's writings about their least favorite projects he has done;
Sara's Birthday, a surprise party/exhibition for his older sister at the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery; and soliciting family members for art ideas for his MFA thesis exhibition. He is currently working with his mother, a psycho-analyst, on a project that involves her leading group therapy/needlepointing sessions at a museum in Los Angeles.
www.josh-greene.com
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