"Grand Bal" (2023) by Ann Veronica JanssensPirelli HangarBicocca
Ann Veronica Janssens (b. Folkestone, United Kingdom, 1956) has been conducting extensive research into perception since the early 1980s, exploring intangible physical phenomena such as light, color, sound, and air.
Pink Coco Lopez (detail) (2010) by Ann Veronica JanssensPirelli HangarBicocca
Ann Veronica Janssens’ work revolves around the investigation of the permeability of different contexts, combining artistic research and scientific experimentation with an interest in architecture and technological evolution and its socio-political repercussions.
"Grand Bal" (2023) by Ann Veronica JanssensPirelli HangarBicocca
The artist’s preferred medium is light. Light is manipulated by means of clouds of artificial fog, glints of color, or glittery surfaces in pieces.
Magic Mirrors (Pink & Blue) (detail) (2013/2023) by Ann Veronica JanssensPirelli HangarBicocca
This process allows momentary situations to emerge, transitional states between matter and environment, which reveal the close interconnection between the physical agents of a certain space (heat, sounds, etc.) and the effects they have on the visitor's subjective perception.
Ann Veronica Janssens, MUHKA, Anvers, 1997-2023. Installation view at Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, 2023. Collection 49 Nord 6 Est – Frac Lorraine. Courtesy the artist; Alfonso Artiaco, Napoli; Bortolami Gallery, New York; Mennour, Paris; Esther Schipper, Berlin/Paris/Seoul; Galerie Micheline Szwajcer, Antwerp; 1301PE, Los Angeles, and Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan. © 2023 Ann Veronica Janssens / SIAE. Photo: Andrea Rossetti.
"Grand Bal" (2023) by Ann Veronica JanssensPirelli HangarBicocca
“Grand Bal” explores Janssens’ career through many aspects of her artistic practice, presenting for the first time the widest selection of her past works together with new productions, in a narrative conceived to dialogue with the space of Pirelli HangarBicocca.
for PHB (2023) by Ann Veronica JanssensPirelli HangarBicocca
The title of the exhibition, which means “grand ball” in French, refers to the performative dimension of the project that calls upon visitors to experience each piece.
The title emphasizes the dynamic relationship that is established between the installations, the architecture, and the human body, like in a dance in which each element is necessary for the other to reveal itself fully.
Drops (2023) by Ann Veronica JanssensPirelli HangarBicocca
The connection among the works, the architecture and the human body is evident in the installation Drops (2023): twelve round mirrors, arranged on the floor, reflect drop-like fragments and details of the building's architectural structure.
They offer new visual perspectives on the surroundings. The mirror elements react in ever-changing ways to the conditions of the environment according to the light.
"Grand Bal" (2023) by Ann Veronica JanssensPirelli HangarBicocca
Thanks to the movement of the sun during the day, visible through the opening on the ceiling of the building and along the outer wall of the exhibition space, the measurement of time is signaled by the beams of natural light on the floor and on the artworks.
waves (2023) by Ann Veronica JanssensPirelli HangarBicocca
Furthermore, the artist has come up with an unprecedented intervention, waves (2023), in which she transforms some of the exit doors into openings: by replacing the doors with a porous, transparent PVC net.
In this way, she allows natural light, as well as sounds, air and other external elements, to penetrate into the exhibition space and put it in motion.
"Grand Bal" (2023) by Ann Veronica JanssensPirelli HangarBicocca
Among these moving elements, the three swings pertaining to the work Swings (2000-2023) invite the visitors to their fruition.
The work makes visitors aware of their own movement and of the air displacement caused by the rocking motion. The seats are covered with a heat-reactive film: the presence of the human body temporarily changes the appearance of the work, leaving an ephemeral trace of its passage.
"Grand Bal" (2023) by Ann Veronica JanssensPirelli HangarBicocca
Janssens’ corpus is based on identifying minimal elements whose manifestation encourages a broad spectrum of experiences in the viewer, whether perceptual, sensory, or motor.
Ann Veronica Janssens, Untitled, 2019-23 & IPE 1200 (detail), 2009-23, produced by Pirelli HangarBicocca. Installation view at Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, 2023. Courtesy the artist; Alfonso Artiaco, Napoli; Bortolami Gallery, New York; Mennour, Paris; Esther Schipper, Berlin/Paris/Seoul; Galerie Micheline Szwajcer, Antwerp; 1301PE, Los Angeles, and Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan. © 2023 Ann Veronica Janssens / SIAE. Photo: Andrea Rossetti
"Grand Bal" (2023) by Ann Veronica JanssensPirelli HangarBicocca
Many internationally renowned institutions have presented Ann Veronica Janssens’ solo exhibitions and projects, including Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk and South London Gallery (2020); Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris (2019);
Baltimore Museum of Art, De Pont, Tilburg and Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki (2018); IAC-Institut d’art contemporain, Villeurbanne/ Rhône-Alpes (2017); Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas (2016); Wellcome Collection, London (2015);
Ausstellungshalle Zeitgenössische Kunst, Münster, CRAC Alsace – Centre rhénan d’art contemporain, Altkirch (2011); WIELS, Brussels, Espai d’Art Contemporani de Castellón, (2009); Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen (2007);
Kunsthalle Bern, Musée d’Orsay, Paris, CCAC Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco (2003); Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin (2001).
"Grand Bal" (2023) by Ann Veronica JanssensPirelli HangarBicocca
Janssens also participated in many biennials, including Sharjah Biennial (2019); Manifesta 10, Saint Petersburg (2014); Biennale of Sydney (1998 and 2012); Biennale de Lyon (2005), and Bienal de São Paulo (1994).
As well as in numerous group shows in institutions like Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, SMAK, Gent, Grand Palais, Paris, Punta della Dogana, Venice (2019); Hayward Gallery, London (2018); Mudam, Luxembourg, Sprengel Museum, Hannover, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Buenos Aires (2015).
Also, Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2014); Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona (2013). In 1999 she represented Belgium (with Michel François) at the 48th Venice Biennale.
