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| Jochen Gerz, The Gift, 2000/2008; (photos from San Francisco Museum of Modern Art production); photo: courtesy Gerz Studio © 2008 Jochen Gerz and Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst Bonn, Germany |
The Gift
SFMOMA and German-born conceptual artist Jochen Gerz invite the public to take part in Gerz's photography project, The Gift.
During the first half of the exhibition The Art of Participation: 1950 to Now, 2,000 museum visitors had the opportunity to pose for portraits in a working photo studio in the galleries. December 19 was the last day of picture taking. Through the close of the exhibition the studio will continue to print and frame the portraits, which will be displayed in rotation on a gallery wall at SFMOMA.
When the exhibition closes, each participant will be given a portrait and asked to exhibit it in his or her home or office. Photo documents of these exhibits can be submitted and will be made available online. As Gerz explains, the gift invoked in the work's title is the act of exchange itself: "It is in art as in life: what you give is what you receive."
To extend the invitation of The Gift to the public and to highlight the participants, we are collaborating with The Examiner and its website, www.examiner.com/sfmoma, to present the portraits in print and online. Gerz will return to the museum for a special closing reception on Sunday, February 8, 2009, to distribute the pictures to the project's participants.
The Art of Participation: 1950 to Now is organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition is generously funded by The James Irvine Foundation and SFMOMA's Collectors Forum. Additional support is provided by Goethe-Institut San Francisco. Media support is provided by The Examiner and SFExaminer.com.
