co(op)llaboration came about where Lars was describing to me his dismay at the proliferation in neo-Nazi symbols and codes across Germany and international since the fall of the Berlin Wall. I gave my thoughts on the new insidious uses of the Australian Flag, particularly the Southern Cross star constellation, since the 2005 Cronulla Beach race-riots in Sydney. We could see where the two ideas intersected and knew that we would be able to make something.
After talking a lot and developing some conceptual frameworks around the different ways that racism codifies itself and how culture, nationalist and ethnic, informs racism and racist expression, we eventually began our project last year (2009) over Christmas and New Year in Brisbane, Australia. We were very much aware that our own particular cultural/nationalist/racial identities were already intertwined in our working relationship and we believed that it is the ‘identity’ nature of the work that strengthens and anchors it.
co(op)llaboration is an installation comprising video and photographic essay. The over-arching theme is the codifying of racism, specifically the spread and increase in neo-Nazi codes and symbols in Europe post-the Wall, and the spread and increase the use of the Australian national flag and the Southern Cross star constellation post-the Cronulla riots. What draws together the two seemingly disparate ideas in co(op)llaboration is images of identity in caricature roles, and the use of paraphernalia gathered readily and easily from the most common sources – beach shops, tourist shops, supermarkets. We enjoyed the fact that the ‘red, black and yellow’ colours of the German flag resonate with Aboriginal people in Australia being the colours of the Aboriginal national flag.
--Vernon Ah Kee, Lars Koepsel 2010
Artist background statement: Vernon Ah Kee, Lars Koepsel and ‘iaart’
Lars and I have known each other for about 10 years. We are good friends. We struck up our friendship in Brisbane, Australia some years ago. We seemed to get on well from the first meeting and although about the same age, I think it is because we are both naturally curious about and interested in other's thinking and ideas. We have always achieved an easy dialogue when we speak.
A lot of our conversation is spent in discussion around ‘race’ and ‘identity’. In 2010 it was Lars who came up with the term/name/philosophy for what we did/do/want to do – iaart: ‘international artists against racism team’. I liked it immediately, as I did the title for our show ‘co(op)llaboration’, which Lars had provided after a long period of us both coming up empty.
Artist Profiles: Vernon Ah Kee
Vernon Ah Kee is an Australian artist living and based in Brisbane, Australia. Vernon is Aboriginal, originally from the rainforest region in north Queensland, Australia. He exhibits widely in Australia and internationally and is particularly known for his large-scale portrait drawings of his family and the text works that provide for his incisive commentary on race and identity. Two major installations by Vernon were included in the 16th Biennale of Sydney and Vernon was an official participant for Australia at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009. co(op)llaboration - iaart at ITPark with Lars Koepsel is his first time exhibiting in Taiwan.
Artist Profile: Lars Koepsel
Lars Koepsel is a German artist living and based in Munich, Germany. Married to fellow artist and art therapist Li-Mei Shie from Taiwan, Lars has had several exhibitions in Taiwan the most important his 1999 solo exhibition "LAI" at Deoa Foundation, and environmental installation traversing the length of DA AN Park. Lars and Li-Mei have a son who has only ever known life in Munich in a ‘unified’ Germany where Lars feels that racism is still a big if largely hidden issue. It is in this context that Lars sees much of his art practice – navigating his son through his relationship with Taiwanese culture and history and the complex identity specifics of German history and culture.
