SCCA-Ljubljana in collaboration with Made in China
David Knowles:
Zzz, a progressive exhibition series dedicated to prolonged exposure to works of art and equitable compensation for artists
The lecture will be in English language only

Friday, 9 January 2015, at 6 pm
Project Room SCCA, Metelkova 6, Ljubljana

Z is a series of exhibitions devised by artist and graphic designer David Knowles. Z's premise is deceptively simple: for $50, anyone can rent Knowles's room for a night and spend the evening with the exhibition.

With Z, Knowles seeks to present an alternative economy of attention, one which encourages durational, intimate absorption of the works on view. Systems of compensation are also central to Z's conception. Knowles takes issue with the gallery's asymmetrical funding structure, where the public's admission-free viewership is supported by wealthy collectors' purchases of artworks. Instead of this "secretive feudalism", Knowles advocates peer-to-peer compensation and adopted Airbnb as a means to this end. He is transparent in where the money goes: $30 to cover his rent for the night, as well as laundry costs for sheets and towels, and the remaining $20 is split among the living participating artists. This arrangement, Knowles hopes, is mutually beneficial for the artists, the viewers and the works: the artists are supported by their entire public, like musicians or novelists; the viewer, by fronting some money, has more incentive to make the experience worthwhile; and the works are given more prolonged attention as a result.

(from the text by Nick Irwin, Art in America, February 2014)

David Knowles is an artist and designer based in New York City. At Project Room SCCA he will discuss his project Zzz, a progressive exhibition series dedicated to prolonged exposure to works of art and equitable compensation for artists. Available for viewing only by appointment through the website airbnb.com, exhibitions at Zzz explore different economies of spectatorship, the value of artistic labor, and notions of publicity and privacy in domestic and virtual space.

Photos of the lecture

Video of the lecutre

Lecture is a part of the Made in China project, 2013 -

The lecture is produced by: SCCA-Ljubljana, Zavod Ljubljanica, Zavod Masa
The lecture is supported by: Vasja Cenčič
Special thanks: Sanela Jahić

[Published December 23, 2014]