Janine Mackenroth

2018, 4K Video, 17 minutes 46 seconds, loop; For presentation: TV/Projection, comfortable seating and Blue Chip bags
Installation, Performance, Video / Film

“Women were allowed to study at German Art Academies for the very first time 100 years ago – as in many other western countries. Nowadays 60% of the art school graduates are women. Looking at the art history departments we are talking about 90% women. But still appr. 80 of the 100 most successful artists are men and only 20 are women. So, this is not a question of: where are the women in art? It is the question of what makes the difference of becoming a successful artist – a “blue chip” artist? We know about gender discrimination, less chances for (institutional) exhibitions for women and other minorities, public collections nowadays spending at least 75% of the budget for art by white men – and to sum it up: therefore female artists only representing 2 percent of the blue chip-art market worldwide.

During my residency in New York I noticed the so-called “BLUE CHIPS” of Gardens Eatin’ in the supermarket. Whilst smiling about it, I immediately had the thought of the much sung about concept of the “blue chip” artist in my head – the internationally famous and super successful artist. The idea of a performance in a building that used to be a church, now converted into artists’ studios and exhibition rooms in Brooklyn, just had to be realized: according to the motto “You are what you eat”, I took a seat in the former sacred room and enjoyed the whole bag of blue chips. The performance video was shown in the exhibition “Common Place” in the Silas of Morisse Gallery in New York, with chip bags distributed to visitors inviting them to elevate them to a blue chip version of themselves(…) that they all already are.”

– Janine Mackenroth, Artist, Germany

@studiojaninemackenroth