Signature / Podpis

Janez Janša, Janez Janša and Janez Janša collectively tackle the issue of the politics of painting for the first time. The Signature project consists of twenty-seven paintings commissioned by the Janšas and painted by artist Viktor Bernik. Each of them depicts the signature “Janez Janša” painted in thick acrylic paint; each artist’s signature has been turned into an image, and then signed, in the bottom right corner, by the artists in different ways, testifying to their different statuses as artists and individuals: signing as single artists, and as a trio; using their current signature name, and the old ones. In the twenty-seven paintings, we encounter four different combinations of words, that is, four variations of the names and the surnames Davide Grassi, Emil Hrvatin, Janez Janša and Žiga Kariž.

The paintings, assembled in nine triptychs, differ from each other visibly only due to the manual manufacture of each signature’s image. But if you pay attention to the signatures in the bottom right corner, it is as if each triptych has been conceived by different authors. But what’s an author, anyhow? What’s the personal, legal and artistic value of a signature, when you legally change your name?

signautre_triptych_01_s
Janez Janša
Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Triptych, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
Painted by: Viktor Bernik
Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik
signautre_triptych_02_s
Janez Janša
Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Triptych, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
Painted by: Viktor Bernik
Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik
signautre_triptych_03_s
Janez Janša
Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Triptych, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
Painted by: Viktor Bernik
Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik
signautre_triptych_04_s
Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Janez Janša
Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Triptych, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
Painted by: Viktor Bernik
Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik
signautre_triptych_05_s
Emil Hrvatin
Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Triptych, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
Painted by: Viktor Bernik
Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik
signautre_triptych_06_s
Davide Grassi
Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Triptych, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
Painted by: Viktor Bernik
Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik
signautre_triptych_07_s
Žiga Kariž
Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Triptych, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
Painted by: Viktor Bernik
Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik
signautre_triptych_08_s
Emil Hrvatin, Davide Grassi, Žiga Kariž
Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Triptych, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
Painted by: Viktor Bernik
Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik
signautre_triptych_09_s
Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Žiga Kariž
Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Janez Janša, Triptych, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
Painted by: Viktor Bernik
Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik

CREDITS

Co-Production:
Koroška Gallery of Fine Arts
credits_white-space
All exhibited works painted by: Viktor Bernik
credits_white-space
Supported by

Press

01_signature_ravne_Tomo Jesenicnik_press
Signature, 2010
Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik
Janez Jansa_signature_01
Signature, 2010
Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik
Janez Jansa_signature_02
Signature, 2010
Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik
Janez Jansa_signature_03
Signature, 2010
Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik

Printed Matters

Signature_Catalog

WORDING

Jela Krečič,
Janša, Janša, Janša: Podpis pove več kot tisoč besed
Delo, 02. 11. 2010

related projects

Signature (Copacabana), Rio de Janeiro, 2008
Action
series of interventions in public space,
2007-Ongoing

thumb_work_sec
performance, 2008