30 Sep 2010

Zoe Beloff at KIOSK

For the exhibition at KIOSK, artist Zoe Beloff (°1958, Edinburgh, Scotland) proposed to adapt her most recent project to the particular architecture of KIOSK. 'Dreamland: The Coney Island Amateur Psychoanalytic Society and its Circle' originated in 2009, when the Coney Island museum invited Zoe Beloff to create an exhibition in celebration of the centennial of Sigmund Freud's visit to Coney Island.

Beloff resurrected the forgotten world of the Coney Island Amateur Psychoanalytic Society, along with the visionary ideas of its founder, Albert Grass. The show features 'dream films' made by members of this society, a working model of an amusement park designed by Albert Grass to illustrate Freud's theories, as well as drawings, letters and many unusual artefacts. The KIOSK-version of this exhibition project is enhanced with the introduction of an exciting series of comic strip-like graphic explorations. The exhibition at KIOSK was initiated by Belgian curator and researcher Edwin Carels.

Beloff works with a wide range of media including film, stereoscopic projection performance, interactive media, installation and drawing. Her artistic interest lies in finding ways to graphically manifest the unconscious processes of the mind. Her role as an artist can be considered as an interface between the real and the imaginary. The exhibition's depiction of historical artefacts highlights the ambiguity of Beloff's role in its creation. When visitors enter her version of 'Dreamland', they are entirely free to form their own opinion. Beloff has a very personal way of eliding the role of archivist and creator in conjuring up the myths of Coney Island's history.

Zoe Beloff moved to New York in 1980 to study at Columbia University where she received an MFA in Film. She has been working with the Christine Burgin Gallery on a number of projects, including prints and books. The exhibition in the Coney Island Museum was accompanied with a book and a DVD published by Christine Burgin and edited by Zoe Beloff, The Coney Island Amateur Psychoanalytic Society and its Circle. Beloff's new book, 'The Adventures of a Dreamer by Albert Grass', will be launched in KIOSK during the opening. A more extensive biography can be found on her website www.zoebeloff.com.

Other events:
Zoe Beloff will introduce two of her stereoscopic films during a special screening on Monday 11th October, 8:30 p.m. at Art Cinema OFFoff (Begijnhof ter Hoye, Lange Violettestraat 237, B-9000 Ghent). For more information about the programme: www.offoff.be
Beloff will give a lecture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK), Tuesday 12th October, 8 p.m. (Cirque, Louis Pasteurlaan 2, 9000 Ghent).