Alexander Hahn
Born in Rapperswil/CH, 1954
University of Fine Arts, Zurich/CH, 1974-1979
Whitney Museum Independent Study Program, New York, 1981
lives and works in New York and Zürich
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2008 Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Villa Croce, Genoa/IT
(Festival della Scienza: Alexander Hahn)
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco/US
(Room for Thought: Alexander Hahn & Yves Netzhammer)
2007 Padiglione d‘Arte Contemporanea, Ferrara/IT
(La Signoria degli Astri)
Museum der Moderne Salzburg/AT (Works 1976-2006)
Kunstmuseum Solothurn/CH (Works 1976-2006)
2006 Darat-al-Funun, Amman/JO
2002 Musée Jenisch, Vevey/CH (Mémoires Astrales d'un Homme Volant)
2000 Netmage, LINK, Bologna/IT (Memory of Presence)
1999 Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Berlin/DE (I Came Here to Sleep)
1998 World Wide video Festival, Amsterdam/NL (Popular Admiration of Great Thieves)
1997 Kunstmuseum Bern/CH
1996 International Center of Photography, New York/US (Fundamentals of Legerdemain)
Galeria Foksal, Warsaw/PL (On the Nature of Things)
1995 Kunsthaus Zürich/CH (Personal Records)
1994 Daad Galerie, Berlin/DE (Rats)
1993 World Wide Video Centre, The Hague/NL
1984 White Columns, New York/US (Cyborgs and Other New Machines)
1982 Franklin Furnace, New York/US (Plant #50-316)
Group exhibitions and festivals, including :: Media Art China 2009 : Timelapse, National Art Museum of China, Beijing/CN (2009), art limited – multiple art, 18th Triennale Grenchen/CH (2009), 30th Anniversary Benefit, Harvestworks, New York/US (2008), Swiss Video Art from the 70s and 80s. A Reconstruction, Kunstmuseum Lucerne/CH (2008), I LOVE Jenisch, Musée Jenisch, Vevey/CH (2008), Comme des bêtes, Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts Lausanne/CH (2008), Brave Lonesome Cowboy, Villa Merkel, Esslingen/DE (2007), Unterwegs, Trudelhaus, Baden/CH (2007), Dumbo Arts Festival, New York (2005), Cinema Texas, Austin (2005), Gallery 128, New York (2005), Transat Video, Caen/FR (2005), Mediaart Friesland, Harlingen/ NL (2005), Brennpunkt Schweiz, Kunstmuseum Bern/CH (2005), whiz bang, CEPA Gallery, Buffalo, NY and Harvestworks, New York/US (2004), Travel of the Immobile Man, Fondazione Ragghianti, Lucca/IT (2003), and Villa Croce, Genova/IT (2002), Bleibe, Akademie der Künste, Berlin/DE (2000), Phototage, Biel/CH (1999), Video-Vidim, Swiss Institute, New York (1996), Lab V, Center for Contemporary Arts, Warschau/PL (1994), The Final Frontier, The New Museum, New York (1993), Museum of Modern Art, Oslo/NO (1993), Neues Technisches Museum, Dresden/DE (1993), Videoskulptur, Kunstverein Köln/DE, und Kunsthaus Zürich/CH (1989), Artists Space, New York/US (1989), Japan Broadcasting Corporation, Tokyo/JP (1989), Video Gallery Scan, Tokyo/JP (1989), SIGGRAPH, Atlanta, Georgia (1988), 3rd Australian Video Festival, Sydney/AU (1988), WNET/13, New Television, New York (1988), American Film Institute, Los Angeles (1987), American Museum of the Moving Image, New York (1987), Techno Bop, The Kitchen, New York (1987), Ars Electronica, Linz/AT (1987), Int’l Festival of New Cinema/Video, Montreal/CN (1987), World Wide Video Festival, Den Haag/NL (1987), American Film Institute, Los Angeles, Anthology Archives, New York (1986).
Video installations, among them :: Propitious Stars and the Master of the Staring Eyes, 3 ch. HD video mural (in progress), Luminous Point, interactive DVD (2007), Occurrence on Broadway & Columbus, circular floor projection (2005), N 36º25’12” W 116º48’43“ (Zabriskie Pt.), 16:9 plasma display work (2004), Rabbit in your Headlights, 2 ch. anamorph video mural (2003), 5 Anamorphoses, 5 TV tubes & cylindrical mirrors (2002), Memory of Present, 4 anamorph video projections (2000), My Own Private Universe, 3 computer animations for rear projection (1999), Memory of Light - Light of Memory, for 2 video beams (1998), The Invisible Never Happens, for 3 video beams and wax screens (1998), Séance, for image wiper and video beam (1997), On The Nature Of Things, for rain machine, 4 TV tubes & 1 video beam (1996), The Kircher Itinerary, cycle of 4 installations w. stripped tv tubes (1990-1993), Arthur, 5 video channels for 8 TV tubes, soundscape w. 10 audio channels (1988), Urban Memories, for 3 TV monitors (1986), Plant # 216/349, 2 TV-tubes, doll, anamorph paper shapes (1982)
Single Channel Videos :: Capturing Natural Sounds in the age of the vintage 78 records and other thoughts on traveling between different realities, parts 1-4, 8:21‘ (2005), Dirt Site, 15:30' (1990), Aerial Stills, 5:00' (1988), Viewers of Optics, 11:30' (1987), Aviation Memories, 7:30' (1986), Secret Sanctions, 10:00' (1986), State of Being, 20:00' (1982), The Outer Plant, 28:00' (1982), A Real World Film, 6:00' (1981), Demis, 15:00' (1977) Jona, 3:00' (1977)
Has been awarded with the Cultural Award of St. Gallen/CH (2009), Media Production Grant of the New York State Council on the Arts, New York/US (2008), Work Grant of the City of Zurich/CH (2007), Finishing Funds Experimental TV Center, Owego, NY/US (2005), the namics Art Prize/CH (2002), the Laser d’Oro, VideoArt Festival, Locarno/CH (1998), Price for Young Swiss Art, Zurich/CH (1995), NYSCA Media Production Grant, New York/US (1988/89/90/95), Swiss National Grant/CH (1987/88/93), Work of Excellence, Tokyo Video Festival/JP (1990), New York Foundation for the Arts/US (1986); received the Bogliasco a.i.r. in Genova/IT (2006), a.i.r. at Darat-al-Funun in Amman/JO (2006), DAAD fellowship in Berlin/DE (1993), a.i.r. at Harvestworks, New York/US (1989)
Bibliography
Alexander Hahn - La Signoria degli Astri - The Signiory of Stars, 36p./DVD, Italian, Padiglione d‘Arte Contemporaneo, Ferrara/IT (2007)
Alexander Hahn - Works 1976-2006, 236 p./DVD, German/English, Kunstmuseum Solothurn/CH, Kehrer Verlag, Heidelberg/DE (2007)
Mémoires Astrales d'un Homme Volant, 72 p. French/English, Musée Jenisch, Vevey/CH (2002)
O Naturze Rzecze - On the Nature of Things, 36 p. Polish/English, Galeria Foksal, Warsaw/PL (1996)
La natura delle Cose, 36 p. Italian/English, Link Project, Bologna/IT (1996)
Personal Records, 72 p. German/English, Kunsthaus Zürich/CH (1995)
Rats - Ratten, 72 p. German/English, DAAD Galerie Berlin/CH (1994)
Of Shadow & Light, 36p., English. World Wide Video Centre, Den Haag/NL, Stop Over Press, Berlin/DE
One Hour of Deception, artist book, 48p. English, Istituto Svizzero, Roma, IT (1991)
Godzina Iluzji, artist book, 48p. Polish translation, Warsaw/PL (1995)
Electronic Media, 48p. German/English, Kunstreihe Pro Helvetia, Zürich/CH (1989)
