Imagined Histories
November 1–November 23, 2012
opening November 1, 5-9 pm

Krowswork is pleased to present Imagined Histories featuring photographs by Bay Area artist Naaman Rosen and a video program titled 100x100=900 (100 Video Artists to Tell a Century). Both Rosen and the artists in this extensive video compilation approach history—both personal and shared—as an imagined construct, whose documentable facts are, in the end, secondary to the present emotions and personal associations surrounding the ideas about that history. This layering posits history as existing as much inside of a curious mind, as in real time and space.

Naaman Rosen presents a series of works collectively titled Photo Portraits. And, they are portraits—albeit unusual ones—of people he has never met and places he has never been. For years he has scoured antique shops, fairs, and thrift stores for vintage photographs, interested not in their conventional subject on the front but instead focused on the writing and inscriptions on the back, which he then re-photographs. Sometimes it is a single word or date that has caught his interest, either for a personal meaning or a compositional aspect. In other cases, these handwritten notes serve as poetic stories, conjuring a time and place through its descriptive writing. To photograph them, he has placed them on beautiful fabrics, likewise old and poignantly paired with the photograph’s text—matching in tone the unseen image on the front. These fabrics become ornate, colorful frames for the back’s mostly empty, spare, white centers, thus reversing the normal compositional pull of a framed photograph. In the days of digital photographs, which are rarely printed, and whose descriptions, instead of being handwritten, are “tagged” and sent into cyberspace to have a life of their own, these photograph backs are as potent as any front-facing image in conveying the history of this medium.

Rosen received his MFA in photography in May of 2013 from the San Francisco Art Institute. This is his second show at Krowswork.

100x100=900 is a seven-hour program organized by Enrico Tomaselli, director of Magmart Video Festival in Naples, Italy, of 100 videos made by artists from around the world, each of whom were assigned one year of the twentieth century—beginning with the year 1900—about which to make a video. The artists were given free rein and total artistic license to make work that conjured some idea of that year. In some cases the artists chose specific historical events; in other cases, the videos focus more on eliciting a feeling of the era; in several works the artists reference the history of the mediums of film and video. In fact the project was spurred in part by the fact of 2013 being the 50th Anniversary of the history of video art, whose starting date is claimed by some to be an exhibition by Nam Jun Paik in Wuppertal, Germany, in 1963. A full list of artists appears below and more information is on the 100x100 website: www.9hundred.org

This program will be shown on two screens at Krowswork, with the entire 7 hours screened each day the gallery is open.

Alysse Stepanian [F] [Iran] - THE MAGICIAN KING & THE APPRENTICE [1900] - [3', 34"]

Evelin Stermitz [F] [Austria] - VOTES FOR WOMEN [1901] - [3', 6"]

Marius Leneweit + Rocio Rodriguez (Gruppefisch) [G] [Germany] - CONSTRUCTIONS [1902] - [4', 0"]

Emily Alden Foster [F] [United States] - IN 1903 WE [1903] - [2', 7"]

Danilo Stojic [M] [Serbia and Montenegro] - TEDDY BEAR CROWNING [1904] - [2', 37"]

Marcia Beatriz Granero [F] [Brazil] - VON SUTTNER SALAD [1905] - [4', 40"]

HervÈ Penhoat [M] [France] - TRACE [1906] - [1', 58"]

Silvia De Gennaro [F] [Italy] - JOIE DE VIVRE [1907] - [4', 1"]

Ries Straver [M] [Netherlands] - THE ETHERIC CALL OF THE WILD [1908] - [2', 8"]

Alessandro Amaducci [M] [Italy] - FUTUR-ISM [1909] - [2', 32"]

Carl Knickerbocker [M] [United States] - 1910 [1910] - [1', 48"]

Mauricio Sanhueza [M] [Peru] - PERSISTENCE OF TIME [1911] - [3', 21"]

David Cheung [M] [China] - ROCKY RAILWAY HIGH (PROC) [1912] - [4', 9"]

Arthur Tuoto [M] [Brazil] - A MUDDY ROMANCE (REVISITED) [1913] - [5', 0"]

Nara Denning [F] [United States] - DIVISION WWI [1914] - [3', 4"]

Paolo Bandinu [M] [Italy] - 1915 APRIL 8 [1915] - [1', 40"]

Ulf Kristiansen [M] [Norway] - 1916 [1916] - [3', 38"]

Piero Chiariello [M] [Italy] - THE WONDER OF SUN [1917] - [4', 20"]

Ferrie Maaswinkel (ferrie = differentieel) [M] [Netherlands] - 1918VAPTU - VIDEO ART PROJECT THE UNIMAGINABLE [1918] - [4', 55"]

Barbara Agreste [F] [Italy] - PICTURES BOOK [1919] - [5', 0"]

Agustin Sanchez [M] [Mexico] - THE GOLEM [1920] - [3', 14"]

Liang Zhao [M] [China] - 1921 [1921] - [5', 17"]

Elisabetta Di Sopra [F] [Italy] - REMIX [1922] - [2', 6"]

Venugopal V.G. [M] [India] - INTUITIVE VOICES [1923] - [1', 57"]

Maria Korporal [F] [Netherlands] - THE GOD IS DEAD, LONG LIVE ... [1924] - [5', 6"]

Dennis H. Miller [M] [United States] - 1925 [1925] - [2', 31"]

Mario Raoli [M] [Italy] - THE BEGINNING OF A SWINDLE [1926] - [3', 53"]

Antonello Novellino [M] [Italy] - 1927 [1927] - [1', 2"]

Adrian Michael Westbrook (Ouestbrouq) [M] [United States] - Ω SOLD [1928] - [3', 21"]

Didier Feldmann (VIDEOPAPER) [M] [France] - WALL STREET CRASH [1929] - [1', 20"]

Pasquale Napolitano (soundbarrier) [M] [Italy] - DAS KLEINE WELTEN [1930] - [3', 12"]

Khaled Hafez [M] [Egypt] - (ONCE UPON A TIME IN) 1931 [1931] - [4', 26"]

Maarit Murka (Murka) [F] [Estonia] - SURFACE [1932] - [2', 17"]

Roelof Broekman (Evo Preisner) [M] [Netherlands] - 1933 [1933] - [2', 44"]

Loredana Raciti [F] [Sudan] - DÈJ‡ VU [1934] - [5', 10"]

Robert Ladislas Derr [M] [United States] - ATTEMPT AT A MISTAKE [1935] - [5', 13"]

Ora Kolmanovsky [F] [Russian Federation] - I WAS BORN IN 1936 [1936] - [2', 37"]

Cleantho Viana [M] [Brazil] - DEGENERATE ART [1937] - [1', 3"]

IÒigo OrduÒa + Claudio Molinari Dassatti [M] [Argentina] - TOTAL LOGIC [1938] - [3', 20"]

Marina Fomenko [F] [Russian Federation] - LOOKING FOR A FATAL DYSTOPIA [1939] - [4', 52"]

Lino Strangis [M] [Italy] - WAKE UP FROM THE DRIFT [1940] - [4', 55"]

Juanma Carrillo [M] [Spain] - NINETTEN FORTY ONE [1941] - [5', 22"]

Debra Fear [F] [United Kingdom] - WE MADE IT [1942] - [3', 15"]

Tal Lotan [F] [Israel] - SZCZAKOWA [1943] - [2', 0"]

Alejandro RamÌrez (Alejandro Ramirez) [M] [Spain] - PERIPHERAL HISTORY [1944] - [2', 15"]

Eli Souaiby [M] [Lebanon] - DE-CONSTRUCTION [1945] - [3', 52"]

Manuel Diaz (Manuel DÌaz) [M] [Mexico] - THE COMMUNION [1946] - [2', 59"]

Gennaro Cicalese [M] [Italy] - ON DA LINE [1947] - [1', 22"]

Ann Steuernagel [F] [United States] - WHERE ARE WE GOING [1948] - [4', 22"]

Henry Gwiazda [M] [United States] - NOTHING HAPPENSÖTWICE [1949] - [3', 42"]

Caroline Koebel [F] [United States] - FLYING SAUCER DRONE [1950] - [4', 24"]

Christin Bolewsky [F] [Germany] - SEVENTEEN-POINT PLAN [1951] - [3', 0"]

Chiara Mazzocchi [F] [Italy] - 1952 [1952] - [4', 12"]

Cl·udia Melo [F] [Portugal] - LOST IDENTITY [1953] - [4', 94"]

Roflbacher Gerald + Weing‰rtner Michael [M] [Austria] - 11TH OF APRIL - THE DAY NOTHING HAPPENED [1954] - [1', 7"]

Joe Hambleton [M] [Canada] - RECUR RING [1955] - [4', 57"]

Alessandro De Vita [M] [Italy] - CRY-STAL [1956] - [5', 20"]

Emilio Rizzo [M] [Switzerland] - TALES [1957] - [3', 47"]

Thorsten Fleisch [M] [Germany] - X-RAYED CAMERA [1958] - [4', 45"]

Arnaud Brihay [M] [Belgium] - IT WASN'T A DREAM [1959] - [2', 50"]

Wong Pak Yin [M] [Hong Kong] - UNREST AT REST [1960] - [5', 0"]

Tania Antoshina + Artur Muradyan [F] [Russian Federation] - THIS DAY [1961] - [4', 59"]

Fernando G. Tamajon (Malaventura) [M] [Spain] - SWAN SONG OR HOW A CUT-UP CAN LEAK THE FUTURE [1962] - [2', 19"]

Andreas Mares [M] [Austria] - DREAM [1963] - [5', 17"]

Erika Matsunami [F] [Japan] - EXISTENCE OF RISK [1964] - [3', 35"]

Francesca Fini [F] [Italy] - WHITE NOISE [1965] - [5', 10"]

Zlatko Cosic [M] [Bosnia and Herzegovina] - NOT YOUR USUAL TV DINNER [1966] - [5', 1"]

Ezra Wube [M] [Ethiopia] - TIZITA [1967] - [4', 57"]

Hernan Apablaza [M] [Chile] - MATENO [1968] - [3', 19"]

Marcus Shahar [M] [Israel] - THE KITCHEN CABINET [1969] - [5', 9"]

Loredana Antonelli [F] [Italy] - THE RED BRIGADE GENERATION [1970] - [4', 58"]

Margit Nobis [F] [Austria] - 2013 [1971] - [2', 40"]

Recep Akar [M] [Turkey] - MISDEED [1972] - [5', 12"]

Alexandra Mitlyanskaya [F] [Russian Federation] - YEAR 1973 [1973] - [4', 44"]

Paola Luciani [F] [Italy] - XA [1974] - [3', 20"]

GÈrard Cairaschi [M] [France] - M.O.V.I.E. [1975] - [5', 0"]

Noriko Okaku [F] [Japan] - THE GREAT INTRUDER OF MEMORY [1976] - [1', 18"]

Salvatore Insana [M] [Italy] - WHITE RIOT [1977] - [2', 53"]

Khalil Charif [M] [Brazil] - THE END [1978] - [3', 47"]

Boldizsar Csernak (Boldizsar) [M] [Hungary] - AZA KILLER [1979] - [5', 12"]

Resmi Al Kafaji [M] [Iraq] - 2 AGOSTO [1980] - [4', 51"]

Eleonora Manca [F] [Italy] - 1981 SKIN [1981] - [1', 34"]

Azahara Cerezo [F] [Spain] - THE LAST BATTLE [1982] - [2', 14"]

Kevork Mourad [M] [Syrian Arab Republic] - 1983 [1983] - [5', 0"]

Eden Orion [M] [Israel] - UNTITLED [1984] - [2', 19"]

Vladimir Todorovic [M] [Serbia and Montenegro] - 1985 [1985] - [3', 46"]

Agata Chiusano [F] [Italy] - RED FOREST [1986] - [4', 51"]

MatÌas MontarcÈ [M] [Spain] - THE FLIGHT OF THE CESSNA [1987] - [5', 0"]

Igor Imhoff (iliant0) [M] [Italy] - PORPHYRA TENERA [1988] - [5', 10"]

Laurel Beckman [F] [United States] - FROM RED TO RAINBOW [1989] - [3', 12"]

Rona Rangsch [F] [Germany] - NEUNZEHNHUNDERTNEUNZIG [1990] - [4', 53"]

Francesca Leoni [F] [Italy] - (NINETEEN)91 [1991] - [3', 44"]

Nida Fatima Khan [F] [Pakistan] - A FANTASTIC YEAR [1992] - [1', 13"]

Colette Copeland [F] [United States] - BOBBITMANIA [1993] - [4', 42"]

Philip Sanderson [M] [United Kingdom] - INSOLUBLE [1994] - [3', 12"]

Emeka Ogboh (Emeka) [M] [Nigeria] - 0730HRS [1995] - [2', 34"]

Ishii Jun'ichiro [M] [Japan] - C [1996] - [3', 0"]

Giang Nguyen Hoang [M] [Vietnam] - TILT [1997] - [1', 26"]

Nisrine Boukhari [F] [Syrian Arab Republic] - 1998---- [1998] - [4', 8"]

Russell J. Chartier + Paul J Botelho [M] [United States] - DECONSTRUCTED [1999] - [4', 17"]