Julian-Jakob Kneer. “Roses Are Red. Violets Are Blue. The Police Will Need Dental Records To Identify You. Bitch” (2022). Reworked Balenciaga Hat, Reworked Balenciaga Sunglasses, Gloves, Cutting Board, Sunscreen, Lacquer Variable Dimensions. Courtesy Of The Artist And Blue Velvet Projects, Zurich. Photo: Nicolas Duc.

In his latest exhibition, SHOOTING STAR, at Blue Velvet Projects in Zürich, Julian-Jakob Kneer explores the role of the artist as fan, celebrity, and narcissistic myth-maker. Upon entering the gallery, viewers are greeted by floor-length mirrors inscribed with movie quotes in black lipstick: IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE REFLECTION. DON’T LOOK IN THE MIRROR. I DON’T CARE. While another advises: LET US BE SO VERY SPECIAL TOGETHER. On the basement floor of the gallery, Kneer has recreated a type of office/studio, or hybrid living space, out of design furniture. The fictional workspace by the Berlin-based Swiss artist is littered with strange relics, amongst them an Hermès Birkin bag, reworked garments in collaborations with Balenciaga garments, an ice pick, a silicone mask, and drug prescriptions. Behind the big desk, a plasma TV screen plays a disturbing mix of found video footage, including the video diaries of Björk stalker, Ricardo Lopez, interviews with self-obsessed porn star/murderer, Luka Magnotta, an interview with what seems to be Kneer, as well as footage of Britney Spears’ public breakdown.

Have we entered the secret lair of a madman, or are we confronted with a carefully-constructed layer of self-staging? Where are the lines drawn between celebrity’s public spectacle and the spectacle of the generalized public? Are we to our objects as our identity is to our addictions? Kneer conversed with editor Nele Ruckelshausen of literary magazine, Gruppe, about his most recent work and the near total ubiquity of the oily stage.

Julian-Jakob Kneer. “Doppelganger” (2022). Digital Print On Puzzle, Aluminum Construction. 94,5 X 158 X 5,5 Cm. Courtesy Of The Artist And Blue Velvet Projects, Zurich. Photo: Flauro Karrer.

Ruckelshausen: I’m going to come in with a hot take—I think this exhibition is about human connection, above all, or rather, the impossibility thereof. You toy with two opposed perspectives: there’s the viewpoint of the ultra-fan, who becomes so attached to a celebrity figure that it drives them insane; and then the viewpoint of the narcissist celebrity, who becomes so attached to themselves that they can’t relate to anyone else. Both tragically miss the mark of genuine human connection, and both are terribly lonely. Do you think it’s the fate of the artist to be lonely?

Kneer: I would say so. Commitment to a calling and true queer thought—in the original sense of the word ‘queer,’ as in ‘thinking differently’—lead to loneliness. Groucho Marx famously said, ‘I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.’

Do you think that art is always an attempt to be seen?

Most artists would say their main motivation in doing art comes out of a necessity, and that they need art to express or process things—to communicate to the outer world. They want their art to speak for them, and they almost hide behind it. Lopez and Magnotta both refer to themselves as artists. In his self-recorded video diaries, which he made before he tried to kill Björk via letter bomb, Lopez looks into the camera and says, ‘I gotta be honest. You are a camera. I am Ricardo… This is my art.’ Magnotta is using plastic surgery as a sculptor and the internet to create an artistic persona. They both use their ‘art’ as a way to immortalize themselves, and everything they do, they do for the sake of fame and notoriety. To some extent, artists today are forced to do that.

Julian-Jakob Kneer. *SHOOTING STAR* (exhibition view) (2022). Courtesy of the artist and Blue Velvet Projects, Zurich.

Do you think that all contemporary artists should include their own person in their art in some way? You certainly chose to include yourself—or a fictional version of yourself—in your last exhibitions.

I do believe in the idea of a Gesamtkunstwerk. Especially now that people are re-calling for a (new) standard whereby we shouldn’t separate art and artist. That’s why I’m interested in this concept of a doppelgänger—or alter ego. It is dormant in everyone, but apparent only in some. The identity I’m offering is not just mine—everyone can use it.

A lot of artists worry about the impossibility of creating something truly original in internet times, whereas your work is littered with reference upon reference. The Joker movies are the most obvious one, but you also incorporate song lyrics, fashion brands, design classics, and found video footage. Are you concerned with questions of originality?

Yes, but I’m more concerned with integrity. Truth is not about being original, or about fiction versus reality, but about being honest. I do believe originality lies in collage and pastiche, rather than reinventing the wheel.

It’s almost like you’re asking viewers to sift through those pop cultural layers for a glimpse of the real you. But a lot of it turns up as smoke and mirrors, literally. I mean, when people entered the exhibition in Zürich, the first thing they saw was themselves in these huge, floor-length mirrors. Do you even want to be found?

I don’t need to be found. People create your narrative for you.

In the age of social media, it seems that everyone is a bit of both: fan and celebrity. Would you agree that social media has somehow diluted celebrity culture?

Yes, absolutely. Everyone can be a shooting star. You only need to remove a rib to be able to suck your own dick.

What do you think is worse for an artist: being famous or not being famous?

It is pointless to say something meaningful while remaining invisible.

Your choice of subjects and materials—including drugs, mental illness, murder—could be construed as “edgy” by most people. Are you trying to shock?

I am definitely not trying to shock. I just try to investigate the origin and logic of certain social symbols—particularly preconscious dualisms of ‘sick/healthy,’ ‘pretty/ugly,’ ‘right/wrong.’ We all live in a kind of shared fiction, and that fiction is vulnerable to artistic reevaluation. I want to raise questions, not give answers.

What are you working on next?

Amongst other things, I am currently working on a radio play in collaboration with one of Germany’s favorite Grim storytellers. I will release it with PAN Records in Berlin. I am also working on something with my PR agency, Reference Studios.

Written by Nele Ruckelshausen.