BEHIND THE MASK: Q&A with Julian-Jakob Kneer

DER MANN DER LACHT, 2022 - Digital print on puzzle. Aluminium construction 94,5 x 75,5 x 5,5 cm

Pop culture is basically embedded in everyday life, mostly with the propulsion of the Internet: the lives of celebrities are broadcasted by the minute, music and movies are widely accessible, and idolizing fictional characters and stars are normalized. The Berlin-based artist Julian-Jakob Kneer basks in our contemporary love-and-hate relationship to fame, art, and trends, and it’s clear that his obscure alter ego is a mirror of ourselves.

The Swiss artist has been delving into many mediums of art, but in the last few years, Kneer’s installations have caught the attention of fans globally.

LEATHER FACE, 2022 - Hermès Birkin bag, custom-made silicone mask - 28 x 40 x 21 cm

There is a persona that he plays out in exhibitions and artworks: with the face of a monochromatic laughing man reminiscent of a monochromatic Joker, Luka Magnotta, and Andy Warhol, his doppelganger exudes of the narcissism reeking from Patrick Bateman, all while dabbling into Tumblr “sad girl” interests, repackaged as femcel core today, with holier-than-thou y2k causes.

Pocketing pop culture, stardom-cursed artists like Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and Lana Del Rey are referenced in Kneer’s art. It’s seems like artists who create their own world and suck in thousands of people to live through their fears, lyricism, and romanticized angst are projected by Kneer. In a way, this deeply unsympathetic persona is a reflection of our consumption of media, and our repulsion to anything in a gray-area.

Incorporating close-to-home elements like the Twilight franchise, Redbull binges, tabloids, and self-hatred, Kneer’s oeuvres are enigmatic collages of all the things that feed our obsessions. Arguably, he’s insinuating that we could all become rich, beautiful, and successful, but in order to achieve that, we have to hollow ourselves out. He quotes, “You only need to remove a rib to be able to suck your own dick.”

Julian-Jakob Kneer accepts the ugly and the beautiful, as well as the dead and the undead, with no discrimination. Sophisticated yet obscene, he is not looking to shock, but to fuel the blurring of the lines between opposing forces.

We sat down with Julian-Jakob Kneer with 16 Q&A.

DOPPELGANGER, 2022 - Digital print on puzzle, aluminium construction, 94,5 x 158 x 5,5 cm

1.What was the moment or time of your life when art really stuck with you, and you thought: “this is what I’m meant to do”?

I JUST DO ART BECAUSE I’M UGLY AND THERE’S NOTHING ELSE FOR ME TO DO.

2. How would you describe yourself versus your artistic alter-ego?

I THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD LIKE EVERYBODY.

3. Internet is heavily embedded in your art, whether it’s you commenting on it or sharing extensively about it. Has your relationship with the world wide web always been this tight-knit?

WHEN I GOT MY FIRST TELEVISION SET, I STOPPED CARING SO MUCH ABOUT HAVING CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS.

HIGH-RISE BERLIN with JULIAN-JAKOB KNEER, Schinkel Pavillon Berlin 2021; camera and post-prod. Joseph Kadow, sound Julian-Jakob Kneer in col. w/ Emma Czerny. Courtesy the artist and Schinkel Pavillon, Berlin.

4. Additionally, fame and celebrity are pillars of your recent works, and it seems like you’re commenting about how ephemeral and banal in comparison to mortality these are. What pushed you towards these themes?

DON'T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO WHAT THEY WRITE ABOUT YOU. JUST MEASURE IT IN INCHES. I AM A DEEPLY SUPERFICIAL PERSON.

SHOOTING STAR installation view (2022). Courtesy the artist and Blue Velvet Projects, Zurich.

5. You use very particular references. Instead of citing celebrated and unanimously respected artists, you choose scandalous figures of pop, mostly women, like Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, etc. Why are they so inspiring to you?

ART IS ANYTHING YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH.

6. There is an absurdist element that runs through a lot of your work, with your views neither falling into the camp of completely right or wrong. Would you agree with this interpretation?

THEY ALWAYS SAY NEW ART IS BAD FOR A WHILE, THAT’S THE RISK – THAT’S THE PAIN YOU HAVE TO HAVE FOR FAME.

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

7. Art can only be grasped through interpretation. Some artists are heavy on keeping their subjects easy to understand and are against the viewer's interpretations, while others’ careers rely solely on the external gaze. What is the case for you?

IT’S NOT WHAT YOU ARE THAT COUNTS, IT’S WHAT THEY THINK YOU ARE.

8. During your teen and childhood years, what kind of person were you? Who did you look up to, and what made you who you are today?

ANDY WARHOL AND MY MOM.

9. You are currently based in Berlin. What does this city mean to you?

EVERYTHING IS MORE GLAMOROUS WHEN YOU DO IT IN BED ANYWAY.

10. You play a lot with kitsch and you turn the ordinary into interesting conversation points. Why are banality and traditional “bad taste” essential to you?

BAD TASTE MAKES THE DAY GO BY FASTER.

11. In an interview with Flaunt this year, you stated that you are most concerned about integrity when it comes to your art over originality. Your art is actually very unique, as you meddle themes and people that have never been mixed before; why is integrity so important to you versus originality?

I WANT EVERYBODY TO THINK ALIKE. I THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD BE A MACHINE. SOMEDAY EVERYBODY WILL JUST THINK WHAT THEY WANT TO THINK, AND THEN EVERYBODY WILL PROBABLY BE THINKING ALIKE; THAT SEEMS TO BE WHAT IS HAPPENING.

Julian-Jakob Kneer; SELL THE HOUSE SELL THE CAR SELL THE KIDS / MADLEY / SOGAR DIE GRÖSSTEN STARS ENTDECKEN SICH SELBT IM SPIEGELGLAS (LEBEN IHR LEBEN IM SPIEGELGLAS) / BORN TO STAND OUT / DECAYDANCE / LACHEN IST DIE SCHÖNSTE ART ZÄHNE ZU ZEIGEN / WITNESS ME (2021); custom-made silicone mask. Courtesy the artist and brunand brunand Gallery, Berlin.

Julian-Jakob Kneer; MADLEY / SELL THE HOUSE SELL THE CAR SELL THE KIDS / SOGAR DIE GRÖSSTEN STARS ENTDECKEN SICH SELBT IM SPIEGELGLAS (LEBEN IHR LEBEN IM SPIEGELGLAS) / DECAYDANCE / LACHEN IST DIE SCHÖNSTE ART ZÄHNE ZU ZEIGEN / BORN TO STAND OUT (2021); mirror foil on alu-frame, LED lights, metal lacquer on vinyl curtain, custom-made dyed natural-hair wig. Courtesy the artist and brunand brunand Gallery, Berlin.