Julika Rudelius - One of Us
9 October—13 November 2010
Galerie Michael Janssen Berlin

Galerie Michael Janssen is pleased to present One of Us, the new film by Julika Rudelius. Rudelius has become known in recent years for works that confront the viewer with people from all different kinds of backgrounds. In complex, often multi-channel video installations she provides insights into attitudes and practices that are usually not disclosed before the camera, but only within a selected group. She deals with prejudices and stereotypes that determine our daily behavior and are the foundation of our social coexistence. The ambivalent feelings of intimacy and distance that form the basis for the exactly scripted shots creates simultaneous feelings of identification with and rejection of the people she portrays. Her films are often based on dialogue in conversational situations. The brief moments when the protagonists step beyond their specific roles, where everything, so to speak, that the work addresses comes together in a small, often unconscious gesture or action are the moments that Julika Rudelius is aiming for. Here – at best – the staging becomes reality.

One of Us is Julika Rudelius‘ latest work, which was created this summer in Miami. One of Us is about the love between perfect couples, whose self-image is particularly determined by their relationship. The apparent intimacy of these couples, who are seen kissing, dancing and displaying affection, has nothing to do with the voyeuristically staged intimacy seen in the mass media. It comes across as hermetical, self-contained, romantic, tragic. The ruthlessness of the amazingly beautiful images of couples that Julika Rudelius captures with her camera is somehow disturbing. „Individualism for two“ is the term the artist uses to describe this escape into the private sphere, where nothing else matters except the joy of being together. Luckily, the vows of love feel like they have been quoted from a pop song. There is a delicate balance between surprise and emotionality when a woman who has been with her partner for ten or twenty years or more confesses: „The nicest thing about you is that I can kiss you fifty times a day“.

Julika Rudelius, One of Us, Installation view, 2010, Galerie Michael Janssen Berlin