Jesper Just’s Dislocation of Place at the Venice Biennale

Jesper Just confronts the paradoxical nature intrinsic to Biennale commissions in the Giardini: the pavilion as physical representation of one country in another country. Using this as a point of departure, Intercourses examines themes of architectural pastiche and cultural dislocation by creating an immersive, multi-faceted environment. Made up of five channels, the film is set in a replica of Paris, France, in a suburb of Hangzhou, China. Unlike many replica cities, this one is fully functional, though in contrasting states of construction and decay. Just’s treatment of the location challenges the viewer’s preconceived notions of space and time, rendering obsolete the distinction between real or imagined memories, between factual or fictional connections to a place.

Source: Press Release

Images: Jesper Just, Intercourses, 2013, still from 5-channel video installation at the Danish Pavilion for the 55th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, 2013. Courtesy the artist.