Marvin Gaye Chetwynd, An Evening with Jabba the Hutt, 2003. Documentation from The International 3, Manchester. Copyright the artist, courtesy Sadie Coles HQ, London.

MARVIN GAYE CHETWYND: JABBA, I’M BACK! COME BACK TOUR, BOOK NOW!

EVENT AT LANDMARK: Sat 29.10.2016, 9PM
EXHIBITION AT NO. 5: 28.10.–18.12.2016
HOURS: Tue-Sun 11AM-5PM, Thurs 11AM-7PM

Bergen Kunsthall
Rasmus Meyers allé 5
5015 Bergen

This participatory soirée marks the reawakening of Jabba the Hutt – a recurring protagonist in Chetwynd’s early performances such as An Evening with Jabba the Hutt (2004) and Jabba the Hutt’s Reading Group (2008) – as a smooth-talking bon viveur who for this come back tour brings together Polish wedding games, lightly dressed women, Stevie Wonder hits, Wookie holiday cheer, acrobatics and free piña coladas.

Pondering questions of re-enacting, collecting and the continuous editing of ‘historical’ performance material, the revival of Jabba the Hutt coincides with an exhibition in Bergen Kunsthall’s No.5, a space regularly dedicated to revisiting exhibition histories through recreations of past displays. Focusing in on Home Made Tasers, performed at the New Museum in New York, USA (2012), Nottingham Contemporary, UK (2015) and New Walk Museum and Art Gallery in Leicester, UK (2015) – the latter acquired the piece for their collection – the show features a series of instructional videos by Chetwynd directing collectors and conservators in how to conserve, repair and even perform her work. More than mere step-by-step manuals yet not actual artworks, this joyful art school-as-cooking show is a rare peek into Chetwynd’s methodology and material understanding and a witty argument for reframing artistic autonomy in performance. The exhibition is open 28 October – 18 December.

The above events are parts of PRAXES’ year-long enquiry into Marvin Gaye Chetwynd’s practice. Inviting audiences to participate in the unfolding of performances, and to experience paintings, props, inspirational sources, and the numerous other facets that combine to make up her work, Bergen Assembly 2016 presented Chetwynd’s Iron Age Pasta Necklace Workshop (2004–) in February; the performance The Elixia App (Episode One) in April; the performance The Cell Group (Episode Two) and exhibition Cocaine and Caviar, both in September. In addition, the exhibition …Are U Bats? 1 is currently on show at the Bergen City Hall, accumulating Chetwynd’s Bat Opera paintings from February to November.