On Tuesday, July 29th local gallery owner Steve Janssen
will expose the community to a unique one night only art installation and
interactive experience at his Janssen Art Space in Palm Springs from 7-9 p.m.
Austrian artist Hans Stone is coming to town armed with his signature stones
that make up a key part of his global art project the Common Denominator and will invite the community to become a part of the
universal humanity that connects us all.
The Common
Denominator, a global art project
initiated by Hans Stone in 1986, is meant to become the world’s largest
conceptual sculpture. Hans finds flat stones that are perfectly round and
adorns them with his trademark graphic, a voluptuous and simple figure holding
a stone. On the backs of the stones, Hans paints his web address and he then
travels the world a good part of the year scattering the stones in places he
visits. Once people find his stones and venture onto the website they are
invited to take a photo of themselves holding the stone, which they then upload
as a part of the artist’s overall documentation. The pictures represent a
diverse cross section of humanity from celebrities like David Bowie and Dennis
Hopper to high fashion models to tribal Aborigines and sari-swathed Indian
women—all together in cyberspace to reflect Hans’ goal of connecting the world
one stone at a time to express the concept that we are all in this world
together.
“The beauty of this project,” describes Hans, “is the way it
randomly and with magical coincidence, brings people to the stones and the
stones to the people and then the people all together. I believe we are all one
being and should live with the idea that we are here together, not acting as
separate parts and individuals motivated by self-interest. It’s so important,
especially in today’s world, to recognize that we are all instrumental in
maintaining our world and recognizing the brotherhood that is inherent in all
of us. Art and the internet are great ways to make that access more prominent
in our minds because both are vast equalizing tools.”
The show will feature an
installation of stones that gallery-goers will be asked to take away one at a
time as a souvenir reminder of the eternal concept Hans’ work represents—an art
piece that becomes eroded by its viewers naturally. Hans will also exhibit
pictures of global citizens holding his stones and a slide presentation and
short talk about the worldwide project. The event will take place this one
night only.
“I am thrilled to have Hans
and his stones in my gallery,” says Steve Janssen, artist and owner of Janssen
Art Space. “It’s going to be an amazing night of bringing the community
together to get a glimpse of the way that art and artists really do touch
lives.”
For more information on the
Common Denominator project, visit http://www.getstoned.cc/getstoned_1.htm
The public is invited to
attend for free. Janssen Art Space is located at 333 S. Indian Canyon Drive,
Suite J, Palm Springs, CA. 92262. For more information on the gallery, please
call 760-864-9922.
