A series of wooden-framed photographs, each: upright format W 38.13 x H 42 cm, landscape format B 51,63 x H 28 cm (Edition of 7)
Concept Tanya Ury
Camera: Tanya Ury
Digital processing: Claudia Stasch and Ingolf Pink
Insurance value: each picture 1,000 Euros
Since 2010, Tanya Ury has been working on the research project Who’s Boss – Empire’s New Clothes, as PhD. in Humanities candidate at Leiden University, Institute for Cultural Disciplines (NL)
Spring 2005, Hugo Boss manufactured and presented a new men’s cologne with the advertising campaign: Body, Mind and Soul: “Do you have what it takes to be successful? Behind the surface of every man is his soul. Sharpen your mind. Challenge your body.”
The photo series Soul Brothers & Sisters is a collage of the Hugo Boss “Body, Mind and Soul” advert digitally combined with portraits of people wearing Tanya Ury’s T‑shirt with her transformed Boss Logo design that incorporates the SS Rune. Displaying the Nazi symbol is illegal in Germany. But a complete reappraisal of history is often not made; those depicted in Soul Brothers & Sisters are individuals who, having discovered the history of the fashion business Hugo Boss that made Nazi uniforms, with a forced labour personnel, wished to be involved in the exposure of this fact to a wider public.
- Soul Brother: Shaheen. Shaheen Merali artist and Head (of the section): Exhibition, Film, New Media, House of World Cultures, Berlin, March 2005. Background: “17.3 – 15.5.05” by Michael Lin, foyer, House of World Cultures.
- Soul Brother: Robert. Robert Lippok, musician, c.sides festival, Jerusalem (IL), 31.8.2006. Background: Beth Schmuel Hostel, Jerusalem.
- Soul Brother: Alex. Alexander Nikolic, artist, film maker, performer and researcher photographed at “Open Space”, Zentrum für Kunstprojekte (Centre for Art Projects), World-Ex-Position 08 Vienna 25.4.2008 (A)
- Soul Brother: Stefan. Stefan Lutschinger, free-lance artist and philosopher, photographed at “Open Space”, Zentrum für Kunstprojekte (Centre for Art Projects), at the World-Ex-Position 08, Vienna 25.4.2008 (A)
- Soul Brother & Sister: Amin and Lale. Amin Farzanefar, Film and culture publicist specialising in the Middle and Near Eastern cinema and Lale Konuk, manager of the Arkadas Theatre – Stages of Diverse Culture, Cologne, 2008 (D)
- Soul Sister: Tanja. Tanja Ostojic, interdisciplinary artist and cultural activist, at a gentrification site taking place in her neighbourhood in Berlin-Mitte, 5.11.2010
- Soul Sister: Iris. Iris Hefets-Borchardt, Israeli-Jewish political activist, in Café Bravo, Kunstwerke, Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin 5.11.2010
- Soul Brother: Wayne. Wayne Yung, queer video artist, at home. in Berlin Prenzlauerberg, 6.11.2010
- Soul Brother: Amit. Amit Epstein, video and performance artist, fashion and theatre designer at his studio, in Berlin-Schöneberg, 8.11.2010
- Soul Sister Ruth: Ruth Novaczek, filmmaker with her artwork “Yid”, at her home in Finsbury Park, London, 3.12.2010
- Soul Brother Nick: Nick Stewart, artist, in the backyard of the Scooter Caffe, in London, 4.12.2010
- Soul Sister Cécile: Cécile Chich, art lover, writer, Queer activist, in London, 5.12.2010
- Soul Brother Roland: Roland Graeter (cello and voice improvisation) in front of Gerhard Richter’s “Bridge 14 FEB 45” (2000÷2001), before the Music Marathon concert, # 194 in Tanya Ury’s flat, Cologne 13.7.2011
Who’s Boss — a collection of works:
- Art Prize
- Boss Rune
- Hair Shirt
- Hair Shirt Army – Armee des härenen Gewandes
- Röslein Sprach…
- Selection
- shower proof
- Soul Brothers & Sisters
- sweatshop
- Your Rules
Presentation
2006 (26.7. – 9.8.) Solo exhibition, seminar Presentation: Who’s Boss, 4 pm 26.-7 in the exhibition, Tüzraktér Independent Cultural Centre, Budapest (HU)
2006 (28.8. – 3.9) Who’s Boss as Seminar presentation, c.sides Festival, International Convention Center, Jerusalem (IL)
2006 (2.9.- end September) Group exhibition, Soul Brother Shaheen, Connection, Propeller, Berlin (D)
2006 (3.11.) Who’s Boss seminar presentation, workshop with pupils from the Anne-Frank-Realschule (secondary modern), Bochumer Kulturrat, (D)
2007 (23.3.) On the online Feminist Art Base: www.brooklynmuseum.org… Who’s Boss: Soul Brother Shaheen, The Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, The Brooklyn Museum, New York (USA)
2007 (4. – 7.4) Who’s Boss power point presentation Saturday, April 7th, 8:00 – 9:30 a.m., Salon K , Fashion, Appearance and Consumer Identity, Popular Culture Association, Thirty-seventh Annual Meeting, Boston Marriott, Boston (USA) www.popularculture.org…
2008 (16. – 18.5) Who’s Boss power point presentation in German, Limmud-Festival Werbellinsee (Jugenderholungs- und Begegnungsstätte) www.limmud.de/2008_en/… (D)
2012 (11.6) Tanya Ury is the featured artist with new works in the June edition online of Imaginations: Journal of Cross-Cultural Image Studies, University of Alberta, Canada, with Videos: Intimacy, cement & dark room; a series of 17 concrete poems, the photograph Alibijude, Selection from the Who’s Boss series, and 8 photos from Soul Brothers & Sisters, also 3 photos of Occupy in Strasbourg, from the Fading into the Foreground series; furthermore 5 toned poems (sounds, music and sound mix Kasander Nilist) and a peer review interview (text and Skype video) with Claude Desmarais, (CA) www.csj.ualberta.ca/im…
Artist’s Writings & Publications
2005 “Stets gern für Sie beschäftigt…” (”Always glad to be of service…”) catalogue, ifa Galerie, Berlin (D)
2006 (14−18.6) Who’s Boss as archival material, Performing Rights Library a four-day conference and accompanying programme of live events Performance Studies international (PSi) #12: Performing Rights, Queen Mary, University of London (GB)
2007 (7) Publication of Who’s Boss article in Translate/Narrate issue, volume 20, n.paradoxa, International Feminist Art Journal, London (GB) web.ukonline.co.uk/n.p…