A photograph sealed under plexiglass and mounted, H 56 cm x B 77 cm (Edition of 7)
Insurance value 2,000 Euro
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).
The filmed process of Tanya Ury’s body art embroidery and parody of the Boss credo ‘your fragrance, your rules’ has also been captured in a video-performance Röslein Sprach…
The photographic image of the artist’s stretched out hand, the word ‘Boss’ hand-sewn into its palm, against a table cloth background, is combined with a photo of a shop window displaying a poster advertising Hugo men’s cologne ‘your fragrance’, on which a young man displays his hand inscribed with the handwritten logo ‘your rules’.
Encoded within this digital collage are allusions to the fascist Era and the collusive activities of the fashion house Hugo Boss AG, when slave labour tailors made Nazi uniforms in the Metzingen workshop, Germany. A minimal payment in reparation was not offered until the year 2000. The Boss code of re-writing the rulebook to suit oneself, is reflected in the Boss German television advertising campaign 2004, ‘your rules’.
Tanya Ury
Information
Concept: Tanya Ury
Camera: Tanya Ury and Katja Butt
Digital processing: David Janecek
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
Double-Portraits – a collection of works:
- Hermes Insensed 2000 – 2001
- Franco and Elke J. 2002
- lesser is me more or less 2003
- Your Rules 2004
- or else 2007
- Du bist Einstein 2007
- doo bee doo 2007
- Artistic freedom 2013
Presentation
2005 “Stets gern für Sie beschäftigt…”, ifa Galerie Berlin (D)
2005 “Stets gern für Sie beschäftigt…”, Prora Dokumentationszentrum, Rügen (D),
2005 “Stets gern für Sie beschäftigt…”, Kunstverein Rosenheim (D), Eröffnung 9. November 2005 um 19 Uhr, Ausstellungsdauer 9. November bis zum 6. Januar 2006
2006 (26.7. – 9.8.) Einzelausstellung, Seminar in der Ausstellung, Tüzraktér Independent Cultural Centre, Budapest (HU)
2006 (28.8. – 3.9) Who’s Boss als Seminar Präsentation, c.sides Festival, Jerusalem ICC (International Convention Center)(IL)
2006 (3.11. – 24.11.) Einzellausstellung 9 – 12 Uhr Workshop mit SchülerInnen der Anne-Frank-Realschule. Eröffnung 20 Uhr 3.11., Bochumer Kulturrat, (D)
2007 (23.3.) On the online Feminist Art Base www.brooklynmuseum.org: Who’s Boss: Your Rules, The Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, The Brooklyn Museum, New York (USA)
2007 (4. – 7.4) Who’s Boss Power-Point-Präsentation, 8:00 – 9:30 Uhr, 7. April, Salon K zum 37. Jahrestreffen der „Popular Culture Association“ (Gemeinschaft für Populär-Kultur), mit dem Titel „Fashion, Appearance and Consumer Identity“ (Mode, Aussehen und Identität), Boston Marriot, Boston (USA) www.popularculture.org
2008 (16. – 18.5) Who’s Boss Power-Point-Presentation auf Deutsch, Limmud-Festival Werbellinsee (Jugenderholungs- und Begegnungsstätte) www.limmud.de (D)
Publications & Press
2005 (27.1.) Article: Verdienen Am Horror — Holocaust: “Stets gern für sie beschäftigt” (Gains by Horror — Holocaust:“Always glad to be of service…”) (rit.), Ticket — Das Magazin für die Stadt (The Magazine for the City), Berlin (D) more
2005 (16.2.) Article: Es fährt ein Bus nach Sachsenhausen — Die dunkle Seite von Hugo Boss (There’s a bus driving to Sachsenhausen — the dark side of Hugo boss), by Brigitte Werneburg, TAZ newspaper (D) more
2005 (18.2.) Article: Hautnaht — ifa-Galerie: auf den Spuren des Holocaust (Skin Deep — ifa Gallery: In Search of Traces of the Holocaust), by Jens Hinrichsen, Tagesspiegel, Berlin (D) more
2005 (25.2.) Review with photo still Röslein sprach…, “Hugo’s dunklere Seite” (Hugo’s dark side) article by Martin Conrads, Netzeitung.de, Voice of Germany (D) more
Artist’s Writings & Publications
2005 Thorn in the side, interview by Amin Farzanefar, with image Art Prize No. 4, Zeitschrift für Kultur Austausch (Magazine for Cultural Exchange) (D) more
2005 (1.4.) Who’s Boss project presented in Anti-Flick-Collection Edition
of Texte zur Kunst, in the TAZ newspaper, Berlin (D)
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)