Andy Kassier seeks to push the genre of conceptual art forward through his socially critical performances, which deal with success & self-portrayal in social media. His digital persona is the epitome of a successful man, as seen countless times on social platform like Instagram.

 

During Berlin Art Week 2020, the concept artist performed his show »palm down» for five days, several hours a day. The performance is repeated in a two-hour loop and shows Andy Kassier in and outside of Studio Hanz, trying to balance home office and relaxation. But after years of cultivating his image of success, the façade is now deceptive.

 

In the first half of the performance, the viewer becomes a voyeur of the artist in his home office, eating junk food, doing real video calls with artists and experts from the arts and culture scene (during which he is in boxer shorts, not visible to the person at the other end of the call). The second part of the performance places Andy Kassier outside, standing on a slightly elevated pile of golden sand. Here he meditatively paints 50 palm trees, the embodiment of paradise. But looking closer, the viewer notices that the palm trees are upside down – and the beach scene is not Malibu, but a construction site in East Berlin.

 

Kassier created 50 limited and signed editions live throughout the 5-day performance. 04/50 of »palm down« is in the Baerenfell collection.