Brian Jungen’s »Dog Run« at documenta 13

After the end of the Bode/Haftmann era, the Bauhaus no longer played a role in documenta. Only recently works that refer to Bauhaus reappeared at certain points, whether as historical references, appropriations, or ironic transformations2/9, 4/9, 9/9.

In 2012, the Canadian artist Brian Jungen realized the work »Dog Run« for documenta 13 at Karlsaue Park. »Dog Run« consisted of a parkour of sculptures for dogs and their keepers, meant as a playground and place of friendship between dog and man. The dogs were free to romp around and and jump on or play with the sculptures while their keepers were also able to sit and rest on them. The visitors of the exhibition were asked to observe the playful activity from the fence.

Brian Jungen got the initial impetus for this work back in 2004 when he read the story of the »Little Brown Dog Statue« in London's Battersea Park and visited this site in preparation for his exhibition at Tate Modern. »Little Brown Dog« had died in 1903 as a result of illegal animal experiments performed on it and another 232 dogs by University College London. The experiments were exposed by two Swedish medical students and animal rights activists and the responsible doctors were accused without being convicted. In response, they had the Little Brown Dog Statue erected in 1906, triggering the brown dog affair, which led to the removal of the statue in 1910. It was not until 1985 that the statue was rebuilt on the same site.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe: Barcelona Chair 250, 1929
© VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2019

Brian Jungen’s artistic works comment on cultural and social issues, linking them with mass and consumer goods, which often represent the base materials for his sculptures and installations. In this regard, they can be read as an analysis of the current societal situation.

The design of some of the objects of the parkours of »Dog Run« is clearly reminiscent of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Chair (picture). Designed in 1929, this chair became a Bauhaus icon and one of the most famous design objects of the last century. Like many other pieces of furniture created by Bauhaus designers, the Barcelona Chair has become a bestseller among a financially strong group of buyers who believe that design classics can bolster their social status.

However, Jungen deciphers this world-renowned brand and at the same time thematizes global capitalism when he uses commodities, consumer goods, and industrial products as base materials for his installations. In combination with the dog parkour, the work »Dog Run« can be read as an analysis of social practices and maybe also as an overarching cultural critique.