Kickstarter

As one of the few artist-run spaces in the US devoted to moving image artworks exclusively, Young Projects has emerged in recent years as an essential exhibition space for video, installation, and digital artists--not just on the West Coast but internationally.

To date the gallery has produced over 25 museum-quality exhibitions by a number of key artists from around the world, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive by visitors and press alike. But with your help the gallery will bring an even higher level of exhibitions to Los Angeles for 2013, including solo shows with Gary Hill, Michael Snow, David Clarebout, Hito Steyerl, Karina Nimmerfall, Peter Coffin and the great FX master Douglas Trumbull. (As well as many others!)

However, if  unsuccessful, the gallery will be forced to close down in November (or possibly earlier) and all shows will be cancelled! 

At the moment we are seeking $11,000 to offset a small portion of the $70,000 needed to produce at least 7 exhibitions for the year 2013. In return, all donors will receive limited edition prints (some signed) from some of the artists who have shown at the gallery over the years including Robert Seidel, John Wood & Paul Harrison, Nira Pereg, William Lamson, Kurt Ralske, Cliff Evans, Nicolas Provost, Kevin Cooley, PFFR, Toban Nichols, Jason Trucco and Kii Arens!

NEW REWARDS JUST ADDED!!!

(More rewards below!!)

WHO AND WHAT IS YOUNG PROJECTS?

Paul Young founded the Young Projects Gallery in 2009 with the intention to create a large-scale exhibition space specifically for contemporary artists working in film, video and digital mediums. At the time there were very few galleries in the world doing the same, and even fewer precedents. Yet he realized that moving image artworks were growing in both popularity and sophistication, and yet rarely shown in LA. Therefore the gallery’s mandate was—and still is—to bring the very best works from around the world to LA and show them in the most respectful manner possible.

Since it opened in 2009 Young Projects has presented works by some of the true masters of the medium including Roman Signer, Guy ben-Ner, Nathalie Djurberg, Stanya Kahn, Yang Fudong, Ori Gersht, Kate Gilmore, Rafael Lozano Hemmer, Christian Marclay, Julika Rudelius, Markus Schinwald, Michael Snow, James Whitney and more. And more often than not, the artists shown at the gallery had never presented work in LA or even the US.

While the reasons are complicated, there are just not enough spaces in the world to show these kind of works. And yet there are now more artists than ever before working with moving image art-forms, whether it's experimental films, digital animation or large-scale installations--and they need spaces such as Young Projects! It's crucial for their survival!

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT YOUNG PROJECTS

But don’t take our word for it, here’s what others have to say:

“Young Projects has been a vital part of Los Angeles art culture for the past three years. It has presented work by young and well-known artists who are re-envisioning the art of moving image in ways that are totally contemporary and fresh, and that challenge expectations while offering experiences that are seductive in their sensuality and playfulness. Each exhibition has furthered our appreciation of how media can be exhibited within a gallery setting.” ~ Steve Anker, Dean of the School of Film/Video, formerly served as director of the San Francisco Cinematheque and as artistic director of the Foundation for Art in Cinema.

“YouTube doesn’t do it. [Video] art needs resolution, sound, installations and an attention to quality. It also needs curation: the overview, selection process and writing. Paul Young provides all of the above in spades.” ~ Anne Bray, professor and founding director of Freewaves, a media arts organization and biennial festival in Los Angeles.

“YoungProjects is a brilliant concept for its focus on the relatively new and challenging medium of video art, and incomparable for the pioneering spirit, expertise, professionalism, creativity, and passion that Paul brings to curating it.” ~ Anne Martens, writer, Flash Art

“If you ask me, this is the wave of the future in art, and what better place for this kind of work to emerge than L.A.?” ~ Tracy Harnish, the Huffington Post

WHAT YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS WILL DO:

For the past three years the gallery has been housed in the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, which has allowed the gallery to operate at a significantly reduced rent. But the cost of equipment, rent, insurance and production costs are prohibitively high, and unfortunately, the gallery doesn't receive an income from financial backers, entrance fees or government subsidies to keep it going. Therefore, the gallery must rely on donations to keep going.

We have a very modest budget of $70,000 to realize a slate of 7-10 extraordinary exhibitions in 2013. But we are only aiming for $11, 000 at the moment, which will, at the very least, help with the rent and allow for it’s fall shows with Julian Rosefeldt and Hironaka & Suib to take place. But without your support the gallery must close immediately!

To survive, the gallery needs your support. And your donations will not only keep the doors open but continue to bring more attention to the beauty and excitement of moving image artworks. As a curator, I can’t even begin to describe the sheer number of artists who are now working with digital mediums. And those numbers are growing exponentially. Yet there are sadly not nearly enough venues like Young Projects in the world. As a result, most artists working within this medium have been forced to rely on commercial galleries, museums and festivals to show their work, and yet VERY few galleries, museums or festivals show moving imagery with any kind of consistency. That means very little of this work gets seen by the public--and that's absurd when you think about how prevalent video art has become!

Keeping the doors open at Young Projects will not only allow more and more people to see the full potential of this medium; it will also inspire other artists. And that’s really the main goal: to get more people to see and experience this medium in a way that ultimately pushes the medium itself forward; It’s about bringing attention to what may be the future of art.

REWARDS

As a donor you will be able to choose from a number of unique, limited edition, photographic prints from some of the artists shown at the gallery. Each print will be standard 300 dpi 16x20 prints unless otherwise stated.

PRINTING/FOREIGN SHIPPING COSTS

Domestic shipping costs will be covered by the gallery, but for donors outside the US please add the following to your pledges: $5 for Canada/Mexico and $10 for international.

GARY HILL, MICHAEL SNOW AND DOUGLAS TRUMBULL, REALLY?

Yes really. They’ve all agreed to do exhibitions at YP in 2013.  And they’re going to be amazing shows!

WHO HAS SHOWN WITH YOUNG PROJECTS?

The following have either shown with Young Projects or in off-site exhibitions:

Marina ABRAMOVIC, Makoto ADA, Shoja AZARI, Gazira BABELI, Bruce BAILLIE, Maja BAJEVIC, Tilo BAUMGARTEL, Guy BEN-NER, Tamy BEN-TOR, BESTUE & VIVES, Bruce BICKFORD, Melanie BONAJO, Marco BRAMBILLA, Ulu BRAUN, Thorsten BRINKMANN, Carlos BUNGA, Santiago CAICEDA, John CARPENTER, Brody CONDON, Bruce CONNER, Joseph DELAPPE, Nathalie DJURBERG, Harry DODGE & Stanya KAHN, R. Luke DUBOIS, Cliff EVANS, Maider FORTUNE, Yang FUDONG, Carlos GARAICOA, David GATTEN, Patrycia GERMAN, Ori GERSHT, Kate GILMORE, Fabien GIRAUD, Shaun GLADWELL, Liz GLYNN, Deven GREEN, Michael Joachin GREY, Rafael Lozano HEMMER, Gary HILL, Desiree HOLMAN, Susi JIRKUFF, Ben JONES, Patrick JOLLY, Mike KELLEY, William LAMSON, Sigalit LANDAU, Julie LEQUIN, Jennifer LEVONIAN, Marie LOSIER, Euan MACDONALD, Jillian MCDONALD, Jennifer & Kevin MCCOY, Christian MARCLAY, Mateo MATE, Eva & Franco MATTES, Marilyn MINTER, Oliver MICHAELS, Takeshi MURATA, Bruce NAUMAN, Jacco OLIVIER, Scott PAGANO, Nira PEREG, Audri PHILLIPS, PFFR, Nicolas PROVOST, Davide QUAYOLA, Reynold REYNOLDS, Antoine ROEGIERS, Catherine ROSS, Evan ROTH, Julika RUDELIUS, ROTH STAUFFENBERG, Markus SCHINWALD, Corinna SCHNITT, Robert SEIDEL, David SHRIGLEY, Roman SIGNER, Pascual SISTO, Michael SNOW, John SMITH, Eddo STERN, Danial von STURMER, Koki TANAKA, Magnus WALLIN, J-WALT, Clemens von WEDEMEYER, Matthew WEINSTEIN, Jennifer WEST, James WHITNEY, John WOOD & Paul HARRISON, Bruce YONEMOTO, Katarina ZDJELAR, Tobias Yves ZINTEL, and more!

WHY VIDEO ART?

To put it simply, because it’s the medium of age.

The beauty of movement is one of the most profound experiences that we can have. It can elevate, excite and move us in ways that ways that static 2D works cannot. Yet movement itself, which was so central to modernism, has always remained at the margins of the art market—whether it’s dance, kinetic art, experimental film or sound art. Conversely, static forms that can be defined by movement, such as cubism, futurism, and collage, continue to be celebrated as the most important works of the 20th century.

But that is starting to change, quite rapidly in fact. Video, experimental film, web works, and new media, which are being embraced by a younger generation of artists at an unprecedented rate, have historically remained at the margins—at least in terms of the market. Whether that’s because the art community has generally failed to learn about the history of moving image artworks, or because of the inherent problems and obsolescence of technologies, is open for debate. Yet when stepping back and looking at the larger picture, there’s no question that moving imagery is not going away, but getting stronger, more prominent and ultimately more important than ever before. Indeed, what was once relegated to the “experimental” is now quite common.

And why not? During the 1960s and 70s, when discussions over mass media were at a fever pitch, artists used film and video cameras to not only understand the function of the media itself, but to explore every facet of artistic interests—from feminism to formalism; from the political to the personal; from the expressive to the minimal. Similarly, our current generation uses the medium in similar ways, often to explore similar ideas, yet many are now pushing the medium even further into the realm of the sublime. Indeed, some of the most important and affective contemporary artworks of the past two decades have been produced by artists working in film in video—whether it’s the highly complex installations of Stan Douglas, or the mind-bending collage work of Christian Marclay; the unbelievably lush sensuality of Shirin Neshat, or the wild fever dreams of Matthew Barney. The list goes on and on—and continues to grow at a staggering rate. So if you’re interested in where art is heading, you have no choice but to consider moving imagery as an art form.

NO, THANK YOU!

We want to thank everyone who has been so incredibly enthusiastic about the gallery so far, although that list would be way too long to include here. But THANK YOU to all the artists who have so graciously donated works to this campaign, and to Claudio Cesar for his expert printing capabilities. Also to Audri Phillips for her camera work on the video, and Noa Winter Lazerus for taking the time out of his busy schedule to lay down some tracks.