J.K. ARTIS (U.F.O.)
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- J.K. ARTIS (U.F.O.)
- 1971-1981
- 6 Tennis rackets, partly latex painted, textile bag
Július Koller’s work “J.K. Arktis (U.F.O.)” grew out of the artist’s aim to erase the boundaries between art and non-artistic activities. Sports—especially table tennis and tennis—played a crucial role in this regard and represent a recurring motif in Koller’s work. They also embody a political statement. Koller drew tennis courts on postcards, retraced the lines of a tennis court with chalk, and invited the public to tennis tournaments instead of exhibitions. For Koller, the concentrated game principles and procedures of sports refer to a democratic fair-play situation with clearly defined rules—a perfect expression of his utopian ideals in a world otherwise shaped by arbitrary political rule-making and rule-breaking. D.G./K.R.