Checking in on an Old Copper Beech with Johannes Zits
This performance occurred in London, Ontario where Toronto-based artist Johannes Zits was in residence at McIntosh Gallery beginning in March 2020. Regrettably, after two weeks, the residency was cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The artist carried on with research and performances including Checking in on an Old Copper Beech, in which he interacts with a much-loved tree on Western University’s campus.
For the past ten years, Zits has been working with trees around the world. From Cambodia to Cuba, the trees he chooses tend to have unique historical or cultural value within their communities. Some have borne witness to horrific human tragedies. Others mark the gradual development of communities as a gathering place or landmark.
Using nonverbal actions, he approaches nature as a body that is alive, vulnerable, and socially contextualized. Instead of making nature a passive backdrop in front of which human history unfolds, his encounters with trees are reflective and empathetic. Aligned with panpsychism, a philosophical world view in which all matter has consciousness, Zits’ practice shares an affinity with cultures in which humanity is seen as continuous with nature. To this end, he often collaborates with local communities to enhance his performances and interactions.
McIntosh Gallery will publish a book documenting Johannes Zits’ performances and related projects from his residency in Spring 2021.
About the Artist
Since graduating with a BFA from York University in 1984, Johannes Zits has presented work across Canada as well as internationally. In 2013, Zits performed at the 8th Encuentro, Sao Paulo, Brazil and presented a collection of his videos at Le festival international du film sur l’art, Montreal. In 2014, he presented variations on the performance Island at M:ST Festival, Calgary, Yuz Museum, Shanghai and at Meta 2014, Chongqing, China.
Johannes Zits has achieved global recognition for his performances and videos about the body and how it interacts with social and natural environments. His approach to nature is collaborative. He treat it as another sentient body replete with vulnerabilities, movements, desires and dynamic affective relationships. His collaborative approach is evident in the videos Elemental Gestures, in which he empathizes with driftwood, and Embodying Nature (2010), which combines a two-person performance in a Chinese bamboo forest with group actions in a gallery setting.
Acknowledgements
Performance by Johannes Zits
Videography by Vlad Lunin, assisted by Ed Pien
Aerial Footage by Vlad Lunin
Edited by Vlad Lunin and Johannes Zits
Produced by McIntosh Gallery
Both the Listening to Trees residency and forthcoming publication have been organized and presented by McIntosh Gallery with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and Western University.
