Jon Kessler | “Habeas Corpus“, 2007 | (for Parkett 79)

Read a Parkett text on Jon Kessler
Parkett Vol. 79

Quote from Parkett
"In a culture where people willingly submit themselves to camera’s all-seeing eye – where the former threat of surveillance has been internalized as the desire to broadcast every last move, Kessler’s work incarnates what it means to live and die by the Spectacle. 'It’s edict,' Kessler notes, is 'I’m filmed therefore I exist.'"
Pamela Lee, Parkett No. 79, 2007

Additional Quote
“Deeply influenced by issues of justice and detention, this artwork takes the form of a figurine clad in the orange jumpsuit of a Guantanamo Bay detainee kneeling dejectedly, head bent and bound at the wrists. The title, Habeas corpus, refers to the legal recourse whereby a person can report unlawful imprisonment before a court, generally through a prison official. An "icon of unseen events", the piece stands for those who have been wronged by the system, the bowed figure expressing more than a written political account ever could.” -Fineartmultiple

“Habeas Corpus“, 2007 (for Parkett 79)
Sculpture, opaque and transparent non-toxic urethane,
instant urethane pigments, orange polyester satin fabric,
cap, glasses, mask, ear muffs, sneakers, cable tie,
6 3/4 x 3 1/2 x 2 3/4” (17 x 9 x 7 cm),
production by Gamla Model Makers, Feasterville, PA,
Ed. 60/XX, signed and numbered certificate