The Eternal Insult (still), 2012-ongoing, video installation, sound; duration variable. Courtesy the artists.
The Eternal Insult, 2012-ongoing, video installation, sound; duration variable. Courtesy the artists.
Untitled (Forest Janks), 2016, inkjet print. Courtesy the artists.
The Eternal Insult (stills), 2012-ongoing, video installation, sound; duration variable. Courtesy the artists.
janks \‘jaŋkz\ n, pl, slang [Alabama]
Jokes intended to directly insult the recipient by attacking personal attributes, often leading to verbal sparring
synonyms:
snaps, disses, slams, burns, jibes, digs, cut-downs, rippins, slaggings
examples:
I’ll cut you down so low, you’ll have to hold a sign that says “don’t spit, can’t swim” [Alabama]
you’re about as useful as a chocolate teapot [Belfast]
your face looks like the ass of a bird of prey [Finland]
Janks Archive conducts an investigation of insult humor—an ancient oral tradition—from cultures around the world. While intentions appear, at first, to be cruel, “janks” are in fact an integral aspect of human interaction, used as much to strengthen camaraderie as to establish dominance. The project documents this tradition through crowdsourcing and field recording, in which participants recite “janks” from memory on camera. The collective also gathers contextual information on every “jank” in an attempt to trace origins. The place and date of collection, translation, personal or cultural associations, and narrative of where the individual first heard the phrase, are included with the video documentation on the collective’s website.
The Eternal Insult is a two-channel video installation that selects videos at random from the archive and plays them on opposing screens, placing the viewer in the center of an endless verbal duel, using footage collected in the United States, Mexico, Northern Ireland, Germany, Finland, Latvia, and Lithuania. During Queens International 2016, Janks Archive hosts collection events throughout Queens, and this content will be continually added to the installation and updated on their website.
As part of their installation for Queens International 2016, Janks Archive has presented a large-scale photograph mounted to the entrance of The Eternal Insult theater. The image was staged in Finland during a residency in which Janks Archive also traveled to Latvia and Lithuania collecting “janks.” Four that are related to the forest can be seen in the installation photograph above:
Romanian: inalt ca bradul si prost ca gardul
English: Tall as a pine tree, stupid as a fence
collected: Vaasa, Finland (12-17-2015)
origin: common Romanian expression
Latvian: Ej bekot!
English: Go pick mushrooms!
collected: Riga, Latvia (08-01-2016)
origin: traditional/classic Latvian insult, equivalent of “get lost” or “buzz off”
Lithuanian: prilipęs kaip lapas prie šiknos
English: clinging like a leaf to the ass
collected: Kaunas, Lithuania (01-10-2016)
origin: traditional/classic Lithuanian joke – a way to call someone annoying
Finnish: Hiuksesi ovat niinkuin metsä, eivät yhtä tiheät mutta yhtä täynnä elämää.
English: Your hair is like a forest. Not as thick but as full of life.
collected: Vaasa, Finland (12-19-2015)
origin: told to the speaker by his father when he was a child
Janks Archive has exhibited at venues such as Practice Gallery, Philadelphia, PA; La Galeria de Comercio, Mexico City, Mexico; Kallio Kunsthallde Taidehalli, Helsinki, Finland; FIX Live Art Biennial, Belfast, Northern Ireland; 2014 Pittsburgh Biennial and Last Billboard, Pittsburgh, PA; Kaņepes Kultūras centra, Riga, Latvia; and POST Gallery, Kaunas, Lithuania. They have presented their research at the Unruly Engagements conference at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH and have recently returned from a residency at Platform in Vaasa, Finland.
Jerstin Crosby (b. 1979, Dothan, AL) lives in Carrboro, NC, where he makes animations, paintings and objects. He earned his MFA from UNC-Chapel Hill (2005) and his BFA from University of Alabama (2001). His works have been shown at CAM Raleigh, Raleigh, NC (2015), Lump, Raleigh, NC (2015), the 9th Shanghai Biennale, Pittsburgh Biennial at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (2014), Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York (2013), Shanghai, China (2012), and Cell Projects, London, UK (2009), among others. Crosby's work has been published in Artforum, Art Papers, Casa Brutus, and Time Out London. In 2008, he founded Acid Rain, a new media distribution organization for artists and produced 60 episodes of experimental cable access TV, e-books, and editioned publications. An alternative art news blog and a desktop audio app/UX design experiment are in the works.
Ben Kinsley (b. 1982, Columbus, OH) received an MFA from Carnegie Mellon University (2008), a BFA from Cleveland Institute of Art (2005), and attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2006). His work has been exhibited internationally at venues such as: Catalyst Arts, Belfast, Ireland (2015, 2013), ZKM Museum of Contemporary Art, Karlsruhe, Germany (2014), Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Cleveland, OH (2012), Bureau for Open Culture, Columbus, OH (2011), La Galería de Comercio, Mexico City, Mexico (2011), Katonah Museum of Art, New York (2010), Centro di Cultura Contemporanea Strozzina, Florence, Italy (2009), Mattress Factory Museum, Pittsburgh, PA (2008); Flux Space, Philadelphia, PA (2008); Green on Red Gallery, Dublin, Ireland (2008), and Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (2005). He has participated in numerous artist residency programs including the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture; Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts; Skaftfell Art Center, Iceland; and Askeaton Contemporary Arts, Ireland.
Jessica Langley (b. 1981, Milwaukee, WI) earned an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University (2008), a BFA from Cleveland Institute of Art (2005), and was a recipient of the J. William Fulbright Scholarship for research in Iceland. She has exhibited her work internationally, including solo or two person shows at los Ojos, Brooklyn, NY (2016) and STLCC Forest Park Gallery of Contemporary Art, St. Louis, MO (2013), and group exhibitions at Gildar Gallery, Denver, CO (2015), Pittsburgh Biennial at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (2014), Burlington City Arts, Burlington, VT (2014), Survival Kit, Cleveland, OH (2014), Ortega y Gasset Projects, Ridgewood, NY (2013), Parse Gallery, New Orleans, LA (2011). Langley has been an artist-in-residence in numerous programs including Skaftfell Center of Visual Art in Iceland (2009), Askeaton Contemporary Art Limerick, Ireland (2012), the SPACES World Artist Program, Cleveland, OH (2011), and the Digital Painting Atelier at OCAD-U, Toronto (2015). She is the founding director of the Stephen and George Laundry Line, a site for public art in Ridgewood, NY.