Since finishing her visual arts studies in 1995, Ina Wudtke (b. 1968, Germany) has formed a multilayered practice that includes DJ’ing, publishing and editing. In 1992, during her DJ residency at the Soul Kitchen in Hamburg, Wudtke’s DJ alterego, or ‘multi-ego’, as Kodwo Eshun would call it, was born. As the visitors of the club, mostly African immigrants and asylum seekers, didn’t understand her German name ‘Ina’, she changed it into ‘T-Ina’ and became ‘DJ T-INA’, which was not only easier to understand, but also looked graphically much more like the heteronyms of other DJ’s and rappers in the hip hop scene that she belonged to. The practice of DJ’ing as DJ T-INA has had a defining impact on Wudtke’s artistic practice, with particular references such as hip hop crossing over into the context of the gallery. In addition to this, Wudtke is also the editor of Neid, a magazine of contemporary writings on gender and identity.
Ina Wudtke
A Portrait of the Artist as a DJ
A new exhibition by Ina Wudtke, the artist’s first solo presentation in the UK.
The exhibition has been realised as a part of the International Residency Programme, a collaboration between the Berlin Senate’s Department of Science, Research and Culture, the Whitechapel Gallery and Studio Voltaire. Each year, a Berlin-based artist is provided with a studio, stipend, accommodation, professional development and a public exhibition.
In the video work A Portrait of the Artist as a worker (rmx.), Wudtke performs a poetic essay by Belgian philosopher Dieter Lesage. The essay deals with the multiple layers involved in artistic work, the tone is both ironic and sympathising. It also discusses the range of activities many artists perform in order to make a living – in Ina Wudtke’s case, her work as a DJ, a promoter, a magazine editor, etc. The work can be seen as provocative plea for the worker in the contemporary art world. The exhibition will also include photographs, drawings, archive materials and audio. To coincide with the exhibition, Dieter Lesage wrote a new book reflecting on the artist’s practice. A Portrait of the Artist as a DJ. Notes on Ina Wudtke (Brussels, VdH Books) will be available at the exhibition.
The exhibition has been financially supported by the Berlin Senate, Department of Science, Research and Culture. In collaboration with the Whitechapel Gallery, London.
Ina Wudtke, A Portrait of the Artist as a DJ, 2007. Courtesy of the artist and Studio Voltaire, London.