Harmony Korine

Photo: Rachel Korine

Harmony Korine was born in Bolinas, California, in 1973 and is based in Miami, Florida. Korine spent the early part of his childhood living with his family on a commune in the San Francisco Bay area. In the early 1980s, they relocated to a working-class, multicultural neighborhood just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. As a teenager, Korine would frequently accompany his father, a documentary filmmaker, on shoots chronicling alternative cultures in the South, including that of carnival and circus performers. These seminal experiences exerted substantial impact on the artist’s interest in exploring the most eccentric and marginalized parts of American society.

As a teenager, Korine moved to New York City to live with his grandmother in Queens. He studied dramatic writing at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts for one semester before dropping out to pursue a career as a skateboarder. In 1993, while skateboarding around Manhattan’s Washington Square Park, he met photographer and director Larry Clark. Impressed by a screenplay Korine shared with him, Clark asked the then 19-year-old to write a script based on his life. Three weeks later Korine had completed the script for ‘Kids’ (1995), the gritty cult-classic film depicting 24 hours in the life of a group of drug-using, sex-obsessed teens hanging out in New York City during the AIDS crisis. Simultaneously hailed as both a brilliant wake-up call and decried as a work of blatant teen exploitation, ‘Kids’ catapulted Korine’s career as a filmmaker and artist.

Korine’s next film project was also his directorial debut. A series of unrelated and often disturbing vignettes told via an unconventional mix of hand-held video, Super 8 film, and Polaroids ‘Gummo’ (1997) tells the story of two teen outcasts wandering around a tiny, tornado-ravaged town in Ohio. Inspired by neighborhoods Korine knew from his own childhood in and around Nashville, ‘Gummo’ earned accolades at both the Venice and Rotterdam Film Festivals and provided source material for several subsequent bodies of artwork, including Korine’s first installation ‘The Diary of Anne Frank, Part II’ (1997), a three-screen projection that played on a loop at Patrick Painter Gallery in Santa Monica. That same year, photographs Korine made while on set were featured in the exhibition ‘Investigations of New Photography and Film Stills from Harmony Korine’s new film ‘Gummo’’ at the Andrea Rosen Gallery in New York.

Shortly after, Korine directed his first music video for the band Sonic Youth’s song ‘Sunday,’ featuring former child star Macaulay Culkin and the actor’s then-wife Rachel Miner. His photographs from the experience were published as an artist’s book called ‘The Bad Son’ (1998), a play on Culkin’s 1993 film ‘The Good Son.’ This publication served as a companion piece to Korine’s next solo exhibition, presented in 1998 by the esteemed Tokyo gallery Taka Ishii. That same year, Mainstreet/ Doubleday published Korine’s debut novel ‘A Crack-Up at the Race Riots,’ a book of fictional set pieces capturing fragmented moments from a life observed through the demented lens of media, TV, and teen obsession, punctuated by photographs, drawings, news clippings, handwriting, poetry, diagrams, and clip art.

After the release of Korine’s third film, ‘Julien ‘Donkey-Boy’ (1999), starring Werner Herzog as the patriarch of an unhinged family, the artist left New York for Europe and began an eight-year hiatus from filmmaking. He returned to directing feature films in 2017 with ‘Mister Lonely’ (co-directed with his brother Avi Korine), about a Michael Jackson impersonator living a solitary life in Paris. Korine then wrote and directed the grotesquely comedic ‘Trash Humpers’ in 2009, followed by ‘Spring Breakers’ in 2012, and the 2019 film ‘The Beach Bum,’ starring Matthew McConaughey. Korine has also focused his lens on commercial photography and filmmaking in recent years, using his unique vision to create memorable campaigns for a wide array of well-known brands.

In 2004, Korine’s artwork was included in the exhibition ‘Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art and Street Culture’ at the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, which traveled to venues throughout the United States and Europe through 2009. The exhibition featured Korine’s work alongside that of other artists––among them Mark Gonzales, Barry McGree, and Chris Johanson––to whom the youth subcultures of skateboarding and graffiti were of critical significance. Most recently, Korine has since been the subject significant solo museum exhibitions, including ‘Pigxote’ at Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery, Nashville in 2009; ‘Shadows and Loops’ at the Frist Center for Visual Arts, Nashville, in 2016; and a major eponymous survey at the Centre Pompidou in Paris in 2017.

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Harmony Korine

Biography

Print Biography
Born
Bolinas, California 1973
Resides
Lives and works in Miami FL

Solo Exhibitions

2021
The Bridge, 'Harmony Korine: Wormburner', Bridgehampton NY
Jeffrey Deitch, 'Harmony Korine: Joven Twitchy', Miami Design District, Miami FL
2019
Gagosian, 'Young Twitchy', New York NY
2018
Gagosian, 'BLOCKBUSTER', New York NY
2017
Centre Pompidou, 'Harmony Korine', Paris, France
2016
Gagosian Gallery, 'Harmony Korine: Fazors', London, UK
Frist Center for the Visual Arts, 'Harmony Korine: Shadows and Loops', Nashville TN
2015
Gagosian Gallery, 'Harmony Korine: Raiders', Beverly Hills CA
2014
Gagosian Gallery at Eden Rock, 'Harmony Korine', St Barthélemy, French West Indies
Gagosian Gallery, 'Harmony Korine', New York NY
Gagosian Gallery, 'Harmony Korine: Shooters', New York NY
2009
Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery, 'Harmony Korine-pigxote', Nashville TN
2003
Galerie du Jour agnès b, 'Harmony Korine', Paris, France
2001
Zinc Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
2000
SMAK Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, 'Harmony Korine: Photos and video installation', Ghent, Belgium
Patrick Painter Inc., 'The Sigil of the Cloven Hoof Marks Thy Path', Santa Monica CA (traveling exhibition)
Galerie du Jour agnès b, 'The Sigil of the Cloven Hoof Marks Thy Path', Paris, France (traveling exhibition)
Thomas Dane Limited, 'The Diary of Anne Frank Part II', London, UK
Annet Gelink Gallery, 'The Milk Chicken Review', Amsterdam, Netherlands
Galerie du Jour agnès b, 'Harmony Korine', Paris, France
1998
TakaIshii Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1997
Patrick Painter Gallery, 'The Diary of Anne Frank', Santa Monica CA
Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York NY
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Group exhibitions

2019
Gagosian and Jeffrey Deitch, 'The Extreme Present', Moore Building, Miami FL
2017
Marlborough Contemporary, 'Feedback', cur. Leo Fitzpatrick, New York NY
2016
Jeffrey Deitch and Gagosian, 'Desire', cur. Diana Widmaier-Picasso', Moore Building, Miami FL
2015
190 Bowery, 'First Show / Last Show', cur. Vito Schnabel, New York NY
Hannah Hoffman Gallery, 'Image Search', Los Angeles CA
2014
Gagosian Gallery, 'Horror vacui', Geneva, Switzerland
Gagosian Gallery, 'Georg Baselitz, Anselm Kiefer, Harmony Korine, Robert
Rauschenberg, Julian Schnabel, Rudolf Stingel, Franz West', New York NY
2010
Galerie du Jour agnès b, '3+1: Dash Snow, Harmony Korine and Ryan Mcginley', Paris, France
2008
MOCA Pacific Design Center, 'To Illustrate and Multiply: An Open Book', West Hollywood CA
2007
Country Club, 'I will be alright', Cincinnati OH
2004
Contemporary Arts Center, 'Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art And Street Culture', Cincinnati, OH (traveled through 2009 to: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco CA; Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach CA; The Contemporary Museum, Baltimore MD; The University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa FL; Fondazione La Triennale, Milan, Italy; Le Tri Postal, Lille, France; Muzeum Sztuki, Lodz, Poland; La Casa Encendida, Madrid, Spain)
2005
Galerie du Jour agnès b, 'Draw!', Paris, France
2004
Les Abattoirs, 'LA COLLECTION D’ART CONTEMPORAIN D’Agnus b', Toulouse, France
2002
Art Tower Mito, 'Screen Memories – Imitation of Life, Contemporary Art Center', Mito, Japan
2001
Frt – Art Centre d’Art contemporain Kunsthalle, 'Harmony Korine and David Lamelas', Fribourg, Switzerland
2000
The Whitney Museum of American Art, 'Whitney Biennial', New York NY
CAPC Musee d’Art Contemporain, 'Presumed Innocent', Bordeaux, France
SMAK Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, 'Harmony Korine', Ghent, Belgium
1999
Brooklyn Anchorage, 'Ret.Inevitable: A Playground of Cinema, Space and Sound', New York NY
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 'Double Trouble: The Patchett Collection',
San Diego CA (traveled to: Institute Cultural Cabanas and the Museo De Las Artes, Guadalajara, Mexico; Auditorio de Galicia, Santiago de Compostela, Spain)
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Bibliography

Monographs

2019
Prince, Richard, 'Harmony Korine: Young Twitchy', New York: Gagosian, 2019 (exh. cat.)
2018
Knock, Alicia, McDonald, Alison (eds.), Burdeau, Emmanuel, 'Harmony Korine', New York: Rizzoli, Paris: Centre Pompidou, 2018 (exh. cat.)
2015
Gagosian Gallery (ed.), 'Harmony Korine: Raiders', New York: Gagosian Gallery, 2015 (exh. cat.)
2012
Flood, Richard, Catala, Antoine, Jetzer, Gianni, 'Rita Ackermann & Harmony Korine: Shadowfux', New York: Swiss Institute / Contemporary Art New York, 2012 (exh. cat.)
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Artist's Books & Writings

2013
Korine, Harmony, 'A Crack Up at the Race Riots', Chicago: Drag City, 2013, ill.
2010
Korine, Harmony, Bovier, Lionel, 'The Trash Humpers', Zurich: JRP Ringier Kunstverlag AG, 2010, ill.
2009
Korine, Harmony, 'Pigxote', Zurich: Nieves, 2009, ill.
2008
Korine, Harmony, 'The Collected Fanzines', Chicago: Drag City, 2008, ill.
Korine, Harmony, Korine, Avi, 'Mister Lonely', Zurich: Nieves, 2008
Zahm, Olivier, Korine, Harmony, 'PIGXTRAS - The Harmony Korine Purple Book' [special edition for Purple Fashion Magazine No. 10], New York: Purple Institute, 2008, ill.
2002
Korine, Harmony, 'Collected Screenplays: “Jokes”, ”Gummo”, ”Julien”, ”Donkey-boy” V.
1', London: Faber & Faber Film, 2002
Wool, Christopher, Korine, Harmony, 'Pass The Bitch Chicken: Christopher Wool &
Harmony Korine', Berlin: Holzwarth Publication GmbH, 2002, ill.
1998
Korine, Harmony, 'A Crack Up at the Race Riots', New York: Doubleday, 1998
1995
Clark, Larry, Korine, Harmony, 'Kids. A film by Larry Clark', New York: Grove Press, 1995, ill.
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Press

2021
Lopez, Yadina, 'Filmmaker Harmony Korine makes South Florida his backdrop once again. This time on canvas', in: Miami Herald, Miami, 22 Feb 2021
2020
de Brugerolle, Marie, 'Fucked-Up Objects', in: Mousse Magazine, Milan, no. 70, Winter 2020, pp. 209-223
2019
Powers, Bill, 'Harmony Korine', in: Muse, Autumn 2019, pp. 116-129
Arn, Jackson, 'Harmony Korine', in: Art in America, New York, June–July 2019, p. 102
Smith, Jonathan, 'Harmony Korine Just Wants to be Left Alone', in: Vice, 18 March 2019
Indrisek, Scott, 'Harmony Korine', in: Garage, 14 March 2019
Holmes, Harmony, 'Harmony Korine Is Back – and as Weird as Ever – with ‘The Beach Bum’, in: Observer, London, 11 March 2019
2018
Hampton, Howard, 'Harmony Korine', in: Bookforum, New York, Sep–Oct 2018
Martinez, Abraham, 'Harmony Korine’s New Book, Explained by Harmony Korine', in: L’Officiel, Paris, 24 August 2018
2017
Lincoln, Kevin, 'The Breakout Actor of all TV is Harmony Korine', in: Vulture, New York, 17 November 2017
Seguret, Olivier, 'Our interview with Harmony Korine ahead of his exhibition at the Centre Pompidou', in: Vogue, 6 October 2017
Joyard, Olivier, 'The Centre Pompidou Honours Harmony Korine', in: Numéro, October 2017
2016
Hutson, Laura, 'He’s a Hustler, Baby: Harmony Korine Gets Nasty at the Frist', in: Nashville Scene, Nashille, 10 November 2016
Korine, Harmony, '"I Just Attack Everything, I Just Love It All": Harmony Korine on His New Films, Gagosian, and Gucci Mane', on: artnews.com, 14 September 2016
Iqbal, Nosheen, '"I want to do extreme damage": Harmony Korine’s third coming', in: The Guardian, 24 February 2016
Chen, Nick, 'Talking art, cock moulds and revolvers with Harmony Korine', in: Dazed, 10 February 2016
Larouci, Samira, 'Harmony Korine on Art and Shooting Guns', in: Amuse, 10 February 2016
Cripps, Charlotte, 'Harmony Korine: From ‘Spring Breakers’ to psychedelia', in: The Independent, 29 January 2016
2015
Sienske, Michael, 'The Player', in: W, 1 December 2015
Enright, Robert, Walsh, Meeka, 'dancing with one another', in: Border Crossings Magazine, Winnipeg, 1 March 2015
Zahm, Olivier, 'Harmony Korine', in: Purple Fashion Magazine, 1 March 2015
Indrisek, Scott, 'Harmony Korine Brings His Freak-Out Zone', in: Artinfo, 19 May 2015
2014
Galperina, Marina, 'Harmony Korine to Exhibit Paintings at Gagosian', in: Animal New York, 29 April 2014
Halle, Howard, 'Spring Breakers director Harmony Korine has a show at the Gagosian Gallery', in: Time Out, New York, 1 May 2014
2013
Battan, Carrie, 'Harmony Korine', in: Pitchfork, 21 March 2013
Zakarin, Jordan, 'Spring Breakers’ Director Harmony Korine: 10 Things to Know', in: The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Mar 2013
2011
O'Reilly, Adam, 'Rita Ackerman and Harmony Korine's Shadowland', in: Interview, January 2011
Pryor, John-Paul, 'Harmony Korine & Rita Ackermann - Shadow Fux', on: Dazed Digital, 6 January 2011
2010
Compagnon, M, 'Go See – Paris: Dash Snow, Harmony Korine and Ryan McGinley at galerie du jour through November 6, 2010', in: Art Observed, 23 Sep 2010
Clarke, Indigo, 'Shadow Fux The collaboration of Rita Ackermann and Harmony Korine', in: W Magazine, November 2010
2009
Ridley, Jim, 'Harmony Korine's Pigxote at Vanderbilt', in: Nashville Scene, Nashville, 8 January 2009
2008
Lim, Dennis, 'The Return (and Reform?) of Harmony Korine', in: The New York Times, New York, 27 April 2008
Taubin, Amy, 'Harmony Korine in Conversation with Amy Taubin', in: The Brooklyn Rail, New York, 16 July 2008
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Selected images

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Museum Exhibitions

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Book Lab

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Films

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Ursula magazine

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