Behind the Clown Face: Julian-Jakob Kneer is Everyone on the Internet @artde666enerate Pop culture is basically embedded in everyday life, mostly with the propulsion of the Internet: the lives of celebrities are broadcasted by the minute, music and movies are widely accessible, and idolizing fictional characters and stars are normalized. The Berlin-based artist Julian-Jakob Kneer @artde666enerate basks in our contemporary love-and-hate relationship to fame, art, and trends, and it’s clear that his obscure alter ego is a mirror of ourselves. The Swiss artist has been delving into many mediums of art, but in the last few years, Kneer’s installations have caught the attention of fans globally. There is a persona that he plays out in exhibitions and artworks: with the face of a monochromatic clown reminiscent of The Joker, his doppleganger exudes of the narcissism reeking from Patrick Bateman, all while dabbling into Tumblr “sad girl” interests, repackaged as femcel core today, with holier-than-thou y2k causes. Pocketing pop culture, stardom-cursed artists like Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and Lana Del Rey are referenced in Kneer’s art. It’s seems like artists who create their own world and suck in thousands of people to live through their fears, lyricism, and romanticized angst are projected by Kneer. In a way, this deeply unsympathetic clown persona is a reflection of our consumption of media, and our repulsion to anything in a gray-area. Incorporating close-to-home elements like the Twilight franchise, Rebdull binges, tabloids, and self-hatred, Kneer’s oeuvres are enigmatic collages of all the things that feed our obsessions. Arguably, he’s insinuating that we could all become rich, beautiful, and successful, but in order to achieve that, we have to hollow ourselves out. He quotes, “You only need to remove a rib to be able to suck your own dick.” Jakob-Julian Kneer accepts the ugly and the beautiful, as well as the dead and the undead, with no discrimination. Sophisticated yet obscene, he is not looking to shock, but to fuel the blurring of the lines between opposing forces.