The Mad Masters (2018) follows four monster magicians in their individual quests to recover missing pieces of the shattered Funny Face of Steeplechase Park. Their separate journeys take us through Soviet-era ruins, the Swedish archipelago, and the streets of Brooklyn. Occasional glimpses of the world as perceived by the monsters are depicted, and some special characters make guest appearances along the way. The scattered face at the end is inspired by George Tilyou, the founder of the attraction park Steeplechase, which opened on Coney Island in 1897. At the time, Tilyou’s glass face was attached to the gate. The park closed in 1964 and was bought by Donald Trump’s father (Fred Trump) who celebrated his purchase with a cocktail party, just before bulldozing it. During the party everybody was invited to throw bricks at Tilyou’s glass face.
b. 1977
Stefan Tcherepnin is a Brooklyn-based artist, composer and musician. His work often takes the form of immersive, meta-narrative installations incorporating painting, sculpture, video and found objects. Tcherepnin has recently had solo exhibitions at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Freedman Fitzpatrick, Los Angeles; Galerie Francesca Pia, Zürich; Real Fine Arts, Brooklyn.
Tcherepnin is a member of PSST, which will have a concert at Kunsthall Stavanger together with Nadine Byrne on February 9.
