Art and the Audience- Olafur Eliasson

I thought it appropriate to talk about Olafur Eliasson for art and the audience, seeing as his works are coming to the MCA!

I particularly love the Weather Project.
The weather project was installed at the London's Tate Modern in 2003 as part of the popular Unilever series. The installation filled the open space of the gallery's Turbine Hall.

Eliasson used humidifiers to create a fine mist in the air via a mixture of sugar and water, as well as a semi-circular disc made up of hundreds of monochromatic lamps which radiated single frequency yellow light. The ceiling of the hall was covered with a huge mirror, in which visitors could see themselves as tiny black shadows against a mass of orange light. Many visitors responded to this exhibition by lying on their backs and waving their hands and legs. The work reportedly attracted two million visitors, many of whom were repeat customers.

I suspect that seeing something like this would be life changing. Not only does Eliasson literally include the audiences image (through the mirror on the roof) but he almost makes the viewer transcend or rise above themself with this synthetic creation.
I cant wait to see his exhibition!

Self Directed Work

Bodgy pics.

Broken Homes- Andrew Mackenzie

The article “Broken Homes” by Andrew Mackenzie deals with various concepts of Callum Morton’s work. Mackenzie writes of the art work Valhalla and how the work explores “battlefields”. This is in reference not only to modern day ruins in Afghanistan, war and terror, but (in architectural terms) “the story of a broken home”. Mackenzie cleverly describes the house “as a battlefield in which the everyday drama of thwarted domesticity plays out. “ He then goes on to relate the house to the domains of public and private. I enjoy how the outside of the house takes on more of a real, yet morbid representation and then as you enter the inside it represents that of purity and cleanliness. Mackenzie brings out a great social concern with the family home and relates it to Jane Jacobs, who holds housing partly to blame for lack of socialising and communication. Many interesting issues are brought up through the article, many of which i did not perceive myself. I enjoyed reading it as it gave me a different perception of the works meaning. Andrew Mackenzie created a piece of writing that was stimulating, yet not too hard to understand. Overall a good article.

Art & Its Institutions - Mark Tansey

Mark Tansey interested me because of his oddities that are created in his work. He was born 1949, in San Jose, California and is an American postmodern painter best known for monochromatic works, elaborate paintings incorporating hidden text, images and symbols.
Tansey's paintings normally depict everyday or historical occurrences, though they reveal certain oddities under closer scrutinization. Although Mark Tansey uses depiction of recognizable objects in realistic perspective states, he is not a "realist" painter, because photography has co-opted the role of realism in painting. He argues that representation has other functions rather than "capturing the real." He argues that his work is about "how different realities interact with each other."
Tansey runs with the idea that illustration and representation are fundamentally necessary to heal the rift between art and practice, between symbol and meaning.
He states: "Conflict is the easiest notion [from which] to begin developing a narrative: one thing versus another. . . .crises and conflicts were results of oppositions and contradictions and these were what was necessary to activate or motivate a picture. Magritte's work also led me to wonder if this sort of conflict could take place on other levels of content, more quietly, internally, more plausibly. Could a conventional picture include many less apparent crises- the way everyday life does - without the use of overt surrealistic devices?”
I love the strange and bizarre aspects in art and i love a painting that tells a story (whether or not it can actually be understood in reality). Tansey’s work, works against and with traditional institutions of art and art making and I think it makes him all the more interesting.

Art and Architecture- Liz Craft

Liz Craft is an American Artist born in the 1970s. She creates amazing works and one that i discovered while researching for our current sculpture work was this artwork "Floating Man Rose" (2007). Its architecturally structured but has odd twists and turns added to it. It reminds me of Escher. Its the kind of art that you want to get involved with and play on.

It is on display at the Marianne Boesky Gallery in NY.
Here is the info i found on it:
Working in aluminum, Craft has created five large-scale monumental cubes that bear wall friezes, reliefs, cut outs and outsized protruding limbs. For this show, Craft takes on the reverential and sculpture’s potential to be monumental, with large-scale and architectonic sculptures as her inspiration. While these new works are on one level clean minimalist boxes, Craft also continues to mine her particular iconography which draws from hippie, biker, and New Age-y California countercultures. Within each cube and frieze are interiors containing grotto-like inner lives. Using cast commonplace window frames in case, the openings allow the viewer to see the tableaus within. Each interior feels like aggrandized fragments of personal experiences, culled from both quotidian life and dreamlike memory. One contains a cave of stalactites, others are populated with Godzilla, palm trees, cushions, blooming vases, mermaid-like and floating figures. All are finished in a pristine white patina. The arm-like forms that extend from the sculptures feel almost Grecian in their design, yet also infuse the objects with an anthropomorphic strangeness.

Typical of Craft’s work, the material solidity of the sculptures marks a contrast with the fanciful irreverence of the depicted figures and forms. Though the sculptures attain a new dimension in scale, they manage to retain a quaintness redolent of Craft’s previous works as the artist’s handicraft combines with refined craftsmanship.

Liz Craft lives and works in Los Angeles. Her work was included in the 2004 Whitney Biennial and in the exhibition “Eden’s Edge: Fifteen LA Artists” at the Hammer Museum in 2007. Craft recently had her first monograph published with an introduction and interview by Betina Steinbrügge, and essays by Bruce Hainley and Heike Munder (pub. JRP Ringier/Halle fur Kunst).

Art and Globalism- Mohini Chandra

Mohini Chandra discusses the way in which post-colonial Indian communities in the Pacific have incorporated photography into visual and historical processes, which map the fluidity of their own, increasingly diasporic, cultural identity. She then considers her own role as interpreter, interlocutor and member of global and local cultures as she traverses geographic and temporal distance via internalised 'diasporic' maps of family and personal remembrances.

Art and Spirituality- Bill Viola

As we all know religion and art have been thoroughly entwined throughout history. Although in 21st C there is not such a great focus on religion, but on the concept of spirituality.
Contemporary art allows the individual to find revelation and transcendence, therefore displacing the experience of spirituality from religion to the realm of individual feeling.The American artist Bill Viola, born in 1951 is a pioneer in the medium of video art and installation and is regarded as one of contemporary times most dynamic artists. Viola’s art addresses universal human experiences which have baffled and confounded man. He raises questions of perception, the mind, reality, meaning, purpose, the soul, death and transcendence 1... All of these ideas amount to one important factor of humanity, which is spirituality. Viola incorporates nature and religion to literally encapsulate spirituality and try to depict it to the modern world through a relevant context. The spectacular technology he uses not only substitute for real experience in the perceptive capacities of the individual, but which promise him or her transcendence over that reality. 2 Viola in a way has almost modernised the idea of spirituality as he uses the typical video form of entertainment to allow the audience to experience the numinous. It’s quite ironic that we now find transcendence through television screen.

Many of his works have roots in Eastern and Western art as well as spiritual traditions, including Zen Buddhism, Islamic Sufism, and Christian mysticism. Using the inner language of subjective thoughts and collective memories, his videos communicate to a wide audience, allowing viewers to experience the work directly, and in their own personal way. 3

An exhibition of viola’s work is currently on display at the national gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. The work known as “Ocean without a shore” takes its title from the Sufi mystic Ibn Arabi (1165–1240). The work explores the threshold between life and death, or as the artist has stated, ‘the presence of the dead in our lives’. 4 The installation is a representation of how human beings are constantly undergoing various states of transformation and renewal relating back to the idea of how humans have developed and changed their sense of spirituality throughout the times. In the installation, three video screens become surfaces for the manifestation of images of the dead attempting to re-enter our world. 5 A physical threshold is created by a ‘sheet’ of cascading water which the individual steps through. The effect looks digitised and synthetic though it is not. The whole sequence has been slowed to create an eerie yet resonating image.

Ocean without a shore was originally installed in a 15th century chapel for the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007 and directly incorporated the church’s internal architecture by using three existing stone alters as recesses for video screens. For the installation at NGV, the chapel is evoked conceptually through the creation of an intimate space built within an exhibition gallery.

The humanist spirituality that underpins his work is especially pronounced in Ocean without a shore both in its exploration of the afterlife, and the fact that it was originally installed in a religious context. The contrast of the two installation spaces indicates how an abrupt and exhibitions meaning is perceived when displayed in two different contexts.

1. Chris Townsend “The Art of Bill Viola” Chpt 1 (Call me Old-Fashioned, but… Meaning, Singularity and Transcendence in the work of Bill Viola) Thames & Hudson ltc, London 2004 p 25

2. Chris Townsend “The Art of Bill Viola” Chpt 1 (Call me Old-Fashioned, but… Meaning, Singularity and Transcendence in the work of Bill Viola) Thames & Hudson ltc, London 2004 p 12

3. Bill Viola, “Artists Biography” 2006 http://www.billviola.com/biograph.htm (Accessed 2.09.09)
Bill Viola “Ocean Without a Shore” 2009 http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/billviola/index.html (Accessed 5.09.09)

4. Bill Viola “Ocean Without a Shore” 2009 http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/billviola/index.html (Accessed 5.09.09)


5. Bill Viola “Ocean Without a Shore” 2009 http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/billviola/index.html (Accessed 5.09.09)


Bibliography:
Books:
Townsend, Chris “The Art of Bill Viola” Chpt 1 (Call me Old-Fashioned, but… Meaning, Singularity and Transcendence in the work of Bill Viola) Thames & Hudson ltc, London 2004 p 25

Townsend, Chris “The Art of Bill Viola” Chpt 1 (Call me Old-Fashioned, but… Meaning, Singularity and Transcendence in the work of Bill Viola) Thames & Hudson ltc, London 2004 p 12

Websites:
Viola, Bill “Artists Biography” 2006 http://www.billviola.com/biograph.htm (Accessed 2.09.09)
Viola, Bill “Ocean Without a Shore” 2009 http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/billviola/index.html (Accessed 5.09.09)

Viola, Bill “Ocean Without a Shore” 2009 http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/billviola/index.html (Accessed 5.09.09)

Images:

All three images: Bill Viola "Ocean Without a Shore" 2009 High definition video and sound installation, size varies (accessed 20.09.09)

Art and Identity- Jimmie Durham

Jimmie Durham is a Cherokee, born in Arkansas in 1940. He is a visual artist, and also a politcal activist for the American Indian Movement and an essayist. In the ‘60’s and ‘70s he dedicated his time to theatre and performances, and since the ‘80s he was been creating strange objects, assemblages and installations that find their principal source in his Native culture, which he uses to deconstruct the stereotypes and prejudices of Western culture. Thus dealing with issues of identity and political correctness.
One of the most impressive works from that period is Karankawa (1983), a human skull that Durham found on a Texas beach where the Karankawa people had been massacred. He inlaid it with turquoise and adorned it with symbols and a feather necklace. (It is tempting to see a reference here to the ongoing Native struggles to reclaim ancestral remains and artifacts from national museums.)
By 1989, Durham was expressing reluctance to show the bone pieces because they were too "beautiful" and fed viewers' stereotypes about "Indian" art. In its humor and irony, however, his work is in fact very "Indian." "Humor is a good weapon against victimization," he observes. "We Indians are very funny. I'm always impressed at how silly we can be in beautiful ways that would be inappropriate in the normal world."[12] Yet even as he makes "Cherokee art," Durham resists making anything recognizably "Indian" in the Santa-Fe-Indian-market mold. His art is not decorative or lyrical and does not reference history through style. He avoids noble braves and bashful maidens, tipis and warbonnets, like the commercial plague they have become. "The |Indian' art market continues to expand," he says, "but it has never been ours. It has served to isolate |Indian' artists through commercial success in a specialized area."
This shows that no matter how unintentional, a persons culture and "identity" always shines through to reveal either what can be seen as a positive or negative thing- depending on your point of view.

Penrith Regional Gallery: Kate Rohde

I went to the gallery today and discovered this Melbourne based artist Kate Rohde. Although her works are quite kitsch they provide a fantastical and wonderous look into wildlife. Her works explore the spiritual, mythological, and symbolic meanings invested in wildlife, and the human desire to create and control nature for educational and aesthetic purposes. Having recently returned from a residency in Arnhem Land, her installations refer to the manifold histories and cultures of collecting, and to the commodification of nature in western society.

Made from a collaboration of different mediums such as papier mache, plasticine and faux fur, she makes these strange, childish environments and encapsulates them in a display case of a highly ornate nature. The works reflect decorative elements typical of Baroque and Rococo style which was an interesting twist.

Her work took me back and reminded me of when i was a young child and all i wanted were things that were pink and glittery! The three pieces i saw could link back to works by Petah Coyne who creates similar environments with the addition of taxidermy animals and flowers.

If any of you are down Penrith way anytime soon i recommend you check it out. Its pretty wicked.

Collaboration Artists

Cicada is a collection of artists who work with landscape - urban, natural, constructed and imagined.
On the web site it is made evident that a combination of results occur, including site-specific installations, performances and interactive pieces.
Cicada also make other bits of sound+image works for theatre, dance and performance projects.

In a street level interactive installation held in Adelaide 2004 by three aussie artists (Video: Kirsten Bradley + Nick Ritar , Audio: Ben Frost) a work was held which explores the delicate balancing act that unfolds when nature ventures into the city. It examines our relationship with the natural world, our desire to cultivate, capture, prune, tend, weed and above all dominate natural processes. It was rightly called Amensal. Amensalism is an association between organisms of two different species in which one is inhibited or destroyed and the other is unaffected. (Encyclopædia Britannica Online)
I really liked the visual organic appeal of this installation and if you were walking down the street, this would stop you dead in your tracks.

http://www.cicada.tv/projects/2004-amensal/amensal.htm

Installation Art- Essence and Existence

The Nicholas Zurbrugg chapter: Installation art- Essence and Existence aims to highlight how installation art has changed and developed over time. Nicholas Zubrugg presents almost a paradoxical look at contemporary and traditional installation . He allows the reader to question what is their perspective of a valid installation and makes suggestions in regards to this. Zubrugg makes it clear though that installations inaugurate an interactive relationship between the viewer and the artists work.

The chapter begins with a focus on installation space and how it is used. I noted there was then a sudden shift in the writers perception of the space dictating art. I found this jump too sudden and became quite confused. It is then closely followed by a letter to Nancy Underhill stating that “If one chose to open the door, the illusion collapsed suddenly into a world of objects”- p 24
I was intrigued by this quote as it brought up a key component in installation, being that the audience has the choice to accept the illusion or to potentially destroy it.

In the chapter, Zubrugg holds a great focus on the space an installation is held. This is made quite clear when he states: “Its existence as an installation responding to a particular spatial or environmental context determines its specific aesthetic essence as installation art. p 26

Zubrugg considers the origins of different kinds of contemporary installation art and shows the evolution of installation. He makes relevant links between avant-guarde and contemporary artists showing the growth of installation and what it has developed into. Prominent artists from both periods are mentioned. The contemporary artist John Cage stands out as Zubrugg uses him to put forward the idea of contemporary installation involving more kinetic movement. This literal action involves the audience not only physically but mentally. This idea is contrasted to traditional artists such as Duchamp, who he rightly names second hand artists, who use the essential incarnation as installation. He makes the point that these installations evoke actions in figurative circumstances.
He also notes that there is something “unsatisfactory about installations which simply exploit a kind of second-hand Duchampian shock value”.- p 30 This quote emphasises the growth of installation since the 19th century.

The chapter, Installation Art- Essence and Existence highlights the importance of not only the installation space but the importance of the viewer. The whole chapter works together well in the respect of contrasting the difference of contemporary installation and traditional. Although the beginning of the article seems to be disjointed, it inevitably enhanced my understanding of the development of installation.

Reference: Zurbrugg, Nicholas, Installation Art- essence and existence, What is insallation? An anthology of writings on Australian installation art/ ed by Adam Geczy and Benjamin Genocchio. Sydney: Power publications, 2001 p 25-31

Art and the Body- Norman Lindsay

I know Norman Lindsay is by no means a contemporary artist but i could not resist blogging about him, seeing as i live and work so close to his magnificent residence!
Lindsay was originally born in 1879 and died in 1969. He is widely regarded as one of Australia's greatest artists, producing a vast body of work in different media, including pen drawing, etching, watercolour, oil and sculptures in concrete and bronze.

A large amount of his work is housed in his former home at Faulconbridge, NSW, (right down the road from where i work), and is now known as the Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum. Many works reside in private and corporate collections. His art continues to climb in value today. In 2002, a record price was attained by his oil painting, Spring's Innocence, which sold to the National Gallery of Victoria for $AU333,900.

Lindsay was intrigued with the human body, especially the womans physique. Many of his sculptures and paintings were simply of naked women sprawled out in lush, green gardens, inevitably depicting his male fantasies. Heartney quotes in Art and Today the writings of John Berger "Men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at." Further down in the article it is noted that the subject of traditional paintings of the female nude, tend to be arranged in poses that accentuate their accessibility to the unseen and presumably the male viewer. By extension then, the female nude has become one of western art's most popular subjects because it flatters men by reinforcing their dominance while relegating women to the rule of fantasy objects. This perception is made highly evident through Lindsay's art.

In 1902 he met Rose Soady and she would become his second wife, his most recognizable model, his business manager, and the printer for most of his etchings.

His frank and sumptuous nudes were highly controversial for the times. In 1940, Rose took 16 crates of paintings, drawings and etchings to the U.S. to protect them from the nascent war. Unfortunately they were discovered when the train they tra men by reinforcing tvelled in caught fire, they were then impounded and burned as pornography by American officials.

Though his works can be seen as sexist, he still managed to produce beautiful sculptures, paintings and etchings that not only show insight into the male perspective but depict the human body in all its glory! I highly suggest that when you visit the mountains, you take the time to go to the gallery. Its truly beautiful art and the grounds on which it resides are astounding.