Art + Representation - Hermann Nitsch

(Image derived from google image search; http://slought.org/img/archive1/1264+press1.jpg)


I found Nitsch in a different chapter of Art and Today (see pg. 219), and felt his performance works fell into the "Art and Representation" category.

Nitsch is known primarily for his candid and gory depictions of cult-ish sacrifices and his subversive re-enactments of Christian and pagan rituals (including staged human crucifixions). While such works may seem purely created to shock on face value, Herman's works are part of a larger idea he first executed in the late 1950's*; to create and perform a Dionysian celebration of life integrating the body, spirit and the mind; not unlike a more tangible version of theatre. These large-scale works were part of what Hermann called the Orgien Mysterien Theater (Theatre of Orgies and Mysteries). The image above, however, (derived from the work 6 Tage Spiel - Das Orgien Mysterien Theater. Day 3: Day of Dionysus ), does not depict the less gory elements captured during the rest of the day's filming; grapes and tomatoes trampled in staged village wide celebrations; the above image instead suggesting life is definitively finite; his constant depictions of death have a distinct existentialist feel to them.

Working mimetically , Hermann's re-enactment of key historical events (the crucifixion, the Festival of Dionysus) is, in a performative overall sense; an accurate representation; capturing the almost ecstatic crowd sentimentality. However, the still and focalised documentation of Hermann's work as a copy becomes clear via small details; the modern glasses worn by the man on the right of the image above; the runners on the woman to the left, the crisp artificial white of their androgynous "costumes"...

While I can appreciate the concepts fuelling his works, personally, Hermann's works made me feel kind of nauseous.

*Hermann is still exhibiting today, thus, I would consider his work (despite having been produced prior to 1980) contemporary.

Review: Ricky Swallow - Art & Representation

Ricky Swallow is a contemporary Australian sculptor whose most recent work has been said to honor the realism of Baroque sculpture. Born in 1974 in San Remo, Victoria, his experiences growing up as the son of a fisherman have influenced his work and practice.

Swallow’s earlier works were created through methods of casting and injection molding, using resins to create exact copies objects. However his later work moves away from these new technologies and methods, returning to more traditional methods of woodcarving to create his realistic and representational sculptures. Swallow has said “carving it is learning it, casting it is just having it there again.” (Paton 2004)This statement provides some insight into the reasoning for this shift. Carving is a way for Swallow to connect with and learn the object he is creating, developing a dialogue with the sculpture and hence a language. This is also one of the reasons he began carving skulls, because everyone has one and yet we aren’t familiar with it as an object. His clever use of the skull can be seen in the work Come Together.

Many of his works consist of a variety of carved objects that hold some personal significance or memory. For example in his artwork Killing Time all of the objects have some significance, the creatures are all representations of the fish that as a child Swallow had caught.

The realism that is evident in his work plays a vital role in captivating his audience.  Eleanor Heartney poses the question “ Is mimesis really all about fostering visual trickery?” (Heartney 2008) in the case of Swallows work creating something realistic for the sole purpose of tricking the viewer is not his intention. Trickery however, has a role to play and is part of the initial attraction to Swallow’s work. For example his artwork Sleeping Range a part of the installation Tomorrow in Common was carved from laminated wood with impeccable detail. By combining this with the lighting in the space it gives the surface of the wood the luster of fabric, creating the illusion of a real sleeping bag even though it is clearly fashioned out of wood.  It is only after this initial trickery subsides that it becomes evident there are underlying themes of time, memory and loss being alluded to through this work.

Ricky Swallow has been successful in using representation to attract and connect with his audience.

Book References:

• Heartney, Eleanor. Art & Today. London: Phaidon Press Limited, 2008.
• Parton, Justin. Ricky Swallow  Field Recordings. Victoria: Craftsman House, 2004.

Web References:

• www.rickyswallow.com

Images:

• Image 1: Come Together, 2002, laminated jelutong, 66 x 63.5 x 81 cm.
• Image 2: Killing Time, 2003-04, laminated jelutong, maple, 108 x 184 x 118 cm.
• Image 3: Sleeping Range, 2002, laminated jelutong, 198 x 71 x 20 cm.

( all images from www.rickyswallow.com/collections/view/sculpture )

 

 

Art & Representation

Interrogation Room (2008)

When researching “Art and Representation” I found that representation describes the signs that stand in for and take the place of something and this is why I chose the artist James Casebere. He constructs architectural settings or interiors (models) and photographs them. The subject of his artworks range from suburban interiors to institutional structures. These scenes are finely constructed to deceive the viewer into thinking that the image is real but he then places some unlikely elements to his works. Things such as the lighting or filling his scenes with water inevitably communicate to the viewer that the reality is improbable. I find it humorous how the simple addition of an unlikely element changes how the image is viewed and thus the representation has changed from something that is real to something fake.

Image taken from http://jamescasebere.com/group5.html

*non sequitur- NED KAHN*

Absolutely bursting with, rough inspiration from a jaunted holiday in Tasmania I had to share a surprise of honourary Tasmanian, Ned Kahn's work at my Brother in Laws office at the Dept of Meteorology which they are in a privileged position to own, even grander to have met the young artist.

The Tornado Machine is a platform housing a fog generator, there are four poles each containing fans that feed into, but counter rotate from, a large ceiling fan. The effect produces a vortex of simulated atmospheric conditions, thereby creating a tornado, indicated by the operation of the fog machine. Larger versions may operate without use of the fog machine, due to larger manipulated areas of complex pressures.

A spectacular artist, whose work, (even out of Blogger context) needs to be seen (being considered a genius and all, and as in Gaudi), the humble meanings and appreciation of his works, in fields and virtues of ecology and the environment, chaos theory and of course, specific meteorology, can be greatly extrapolated upon following the website link contained.

Non Sequitur- there was a distinct irony on the day of my particular visit having 174kph recorded winds, locally, in the storm that swept through on Tuesday Morning, Launceston is on the threshold of the roaring Forties in patterns eminating from a long empty ocean ring around that part of the globe and the wind it maintains.

http://www.nedkahn.com

TEXT BOOK ARTRAGE!!! Art and Today available in Hobart for $120!!!!!

Art and Representation- Hanne Darboven

Kulturgeschichte (cultural history) 1880-1983, 1980-83

After reading the art and today book i found the installation "kulturgeschichte" by Hanne Darboven really interesting. This artists use of materials and distinct sectioning used to create relationships seen in culture caught my attention. This work comments on reality and culture - reality through representation. An essay by lynne Cooke referred to the work as "Weaving together cultural, social, and historical references with autobiographical documents, it synthesizes the private with the social, and personal history with collective memory."
The detail and size of this work is fascinating, take a look at this link if you want to see more images also the essay i referred to is on the same website.

http://www.diaart.org/exhibs/darboven/kulturgeschichte.html

Art and representation – Maurizio Cattelan

Maurizio Cattelan, Novecento,1997, 

taxidermy horse, metal frame, leather slings, rope 

Collection Castello di Rivoli Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, 

Rivoli-Turin; Gift Amici Sostenitori del Castello di Rivoli.

Last years Biennale of Sydney was fantastic, wasn’t it? Absolutely brimming with exciting contemporary art. I was lucky enough during the period it was showing in 2008 to visit many of the venues. My favourite artwork was – literally – held at the Museum of Contemporary Art, and that artwork was Maurizio Cattelan’s Novecento. The artwork proved to be quite a controversial piece; constantly being referred to in the media, with mixed reviews.

I feel that Novecento relates to this weeks topic of representation, because the meaning of the work does not expose itself until you research it further.

“…This work makes reference to the 1976 film 1900 (pronounced Novecento in Italian) in which director Bernardo Bertolucci explores Italy’s painful passage to modernity. As in the film, which presents fascism and communism in opposition, Cattelan expresses a sense of blocked energy. A saddled horse is a means of transportation and mobility; here it is rendered immobile. His work is a eulogy for the end of the great revolutionary impulses that characterised the twentieth century.”*

* http://www.bos2008.com/app/biennale/artist/61

I had no idea of the representative element of the artwork until I looked into it, after viewing it. This, I am happy to say, still did not take away any of the awe and pleasure I experienced seeing the artwork. Before reading up on the artwork, I did think that it was representative of lost freedom, freedom being the horse, and lost being its death and the hanging.

This artwork stirred me emotionally. The eye’s were so sad…

Local Abstraction - The Twilight Girls

The Twilight Girls are a collaborative pair of female artists based in Sydney; Helen Hyatt-Johnston and Jane Polkinghorne. In August-September 2008, they exhibited their work World Wide Web at the ICAN in Sydney; a literal web of strung sticky matter (not quite sure what the actual substance is) enveloping an entire room of the gallery.

Reviewing the work in Eyeline, Adam Geczy (who I only just realised wrote the article) suggested that "When physically within the space, one became aware of the instability of the structure which, in its chaos, and it's cluttered riotous formlessness, stretched to every limit of the space." Both the conceptual abstraction of the title and the abstraction of the form itself (independent of the title) implies innumerable meanings and interpretations of the work; from the detrimental usage of the Internet to my favourite suggestion of Geczy's: "a vast quasi abattoir set up by a pair of female predators".

On a totally different note; Eleanor's post got me thinking about pigs and animals in art and I thought of that guy who tattoos pigs (Wim Delvoye), so I visited his website http://www.wimdelvoye.be/ It's a pretty cute layout - worth checking out.

Art & Abstraction - Faith & Lust

Work by Stephen Hodge. Image courtesy Flinders St Gallery

Currently showing at Flinders St Gallery (Flinders St near Taylor Square) is the Exhibition Faith and Lust. The exhibition features works by a number of established and not so established artists all producing work that explores various approaches to art through abstraction.

Some of the artists showing are Alex Lawler, Ron Adams, Tom Langlands, Christoph Bruckner and Stephen Hodge.

The exhibition includes both two and three-dimensional works.

I'm pretty sure it only runs til next weekend but it's worth checking out.

Details: Faith & Lust at Flinders St Gallery 61 Flinders Street Darlinghurst Wed - Sat 11am - 6pm

http://www.flindersstreetgallery.com

SPI Studio Theory

A REMINDER:

THIS IS SCULPTURE, PERFORMANCE AND INSTALLATION - STUDIO THEORY...

AS SUCH, I WOULD PREFER YOU FOCUS ON RELEVANT CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS WITHIN THIS STUDIO AREA!

jackson pollock

Physical art. Physical expression.

Jackson pollock could not master the traditional aesthetics of painting, but found refuge in  the physical act of expression. Utilizing rhythm and colour to allude subjectivity and emotion.

Pollocks works use rhythm and force to both draw the viewer in and push them away. The abstract formations are intangible, however they are capable of connecting to ones psyche. But yet, the forms and brushwork are free flowing, melodious. The sheer size of the work is also very confronting, the viewer becomes lost in the embellishing visuals. An overwhelming chaos.

Bronwyn Oliver

Bronwyn Oliver was schooled at COFA and lived and worked in the neighbouring suburb of Haberfield until tragically taking her own life. Her work can be found at the Botanic Gardens in Sydney.
Working primarily in woven copper wire with effects like patina her works consistently embody natural forms. She had a twenty exhibition stabling at Roslyn Oxley 9 and taught in the Eastern Suburbs.

ARTSPACE

Art and Abstraction

Mark Rothko is an abstract expressionist painter. This artist is concerned with emotions and colour as seen in this work below. I love this artists work due to his expressive use of colour and his technique, his great use of the brush strokes which create a subtle colour modulation. Contrasting colours are used, depicting different emotions within the works, creatnig an interesting piece that draws the viewers eye into the focal point, usually being the centre of the artwork. And as Rothko says, "There is no such thing as a painting about nothing."

sorry i couldnt get the image to work but take a look at his exhibiton at the tate modern gallery to see some of his work.

http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?cgroupid=999999961&workid=12964&searchid=9194

Abstraction: Diana Al Hadid

Diana Al Hadid uses materials such as plaster, fiberglass, wax and paint to create hauntingly beautiful works that represent organic, abstract forms.
http://www.al-hadid.wsdia.com/9.html
(Sorry the image wouldn't post!)

Art and Abstraction: jennifer maestre

jennifer maestre's pencil sculptures are pretty wicked, they remind me of the durian fruit. 

Art & Abstraction - Al Munro

Al Munro

Last year a few friends and i visited the Brender May Gallery in Waterloo, which is a contemporary gallery for Australian atrists. Some of the recent works at Artspace reminded me of an exhibition in 2007 at the BMG, especially Between Site & Space:













Due to the maps and street photography, i thought of Al Munro who exhibited in 2007 with "Future Farming". Munro says he "continues investigations into the patterns and codes used to represent and ‘map’ the natural world. The works also refer to contemporary projects in mapping nature such as genetic profiling and Dolly the sheep.












Future Farming
Brenda May Gallery 2007


http://www.brendamaygallery.com.au/

Art & Abstraction: Richard Deacon

Richard Deacon is best known for creating abstract sculptures that allude to anatomical structures and organic forms using elements of engineering as a means of fabrication. Deacon sculptures are often constructed from everyday artefacts such as wood metal and sometimes plastic. Metals are riveted together in smooth shapes which imply both the inner and outer parts of human form, and wood is laminated, curved and twisted into organic shapes, and unlikely ribbons. His work explores the relationship between body and space, interior and exterior, self and other. And since the 1970’s Deacon’s work has further explored the relations between the literal and the metaphoric.

Deacon works on both a domestic and monumental scale. Many of his large-scale sculptures such as What Could Make Me Feel This Way ‘A’ or Like A Snail ‘B’ recall chassis or ribcages from the human body. These forms vary, as some loop and curve across the room, while others float across the floor like large drops of liquid.

His monumental public works range from sets of gates for cities, to sculptures situated in public squares and parks, to backdrops for performances. For example, in 1993 he collaborated with Hervu Robbe and Dominique Fabrigue to design the sets and costumes for a dance which was performed by La Ferme du Buisson from Paris. Deacon used to actively participate in his works, at the start of his career, but later saw there was no need for his physical presence. His large-scale works are complemented by smaller-scale works such as Art for Other People, an ongoing series which combined an extensive range of everyday industrial materials, which are shaped into sculptural forms. The Infinity series is another example, form the 1990’s which consisted of a number of stainless steel works with ‘pin cushion’ like surface which responded to the light bouncing off the high points and flickering across the surface as if it were liquid.

Richard Deacon has successfully been able to fashion abstract sculptures by using various materials, to create oragnic and anaomatical forms.

Book References:

- Eleanor Heartney, Art and Today. (London: Phaidon Press Limited, 2008).

- Jon Thompson, Pier Luigi Tazzi, Peter Schjeldahl, Penelope Curtis, Richard Deacon. (London: Phaidon Press Limited, 1995)

- Clarrie Wallis and Edmund de Waal, Richard Deacon: Out of Order (London: Tate Trustees 2005)

Web References:

http://www.richarddeacon.net/

http://www.publicartfund.org/pafweb/projects/05/deacon/deacon-05.html

http://www.phaidon.com/Default.aspx/Web/richard-deacon-9780714839493

Photos From:

http://www.richarddeacon.net/

Art & Abstraction - Andrew bell

Andrew bell is an American artist who creates illustrations, paintings, prints and sculptures.
while being a pop surrealist Andrew's work links to abstraction through it's aesthetic subject matter, this being the imaginary creatures he creates.

this is an example of one of his most recent work (made 3/02/09), accompanying this image is the caption "i’ve had my problems…" the abstraction lies in the characters hyperbolic features, the expanded eyes, bloated body, uselessly thin arms and oversized mouth. this creature resembles almost nothing we know in reality and comes solely from the artists mind.
many critics and artists in the past have rejected andrew's work saying it's more of a design and marketing program than real art because of it's apparent lack of meaning and skill. In response to this the artist revealed that the works are more for himself than anyone else as they represent for him aspects of his own life and reality.
(07/25/06)
this work for example sporting the caption "this has gone on too long…" was made while on a flight home from san diego, the meaning behind the artwork is quite obviously the frustration over being stuck on the plane. while the meaning is obvious in this piece alot of his works are left open to interpretation by the artist because they hold a personal meaning for only himself.
Andrew has also created a number of sculpture series usually sold as toys and models to fans.


"The Giver of Desease: Gangrene" (09/08/08) and "The Giver of War: Dead Zebra" (07/23/08)
Andrew bell is a rising artist, while he has had various solo exhibitions as well as many joint exhibitions his work is not well known to the public or the art world.
he can be found at http://www.creaturesinmyhead.com/which is a show case for his art to date and has info on upcoming and past events.

all images and information obtained from http://www.creaturesinmyhead.com/

Art and Abstraction

Another reference to my childhood memories of the National gallery of Aus in Canberra. The "Blue Poles"(1952) by Jackson Pollock. It is similar to other drip paintings by Pollock, with the addition of eight large vertical blue "poles" placed over the top. I remember visiting the gallery with my grandmother, who passed away some years ago. She bought a mounted poster of this abstract work and had it on her wall for many years. Inevitably, i inherited the picture and currently it sits in my room. So not only does this painting hold a significance in the current subject of art and abstraction, but it creates fond memories of my wonderful grandmother.

Art and Abstraction

After visiting Artspace last week I had a look into some of Alex Gawronski's previous work. I came across a piece called 'Switch'.  It is a twin cast of a telephone receiver connected and suspended from the ceiling.  When I first saw it I didn't realize what it was, it resembled some abstract, almost organic form.

http://www.ryszard.net/alex/defult2.html 

 (cut and past, sorry hyperlink didn't work)