Nikki, S. Lee – Part 14 (2002)

From simply analysing the image I see before me, it’s apparent Nikki’s eyes quite clearly staring out of the car, looking off into the distance. It’s as if she is staring into space, lost in thought. For the viewer, this represents a cold demeanour that she is giving off. As it is not inviting, it therefore could come across as passive from the viewer’s perspective. The viewer is made to believe her disinterest is because of the assumed male figure (as no facial or distinctive masculine features are displayed) who is sitting next to her. She is not looking at him or in his direction which can only be assumed to be a bad sign. This is also emphasised through the blackness of seats behind, which connects the two of them, as black is often referred to as an empty void.

Outside the white light is pouring in around her head, representing a halo type effect. This could be portrayed as innocence within the woman. But this is very much counteracted by the black eye-liner the lady is wearing also. Black could also represent elegance in the woman. Her eyes have been made to look seductive in such a way, and to the audience this could make her come across as more appealing. This refers straight to the male gaze, and how male viewers might be attracted to the dramatic eye and subtle lip make-up. The image being made more attractive to a male’s gaze, is once again supported by the fact the male has his arm draped around the lady, as if to say he likes what he sees.

The dark blue of her clothing represents a seriousness and maturity, and coming from the point of the male gaze once more, shows us how adult the woman is. This would strike as more appealing to the onlooker, as to be sexualised one should be of age, and the dark blue reiterates this.

The Art of Seeing.

I know a lot of artists, myself included, when creating an art piece will use imagery that has only come from their brain or an image in a book or online. Francis bacon is quite known for this, he didn’t like to socialise or sit and paint a person with them in the room, so he would use photographs.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with this, however in some ways I do feel it limits the painting. Maybe because the life likeness doesn’t feel quite right as you were looking at the 2d rather than the 3d or the experience with it feels uninteresting as there’s no story behind it.

But imagine if there was…

My new mode of practice is the art of seeing, as in real life with your own eyes. Take yourself out of your imaginary bubble for a second, look at an object, a real object, a cup maybe. Yes, it looks boring, but really look at it, the shape, the curves, the colour. Now use your imagination with that actual object, a colourful abstract painting maybe? Or a sculpture using the curves and lines like those in that cup? Suddenly your thought process and mode or working has been opened, anything in the real world can enrapture a thought, a sense, a creative idea.

Branch out, take it further, go outside. The whole world is constantly moving and so is your brain. Don’t limit yourself to imagery from photos. This mode of practice might take you somewhere new and exciting, you might be looking at a flower outside and see a fascinating Insect that you’ve never seen before, that might inspire you in new ways and add an element of background to your art.

Attending the ‘Everything at Once’ exhibition at 180 The Strand, I was inspired by the sheer size of the exhibition and the wide range of contemporary art. Amidst all the work, there was one piece in particular that really captured and held my attention, ‘The Black Pot’ (2013), a stop-motion animation by Swedish artists Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg.

Immediately walking into the room, I found myself immersed in the mesmerising video installation. The panoramic film spanning the four walls did not

nor did it obnoxiously force itself on me, an unwilling participant (as I find installations can sometimes do).

The animation consisted of spheres and bands of coloured light, ebbing, flowing and pulsating against a black background, alongside a soundtrack of ambient electronica. The movements of the forms were natural and organic – reminiscent of something, perhaps nostalgic, yet somehow avoiding sentimentality. It could be argued that the abstracted, surreal animation seems to communicate on more of a subconscious level, perhaps that of a dream-like, hallucinatory state.

loss of meaning, balance – the uncanny

In an interview on the work, Djurberg discusses the inspiration the work draws from ontogenesis (the transformation of an organism from an egg to a mature form). The curation of the work within a ‘darkened, womb-like environment’ could be argued to depict the cycle of life.

I was struck by the undulation of the forms and the way in which they seemed to occupy the space – such as through the use of negative space – purposeful and deliberate. This was alongside the eccentric and hypnotic music of Hans Berg, creating a distinct atmosphere. Experiencing the work in situ, as an immersive and panoramic installation, the ‘poetic and metaphorical abstraction’ is evocative and moving.

The Barbican’s ‘Basquiat: Boom for Real’ exhibition covers the life and career of New York-based artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. It demystifies his working process, explores the various stages in the development of his artistic practice, as well as his collaborations and relations with fellow artists and musicians. It was compelling to learn about the diversity and fluidity of his practice, working across a range of media, from poetry, performance, music and Xerox art to paintings, drawings and objects.

It was fascinating to better understand his working process, both in and out of the studio – he would surround himself with source material, drawing inspiration from books scattered around him on the floor to the sounds of the television or boom box. As the writer Glenn O’Brien commented, ‘he ate up every image, every word, every bit of data that appeared in front of him’ and ‘processed’ and ‘synthesized’ this all into his work.

The exhibition also revealed the extensive selection of source material from which Basquiat drew his ideas and content, particularly in the ‘Notebooks’ and ‘Encyclopaedia’ rooms. I found this allowed me to deconstruct his large mural-like paintings and altered the way in which I actually perceived his work. It was particularly intriguing to see pages of his notebooks and contextualise the role played by text in his work, as well as its musicality and rhetoric.

I chose to consume the book ‘Rebecca Horn: Bodylandscapes’ (2005). This book is comprised of a collection of Horn’s work, as well as essays regarding Horn’s practice. A dialogue between Horn and Joachim Sartorius is also included, allowing the reader a more personal insight into Horn’s practice.

The interview between Horn and Sartorius is thorough, with Sartorius asking questions that showcases his own extensive expertise regarding Horn’s career, as well as his opinions on what Horn’s work portrays. In turn, this allows Horn to provide personal insight into her work. Horn is able to bounce off of Sartorius’ ideas, which is what makes this interview appear to be conversational. This interview paired with Horn’s documentative sketches allows the reader to observe her processes and development: something which looking at a final outcome alone will not provide. Therefore, this book feels somewhat intimate, and the way in which Horn discusses tender connections to her work encompasses this feeling:

   ‘To talk about love is like a wind that I shield off with a fan. It stubbornly seeks its own course and quite uncontrollably attacks me. I wrote the texts accompanying the Paradise Widow at a time of severe emotional strain’ (Horn, R. page 190)

Horn is confirming how her personal experiences have an impact on the work she produces, and this is why such a thorough interview is important: the reader could not grasp such concepts behind her work without such honest vulnerability.

Bibliography:

Horn, R. and Zweite, A. (2005). Bodylandscapes. London: South Bank Centre

From Night into Day 1975 Marie-Louise Von Motesiczky http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/T04851

Exploring The Tate Liverpool I came across a painting created in 1975 titled ‘From Night into Day’ by the artist ‘Marie-Louise Von Motesiczky’. Immediately I was sucked in by this disturbing looking figure, I felt as though her eyes were on me forcing me to come closer. I don’t remember exactly how long I stood in front of this work but I felt I couldn’t take my eyes off of it, something about it made me want to study it further.

The lady is lying on the bed and seemingly knows that you are watching her as she looks right back at you, however it is so intrusive viewing her in this way like looking through her bedroom window. And when you notice the deer with its front legs resting on her you begin to wonder if this has been taken from some sort of fairy tale. Proportions aren’t accurate so her bed seems very short and to almost be tilting her out of it, which made me think that maybe this work had been drawn from memory or imagination rather than life. Muddy brown paint has been applied as an underlying colour with the figure and objects in the room painted on top which seem to lack clarity. I believe this makes it obvious that the work was created through memory rather than observation, looking at her body some areas are flat particularly her lower half. It seems the artist spent more time on the face as it stands out from the rest of the painting.

Along with information available to the gallery and research, I discovered that this work is of the artists mother who was aged 93. She lies in bed struggling to sleep and often would lie awake at night. The artist chose not to sit and paint her mother but instead incorporated memory along with small amounts of observation. I don’t believe viewing an image of the painting can quite match the whole experience of discovering it in the flesh, it doesn’t allow the viewer a true representation of the scale or emotion conjured up by  the work.  

The PACE Museum is situated in Burlington Gardens, London. I attended the exhibition of Transcending Boundaries. Which was organised by Team Lab.

Team Lab (Tokyo, 2001) is a group of artists who bring together art and technology to create a practise. They influence art with technology and the natural world. They are based in Tokyo and therefore all their exhibitions have a great sense that relates to Japanese Art.

There were different areas within this exhibition which included a total of 3 rooms. The first room consisted of a big piece which took up most of the room. It was companied by 3 other smaller pieces of work. The second room consisted of a piece called Black Waves and the final room consisted of an interactive piece.

One piece that really interested me was the very first installation I saw which was; Flowers and People Transcending Boundaries a whole year in an hour

In this piece of art work, A whole year is compacted into a smaller segment. It suggests that flowers and people cannot be controlled. Flowers are born, grow, bloom and die. This installation shows the whole cycle of birth, life and death. If people move more flowers grow and if they touch it the flowers scatter all at once creating something quite spectacular.

This work attracted my attention as it made me feel almost a part of the exhibition which I’ve never really experienced with other exhibitions I’ve visited before. The world seemed a better place whilst there.

This image belongs to a series of photographs surrounding the theme of Nikki. S Lee’s life. However, to each photograph she has cropped them, leaving just an arm or half a face. This image shows Lee sitting in a car next to a significant other or friend, looking distance and saddened. Whether this is due to the company or the destination she is heading is unclear. However, there is much distance between her and the adjacent person therefore suggesting to me she is uncomfortable with the presence of this person.

To me this image gives off the impression of isolation and a deep unhappiness, I get this purely from her expression and the juxtaposition of both people. The colour scheme as well adds to this low atmosphere as the colours appear dull and lifeless. These gloomy tones also reflect into her clothes and makeup. This makes me feel cold and lonely as these colours are usually uses to refer to these emotions.

My conclusion of this images is that it conveys connections between existence and non-existence.

Girl with a pearl earring by Tracy Chevalier

This book is told from the perspective of Griet, a 16 year old girl from Holland. The book is set into 4 chapters of years. The story is about the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675). It tells of Griet’s life of working as a maid for the infamous painter Johannes Vermeer.

Griet is a mere existence and is paid very little for what she does when she starts. In early 1665, Griet secretly becomes Vermeer’s assistant. Griet starts to help Vermeer by fetching supplies, grinding colours and cleaning. She has an eye for Art and when she gains her confidence she often offers her thoughts to Vermeer.

In 1666 Vermeer starts to paint Griet and the erotic tension starts to enfold between the two of them. The Author of the book does a tremendous job at creating the sexual tension between them.

Towards the end of the painting and when it is nearly finished Vermeer believes it needs some jewellery. Griet pierces her own ear in readiness for the pearl earrings to be painted. When Catharina returns she believes Griet has stolen the earrings and is in rage. Griet realises there can be no future there and leaves.

The story then resumes years later in 1676.  Griet is asked to go to the Vermeer house. She is shocked to discover that Vermeer in his will, left her the pearl earrings. Which reluctantly she accepted. She sold them for 20 guilders. This is a truly romantic story, no action is ever taken upon the feelings between Vermeer and Griet but the fondness is felt. (Chevalier, 1999).

Quote

“I could not say why I had laid out the vegetable as I did. I simply set them as I felt they should be, but I was too frightened to say so to a gentleman.”

This conversation on page 5, is the first exchange between Griet and Vermeer where she is too shy to look or talk to him. It sets the tone for the whole book, and is the start of the chemistry between them. It attempts to show Vermeer’s clear and keen eye for detail, for him to have even noticed that Griet set the vegetables in the specific way that she did.

Bibliography

Chevalier, Tracey, 1999, The Girl with the Pearl Earring, Harper Collins, Complete Book

‘Part 14’, Nikki S. Lee (2002)

Nikki S. Lee’s photograph, ‘Part 14’ depicts the artist in the backseat of a car, with a man’s arm around her, his hand resting on her shoulder. The woman’s body language, facing away from her companion, and her blank, withdrawn expression reveal a degree of hostility held towards the unseen man.

The image is one of a series of works, ‘Parts’, in which the artist is depicted in an interaction with another person, cropped out of the image, indicated by the partial white border that runs around three sides of the image. As the title suggests, we may only be glimpsing a ‘part’ of a larger image from which the other person has been cut out of – as if to suggest that the relationship has ended, the couple has broken up and the former partner has been removed from the original photos.

As in her series, ‘Projects’, Lee herself dons disguises in order to explore notions of identity in a performative approach. Similarly in this work, Lee herself poses as the subject of the photograph, playing the woman in question.