Nikki. S. Lee Part 14 2002

This photograph consists of a lady who could be sat in the back of a taxi with what appears to be her partner, however the viewer is only granted access to the arm of this individual which is placed stiffly over her shoulder. This is because the second person sat on the backseat has been cropped out of the photograph, all that is visible is their hand and the green long-sleeved shirt they are wearing. With the intense light streaming from the back window it becomes full of shadows and adds a gloomy appearance overall, the only key focal points seem to be her face and the partner’s hand.

I believe this piece of photography is aiming to show the relationship of this couple, although they are physically connected the expression on her face speaks of emotional detachment. She shows no signs of reciprocating the gesture and her body language looks incredibly unresponsive to their touch. If you look at the shoulder nearest to the partner it almost seems as though she is turning her body away from them.

From the series named ‘Parts’ the artist appears in scenes showing herself with her partner but physically removes them from the photograph. She aims to show ‘intimate details of a relationship’ and it is quoted that whilst being interviewed Lee stated ‘the purpose of the cut is to make people curious about the missing person and to think how his identity has affected the woman who is left behind. It forces people to examine the relationship itself, even if it is only part of the story’. As a viewer I agree that you begin to make up your own narrative in your head as you study the photograph, more hints begin to arise as you scrutinize the work more carefully.

https://nmwa.org/blog/2013/11/01/fluid-identities-the-parts-and-projects-of-nikki-lee/

http://www.realityandretrospect.com/blog/2013/11/6/contemporary-artist-nikki-lee-on-nmwas-blog

For the task of consuming a book I chose to look at ‘Jackson Pollock New Approaches – The Museum of Modern Art, New York’. The book consists of how highly his work was regarded by historians, artists and 20^th century art. Opinions of these individuals is included throughout the book beginning with ‘T. J. Clark’, who discusses how the scale and size of the work could be the artists way of representing his subject matter which is highly important for the way he works. A key quote I picked up in this section was how his abstraction ‘was a kind of literalness, a return to the world’ and this could explain how his larger paintings were often accompanied by smaller works.

‘Robert Storr’ discusses how Pollock discovered Mexican Muralism during his mid-teens and became enthralled by it. I found it interesting how ‘Pollock’s engagement with the Mexican Muralists lasted over a decade’ as this suggests how compelled he felt to research deeper and it also states how he was inspired by Orzco for the creation of his sketch book drawings.

It is suggested that Pollock continued from where Picasso and Braque had ceased with Cubism. This book made me consider how artists generally seem to borrow ideas from each other and make them their own, often by expanding on them further. For another example I discovered within this book, Rauschenburg who followed after Pollock integrated elements of Cubism with the drips Pollock was best known for.

A section of writing that caught my eye in the book was ‘Every so often a painter has to destroy painting’ I feel like this is talking about how unconventional his style of painting was in comparison to what may have been deemed traditional at this time. It’s the idea that sometimes doing something completely obscure with paint or art work  can create a new style of painting and influence artists to develop pre-existing ideas of what painting can be.

Bibliography – Jackson Pollock New Approaches – The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Giacometti

Tate Modern

10^th May – 10^th Sep 2017

I went to London to visit the Giacometti exhibit in late August and although I can’t relate to his style of work, it was interesting to view a different way of producing artwork. The gentleman’s work I was looking at was called Alberto Giacometti, a post-modern artist who has engaged with movements such as cubism and surrealism over the years. Materials like clay, plaster and paint were very present when walking around the different rooms in the exhibition but there were also a few drawings and decorative objects that were quite fascinating to view. The exhibition presented a lot of his larger scale work and as I walked through I noticed the sculptures were becoming taller, broader and narrower. I felt as though great progression was taking place around me and it was nice to be able to witness each finished result of work produced by such a famous artist.

‘By doing something a half centimetre high, you are more likely to get a sense of the universe than if you try to do the whole sky’

There were ten different rooms each providing evidence of artwork containing different meanings to the artist himself and quotations with small sections of information explaining what was on view and what he was trying to portray at the time of development. An artist inspired by his father’s work as a child he was eager to make his work known and ‘when he returned to Paris after the Second World War his figures with highly textured surfaces and the distinctive portrait paintings’ started becoming extremely well known. He also started producing sculptures of human heads as I saw in the exhibition, ‘these were the people to whom he felt closest, including his mother and father, his brother Diego, his wife Annette, and friends such as the philosopher Simone de Beauvoir.’ My favourite room was ‘Room 1’ of which there were ‘Bust of Annette VIII, 1962’ and ‘Bust of Annette X, 1965’. I liked the fact that both sculptures were based on his wife Annette however the end results were both such different interpretations.

Bibliography:

TATE Giacometti Exhibition Programme 10^th May – 10^th Sep 2017

TATE Introductions Giacometti by Lena Fritsch

Bust of Annette X 1965
Bronze
45×18.5×13.4
Collection Foundation
Giacometti, Paris

Bust of Annette VIII
1962
Plaster
60.2×27.5×25.2
Kunsthaus Zurich, Alberto Giacometti-Stiftung

Nikki S. Lee

Parts – part (14) – 2002

When I look at ‘part (14)’ from ‘Parts’ I automatically feel depression and loss due to the dark clothing presented by the artist ‘Lee posing with a male partner, cropped to make it impossible to directly see who she is with‘. Not only this but I also noticed the distance being shown between Lee’s body and the unknown man’s arm, followed by the angle of which her face was positioned looking away from him. I felt a few other feelings, such as; mystery, disconnection, emotion and silence.

After researching Nikki S. Lee’s whole photographic series of ‘Parts’ the image ‘part (14)’ has become a lot easier to analyse. Not that I didn’t get enough information from visualising it singularly but purely because the artist has put the piece so cleverly together that, myself, as an artist was eager to learn more. So by doing my research I ‘also experienced Parts of Lee’s life, situations, and contexts’. In ‘part (2)’ the only image that Lee is actually happy to be looking at what is, I guess, to be her husband, she is quite clearly getting married and there are no distractions. In ‘part (23)’ she is looking away from him and by the positioning of his hand he seems to be admiring her and trying to tempt her in with an ice lolly. In comparison between the two I can see that she is no longer the admirer but, if anything, he has to try other techniques for temptation as he is not enough. Moving onto ‘part (16)’ you see Lee pointing at a fish, yet again distracted, as if she is trying to get him to see things from her point of view. Finally in ‘part (208)’, the last image of the series, a shorter, elderly man is seen with grey hair. This I saw as her father. However the unknown man is nowhere to be seen and she is holding her belly, is this resembling a pregnancy and if so is he still lingering unexpectedly? Whatever the case the joining of arms to me resembled her clutching strongly onto her ‘old’ life.

To finish with a conclusion to my analysis, I believe the series provides strong evidence of the ‘existence and non-existence’ of those closest to Lee between 2002 and 2005. The main focus was her partner; of which created the strongest emotion and memories and this is why he was more frequent but she was always the colder presence within the photographs distancing herself and maybe this is why her clothing was dark in ‘part (14)’.

There is a lot of mystery in ‘part (14)’ which is why I wanted to find out more but the whole series is very mysterious. One mystery I could solve though and the gut reaction I received from ‘part (14)’ was that Lee, herself, was singled out due to unexpected physical and emotional separation making her the only focus.

Bibliography:

https://creators.vice.com/en_uk/article/z4y8zx/the-projects-parts-and-layers-of-nikki-s-lee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikki_S._Lee

Chantal Joffe

By Victoria Miro

I chose to look beyond the cover of this book purely because Chantal Joffe explores portraiture but in a different style to my work and I wanted to research into a more abstract way of presenting outcomes. I was curious.

Chantal Joffe is a contemporary artist and her work shows paintings of woman and children. Her most frequent chosen medium is oil on canvas and she is a very well educated artist; having studied MA Fine Art at the ‘Royal College of Art’ in London and received awards such as the ‘Delfina Studio Trust Award’.

The Book is based around her work produced from 24^th June – 2^nd August 2008. The ‘appalling’ and ‘witty’ paintings are signifying pornography and fashion, presenting social and sexual signs. Her work is bright and powerful and she expresses emotion in her work by adding paint strokes that are defined and exclude all boundaries.

‘There is art that depicts fashion, there is art that depicts fashionable people, and there is art that is fashionable.’

The above quote was taken from an article produced by Neal Brown. This is presented early in the book before any artwork is shown, so the reader is already thinking ‘fashion’ drawing them to a larger scale of portraiture, rather than just expression and features of the human form. Besides the pornographic imagery, ‘fashion’ is made the main focus behind Joffe’s work and although it is not as detailed as it could be the abstract pieces certainly don’t leave much to the audiences imagination.

Bibliography – birth, education, awards, solo exhibitions and group exhibitions

Nikki S.Lee’s most recent project ‘Parts’ shows Lee photographed with a male partner, however the viewer is unable to see the males face because he is cropped out of the photo.

The image itself suggests that Nikki S.Lee is uncomfortable or unhappy in the situation. You can tell from her position that she doesn’t want to be there. She is looking out of the window with a blank expression on her face. She is also positioned with her back turned away from the unknown male in the car which implies that she feels or has no personal connection with him. The males arm in the photo is draped over Lee’s shoulders which usually is a sign of affection, however in this situation the gesture is met with a cold expression on the females face with her back turned away from the unknown male.

The enclosed space of the taxi gives off a claustrophobic feel to the photo. Also the lighting in the taxi is interesting because the light from the window behind her is very bright and the rest of the car is dark. This could suggest that they are moving towards darker times in their relationship or that their relationship isn’t very healthy because the rest of the world is bright and they are stuck in a dark place.

Nikki S. Lee’s photographic series ‘Parts,’ takes the viewer through the artist’s relationship with an unknown man, who has been cut from the photographs due to separation; implying a sense of hurt and bitterness towards the unknown male. Lee presents to the audience the relationship from her perspective, portraying her own emotion, forcing the viewer to focus on only her. In an interview, the artist said about the series, “The purpose of the cut is to make people curious about the missing person and to think how his identity has affected the woman who is left behind. It forces people to examine the relationship itself, even if it is only part of the story.”

In ‘Part 14’ we are presented with a particularly sullen-looking Lee with a mysterious arm draped about her shoulders. Although this gesture is intended to be one of comfort, the look across the artist’s face conveys expressions of disconnection with the subject beside her. This loosely draped arm is merely a cold presence; a metaphorical weight on the artist’s shoulders of which she is eager to shrug off. The body of the person remains at a distance from her; therefore, inferring the lack of human connection between the two. Perhaps an argument had occurred.

The title of the series provides some ambiguity to the photograph. The name ‘Parts’ could imply the fact that the couple have now parted from each other, or, to place emphasis on the different parts that build a relationship.

Bibliography:

Fluid Identities: The “Parts” and “Projects” of Nikki Lee

1 November 2013, Women in the Arts, accessed 17 October 2017

Nikki S. Lee, Part (14), 2002

During the summer, I took part in a museum project where my final piece would be hung in a local museum (Watford museum). As part of my museum project I decided to create a 3D structural piece of work that included 10 hexagons and squares all hung at different lengths from the ceiling. Each square/ hexagon used a different media which represented an aspect of my theme “The Syrian culture and war”. This contemporary composition was influenced by Nancy Spero’s “Maypole take no prisoners”, because they are all connected by string demonstrating unity, however when the audience actually focuses on each individual piece, they are either reminded of the Syrian past with all their sophisticated geometrical patterns and architecture or the present which is war, explosions, damaged buildings and death.

When hanging my work, I displayed the work so that all my bright geometric pieces were at the top, whilst the dark rough surfaces had longer string and were at the bottom. I believe this composition worked well because I was able to overlap the pieces making the overall design appear complicated, which may exemplify the idea that the Syrian war has so many layers and complications, which will need to be resolved before the country can attempt growing and restoring their sophistication.

If I had a larger room and unlimited amount of space, I would have liked to hang my hexagons/squares from string which was hanging from different corners of the room so that they are all overlapping one another and at different angles, which would mean I would have to do designs on both sides of the piece of wood, this would allow me to recreate the confusion and chaos that the Syrian civilians are probably feeling. I would also make lots more hexagons and squares and make them different sizes, representing the idea that no matter who you are the war affects everyone the same.

ROSENTHALL, S. (2011) Pipilotti Rist: Eyeball Massage, UK: St Ives Westerham Press, Hayward Publishing

Eyeball Massage explores work by video-installation artist, Pipilotti Rist, and acts as an accompaniment to Rist’s exhibition at the Hayward Gallery in London (September 2011-January 2012), but also includes earlier works. It contains essays that explore different aspects of Rist’s art, for example how the viewer is involved in the art through the use of video projections, the relationship between the body and camera, and the use of three-dimensional forms and viewing areas.

The book combines an introduction by two gallery directors, followed by five essays from authors (including the exhibition curator). Rist’s techniques are examined and comparisons to artists with similar visual or conceptual ideas are suggested.

As the Gallery where Pipilloti Rist’s Exhibition took place produced the book, the viewer can understand why the writers’ viewpoints are entirely positive, as the book acts to promote Rist’s work and explain her relevance in the contemporary art scene.

The design of the book first engaged me through its choice of holographic-style cover and the vibrant, pixelated glitches seen on opening the book. The editing of the colours in the video work is pleasing to the eye, as intended by the artist (suggested through the title Eyeball Massage). This design acts as an indication of the type of artwork that Rist produces. Recurring motifs are included in Rist’s work, such as those of fairytales, the body, nature and water, which through her art take on a dreamlike, luscious, futuristic appearance. I love the idea of installation art and the intense experience created which the viewer can engage with. Rist’s bold, psychedelic, often intimate videos frequently question the ‘politics of the female body’. Through her art, Rist demonstrates her ‘desire for erotic, emotional and social freedom’ (Iles, C. page 111) and through the strong, visually interesting video-art and installation, the art avoids the objectification of the female body that is often prevalent in media and cinema.

Mark Rothko, Red on Maroon, 1959 

On level 2 of Tate Modern London wound in with an exhibition called ‘In the Studio’ you come to a very dimmed lit room with these massive paintings of red and black, known simply as the Rothko Room. To some, you walk in and it’s just a dark room full of very odd abstract paintings that seemingly have no effect nor effort, to others the room is a thing of beauty. 

There are a few different Red on Maroon’s in the room but the one I want to specifically talk about is located to the far left as you walk in to the exhibition space. It captures your eye because whilst it is still quite a large painting, it’s not as large as the others in the room but it stands out the most to me because of the extraordinary pigments you can see even from across the room. 

The piece I’m talking about is an 8-foot-tall canvas with a very dark brownish red background that near the centre is almost a very dull saturated red that looks as if the pigment was scraped down to get to that colour like it is worn away, sun damaged almost. Then in the centre of that background is a bright red lipstick coloured rectangle that has a rough edge to it, like the hue has bled out to try and merge with its background. 

I think to most people, they don’t see what’s so amazing about his work. Just a red rectangle on top of a dark red background. But as a huge Rothko fan, never seeing his work before was breath-taking to me and as an artist to see how much effort went in to these abstract paintings really makes them feel more than what they look like.  

There is something about seeing this piece in person than in a photo that is pleasurable, when you’re up close you feel a sense of mesmerisation, something about the rich tones on the canvas capture your gaze and you feel the urge to stand there gazing for what feels like hours as if there is nothing or no one else in the room, a feeling you don’t get from a photo of a painting.