Curatorial Statement

The theme of this digital exhibition is The Body: As Object, this particular topic was chosesn because the body or in this case the artist’s body is the most readily available object and tool. It’s always there, no copyright infrigment and generally free to use. This section of video based performance art is interesting because these artists are using their bodies to produce the work in this exhibition. With this particular theme, the artist is not worried about the end result, but rather the process that took place during the performance. This is particularly important in all of the pieces featured in this exhibition, because there isn't necessarily an end product like a traditional painting would have.

The artists featured in this exhibition are Paul McCarthy, Pipilotti Rist, Dennis Oppenheim, Hannah Wilke, Bruce Nauman. What separates these artists from traditional artists is the fact that they use their own bodies as the “canvas” for their work, rather than directing others, or using other materials as the main element in their performance. These artists are creating a performance treating their bodies as an object or tool to complete a task. In each performance, the artist’s seem to be testing the limits of their own bodies, by placing themselves in awkward situations and manipulating their bodies to accentuate the pliability.

Throughout this exhibition, the reoccurring theme is the body and it’s many artistic uses, in this case it’s use as a tool and as and artistic object. These artists are literally taking themselves and making art.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Pipilotti Rist: Be Nice to Me




"Elizabeth Charotte Rist was born in 1962 in Grabs, Sankt Gallen, in Switzerland. Since her childhood she has been nicknamed Pipilotti. The name refers to the novel Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren.

During her studies Rist began making super 8 films. Her works generally lasted only a few minutes, and contained alterations in their color, speed, and sound. Her works transmit a sense of happiness and simplicity. Some art critics generally regard Rist’s works as feminist (www.wikipedia.com)."

In this work titled Be Nice to Me Rist has an over abundance of make-up on her face and continues to smash and rub her face into a glass window, smearing the makeup and distorting her face, she explores feminity and the stereotypical image of a woman, she has too much makeup on, slightly resembling a hooker or prostitute, with blue eye shadow and all. She then smears her makeup and face on a glass window, which messes up her make up, which most women try so hard to perfect, her face also distorts into some not so “beautiful” or feminine expressions.
“…Her focus is video/audio installations because there is room in them for everything (painting, technology, language, music, movement, lousy, flowering pictures, poetry, commotion, premonition of death, sex and friendliness) – like a compact handbag (www.luhringaugustine.com).”
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