Roni Horn is an Art21 artist that “explores the mutable nature of art through sculptures, works on paper, photography, and books. She describes drawing as the key activity in all her work, ‘because drawing is about composing relationships.’ Horn’s drawings concentrate on the materiality of the objects depicted.” The duplicity of the following instillation is compelling and I plan on displaying my documented photos in a similar way.
info from pbs.org and photo from hauserwirth.com
CHERYL: PSYCHIC FRIENDS NETWORK from CHERYL on Vimeo.
This video artist is certainly an outsider, but her work is so loud and fun. I appreciate the humor and kitschy nature of her videos.
This statement wraps up the absurdity….
“CHERYL is a video artist collective and dance party that explores the themes of mortality, mania, the feline-human connection, the limits of shoulders, the flammability of dollar-store hair extensions, and the staining power of fake blood. Through themes ranging from topical to bizarre, the CHERYLs revel in the joyous power of dance-induced psychosis/euphoria. CHERYL has been bringing its particular brand of FRESHMAGICK™ to New York City since colonial times, and has since acquired a dedicated cult following and media attention for over-the-top happenings involving outrageous costumes, exuberant dance moves, and participatory dance floor suicide.”
http://www.cherylwillruinyourlife.info/
This artist lives in Chicago and was a professor at Northwestern. She is part of the 2014 Whitney Biennial. “In her gestural abstract paintings, Molly Zuckerman-Hartung takes a performative approach to mark-making. She cuts, twists, pulls, and dyes, deftly manipulating the materials of her medium. At times breaking from the two dimensional frame, her works verge on the sculptural. By performing these varied visual languages, Zuckerman-Hartung mines the history of painting and deconstructs its conceptual framework.”
I love that her work conveys the performative process, yet is something accessible in the flat plane.
info and image from http://whitney.org/Exhibitions/2014Biennial/MollyZuckermanHartung
Arctander is an artist that my sister knows in Chicago. This piece, Everything She Wants, is a prime example of what I want to convey in my videos. The simplicity, yet elegant set up of her film and editing is something that I now understand and try to emulate. Also, this video elicits a visceral response. This is hard to accomplish and she does it well.
clairearctander.com
This artist became famous for her photos that she took on the streets of Chicago in the 40s. These photos capture identities of individuals that she interacted with in her everyday life, as a nanny. After her death, her work was recognized for its beautiful portrayal of humanity.
http://www.vivianmaier.com/
This Japanese artist was revolutionary in the 1970 avant-garde scene. She is an interesting character and her art reveals her bizarre perception of the world. She has delved into many areas, from painting to fashion design. What I’m most interested in is her recent installation, her ‘infinity room.’
Horse Play Happening, Woodstock, NY
yayoi-kusama.jp/e/happening/index.html
“Mirrored Room offers a little something for everyone. It is a reflection on death and the afterlife. It is a planetarium contained in a room the size of a large walk-in closet. Cosmic and intimate at the same time, it merges inner and outer space, science and mysticism, the personal and the impersonal.” I am attracted to the viewer’s interaction in the art experience and the sense of intimacy the work creates.
image and picture from nytimes.com
William Pope L is an incredible performance artist. The work that speaks to me most is his endurance-based crawl series that he did in the 70s. This series focused on the conceptualization of racism and society’s placement of minorities. Interacting with an audience, outside of a gallery, is a direction that interests me.
Tompkins Square Park Crawl, William Pope.L from Franklin Furnace on Vimeo.
Matthew Barney was suggested to me because I love his wife, Bjork’s, music. His style is obscure and his movie trailer, on his website, speaks to this.
http://www.cremaster.net/cc_trailer/cc_trail1.htm
The Cremaster Cycle was inspired by the male anatomy and his voice comes from a place of patriarchy. This is totally different than my own work, but I can see elements of his art direction that I would like to incorporate into my own work.
Her infamous 1975 performance of Interior Scroll is one of my favorite iconic performance pieces. “Schneemann ritualistically stood naked on a table, painted her body with mud until she slowly extracted a paper scroll from her vagina while reading from it.” I have personally studied Schneemann in Modern Art History and her shocking performance work inspires me to be bold. Her oneness with womanhood and mixture of ritualism with spontaneity in something I hope to bring into my own video practice.
Info and image from caroleeschneemann.com
Joan Jonas was a pivotal feminist performance and video artist. She was influenced by John Cage and Claes Oldenberg and their focus on “non-linear” structure. According to the Oxford University Press, her performances, Mirror Pieces, “were held in large spaces and included large and small mirrors, either as a central motif or as props or costume elements.”
I am fascinated by her work because of this motif. I appreciate the use of theatrical elements and I use them, as well, in my own work.
Info and image from moma.org