Wednesday 11 February 2009

TH.2058: DOMINIQUE GONZALES-FOERSTER






Concerning my interest in fictitious narratives in art, this exhibition transforms the Tate turbine hall into a Dystopic shelter of the remnants Human existence in the far future. As used in both literature and film to reflect on issues in the current world, from a detached oblique view in a false future, Foerster uses the idea of a knowingly invented myth to reflect upon our current state of Globality, how sensationalism in the media creates this same type of apocalyptic hysteria, as well as using this same overarching view of our world in a different time frame to look back on current art and recent art history in the form of public sculpture.
  The space itself lends well to a dystopic environment, being a post industrial space, institutionalised in a clean clinical way, a very sci fi aesthetic. Within the space, we see the appropriation of many public sculpture works but most notably the two overarching forms by Alexander Calder, and Louise Bourgeoise. These act like giant H.G.Wells aliens demolishing a city. Along side the appropriated sculpture is a film using scenes taken from various sci fi films hinting at an future world outside of the turbine hall, foreboding as it may be we are sought to seek comfort in the harsh steel beds, endearing in their uniformity and bright pop colours, alongside another sci fi referent in the copious literature we are offered, all surrounding and supporting the same stringent theme.
  What takes me most about this installment of the unilever series is the overt narrative, from the text above the entrance acting like the first sentence of a novel, to the constant reminders to the fact that 'hey we are in the future, a fantasy future fed to us by mass media', although we are overladen with didactic referents I do feel the curation of multiple elements from various art historical periods was brought together in a quite ingenious and novel way.
 I can't help but feel we are seeing alot of overt narrative in contemporary art. The installations of Charles Avery, Matthew Richie and the paintings of Chad McCail all do a similar thing in displacing a low brow cinematic narrative alongside artwork. This leads to the viewers relationship being very much from the side of artists intention leaving room for very little else. Only the questioning of why such an obvious sentiment, and what could he really be trying to say in the place of this obviousness. As with Baudrillard; the merging of Science fiction and science fact are leading towrds the same path due to their informing of one another. 

Sunday 8 February 2009

Between Red: Sea Hyun Lee










The exhibition of paintings by Korean Artist Sea Hyun Kim exemplifies alot that interest me with painting in the current art climate. The level of skill and meticulous craft is in no detriment the communication of the artists intent and ideas. 
 The exhibition included eight paintings as large as six meters by four meters, painted in rather fine detail. 
 The landscapes depicted by Kim are based on personal experiences of the Korean DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) that acts as a buffer between the north and south divide of the two countries.
  What most intrigues me about these paintings aside from the artists obviously routinely obsessive and repetitive practice, is his notion of 'representation' of both a space and a memory.
  It becomes apparent when moving from one image to another that the artist has utilised a strict set of schematic motifs, one that represent mountains, trees, buildings, etc. This set of repetitive symbols are reused and reconfigured into a possibly endless series of works. This generates a space within the images where fiction based on fact. It is a space that exists but it is a space that no-one can enter. Kim's memories of the place (from military service) are represented not in a physical sense but a metaphysical sense. The collaging of the spacial values in the landscapes constantly keeps your eyes busy making sense of the contradictory senses of perspective. Although from a distance solid objects can be grasped it is at closer scrutiny that one becomes aware of these contradictions, the oversized scale of buildings in comparison to the mountainous forms, or , as previously stated, the repetition of certain elements in both landscape and architectural forms.
  The repetition is key to the understanding of Zen ink painting where all natural elements have their own motif for being rendered, so again rather than manifesting a physical space, something more personal, spiritual and experiential is being represented.
  The fact that Kim painted these images in London makes one aware of this Globalised convergence of styles and culture. The isometric perspective used, similar to that of chinese ink painting, is fused with a western methodology of painting. The red oil paint used is transparent washes gives a more physical and luminescent presence to the paintings objects than traditional ink could whilst at the same time retaining a ghostliness that inhabits a lot of eastern ink painting. This elusive Ghostliness is again representative of what the place means, manifested in the collective consciousness of the Korean nation.
  Finally what I'd like to conclude with is in questioning the sense of fantasy these fictitious spaces undoubtedly create. Question them in the sense of their idealism. Are they Utopian or Dystopian. Their political background gives them a sinister edge as does the lack of human presence in the paintings. Human existence is only hinted at by the possibly empty and abandoned architectural structures and towns. However their Romantic conception of a landscape whether meant wryly or genuinely does portray a sense of longing and nostalgia, though not overly so as that undercurrent of political cynicism still exists.
Hyun Lee creates a series of paintings with many layers, both of pigments and ideas.

Welcome

Hi, I'm  a final year Fine Art degree student from Kingston university. With this Blog I wish to discuss my influences and inspirations I use to create work, not only ideas I gain from from contemporary art but also from film and animation, literature as well as ideas relating to visual culture on a wider level.
  At the moment I find interesting issues relating to the hyper-real in contemporary society the edge between memory and fiction. Also how we relate to mass media imagery as a society and as individuals. I am interested in the both the metaphysical and  varied notions of the real, non spaces between abstraction and representation from Virtual reality to the poetic reality, from symbolic and metaphorical to the social and neo realist in cinema.
  My work is mainly 2-Dimensional from collage and photography to drawing, print and painting, all media inform all others in a constant cycle of interpretation and reinterpretation.
   Anyone else with a shared interest in the ideas which I write about is more than welcome to contribute or inform me. Please email me at afservini@googlemail.com
Thank you and enjoy!!