The State of the Art of the Church
I for one, am extremely excited by the Vatican’s participation in the upcoming Venice Biennale, as Ben Street mentions in Yes We (Vati) Can! After watching Rick Warren deliver the invocation at Barack Obama’s inauguration, I am reminded of the burning picket fence separating church, state, and art, perhaps something to be contended with more thoroughly in the next Flash Points feature, Art + Politics.
A slave to good ‘ol fashioned controversy, here is an inkling of what I hope to see by way of the Holy See come the year of hugs and kisses, e.g. OX:
- Damien Hirst’s crucified, bi-sected Christ and Virgin Mary in formaldehyde
- Maurizio Cattelan’s pope and meteorite (The Ninth Hour, 1999) swallowed up by a black hole created by the Hadron collider
- Kara Walker (Season 2) silhouettes of confessional indiscretions
- It’s Venice, so all Vatican reps should be walking on water if possible—a show within a show. If the Chinese can do it…
But, with all levity aside, this is the most interesting addition to an exhibition of this magnitude in a long, long time. I might also expect the Vatican to next take out a booth at Art Basel Miami and sell off some of those ungodly works currently in the permanent collection.
It’s almost compelling as Rudy Giuliani curating the next Whitney Biennial (as yet unconfirmed from a very unreliable source).
Change comes to art too… Happy Inauguration Day!
Pulling Strings in Houston
Opening today at the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, The Puppet Show brings together contemporary artworks that explore the imagery of puppets in sculpture, video and photography. The Puppet Show takes as a historic point of departure one of the first episodes of avant-garde art history: Alfred Jarry’s 1896 play Ubu Roi that was conceived as a puppetshow. Considered by many to be the first dramatic work of the theater of the absurd, Roi (translated as “King Ubu” or “King Turd”) is an allegory of anarchy that uses farce and scatological humor to comment on art, literature, politics, and the ruling class.
The exhibition opens with an installation dubbed “Puppet Storage.” The plywood structure is filled with pictures, props, and other source material collected from artists studios as well as a historic collection of puppets from the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut selected by the Ballard’s director Dr. John Bell, an internationally renowned puppeteer and historian of puppet theater. Art21 artists Mike Kelley (Season 1), Louise Bourgeois, Kiki Smith, Kara Walker (all Season 2), Laurie Simmons, and Pierre Huyghe (both Season 4) are included in the roster of more than 25 participants.
The Puppet Show is co-curated by Ingrid Schaffner, Senior Curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, University, and Carin Kuoni, Director, The Vera List Center for Art and Politics at The New School.
Tropic of Miami
In addition to the fairs themselves, one of the highlights during Art Basel Miami Beach is the bevy of private collections and foundations. This is the kind of thing that also happens in New York during the Armory Show, but miserable Manhattan winters do not compare to the warm, sun-drenched Florida beaches in December. Where else can one disembark and bee-line to an outdoor morning brunch in 80 degree weather, complete with mimosas, mosaics, palm trees, and a live Latin band? And yes, don’t forget about the art. Collections such as the Scholl, Margulies, and Rubell have for years now entrenched themselves in swaying the art market in ways not unlike what Charles Saatchi has done across the Atlantic.
Among the many worthwhile exhibitions this year were Thirty Americans at the Rubell Family Collection and The Prisoner’s Dilemma at the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO). Thirty Americans is actually a mini-survey of thirty contemporary African American artists, perhaps tipping hat and curtsying to the new president-elect. The artists in this show ranged from the established like Kerry James Marshall and Kara Walker to up-and-comers like Rashid Johnson and Xaviera Simmons.
Thirty Americans:
The Prisoner’s Dilemma:
At CIFO, curator Leanne Mella drew upon the collection to select works that responded to the exercise of power in 21st century living, as they “challenge strategies of totalizing power and social control.” The tightly packed exhibition enlists heavy-hitters such as Francis Alys, Alexandre Arrechea, Stan Douglas, Jenny Holzer, and Barbara Kruger. Very apropos in shady economic times, spent at least under the shade of palm fronds.
Teaching with Controversial Material: “Bodies”
Illustration by Natasha Russel, Senior, Nyack High School
Just a few weeks ago, a colleague and I had the opportunity to take three Advanced Placement Studio Art classes to see Bodies: The Exhibition at South Street Seaport. This was a trip that, quite frankly, I wasn’t looking forward to since I was undecided about where I stood with the “material” being presented for display—unidentified human remains encased in plastic coating. Prior to the visit, we discussed and read excerpts from the ABC 20/20 News special, “Human Bodies on Display.” More than usual, we spent a lot of time talking and writing about this exhibit before ever seeing it. I wanted to get a sense of where my students stood on the legitimacy of this exhibit. Were the exhibit organizers right in displaying human remains even though they did not have consent from these individuals? Did the reports about many of these people being possible prisoners of war have any bearing on their opinion? Did the fact that so may of the figures displayed were of Chinese descent have any affect on how they saw the exhibit? Surprisingly, there were a wide variety of opinions, but the work we did on the “front end” of this unit and visit allowed for more focused study and reflection while we were there. Students were asked to create 2-3 drawings while viewing the exhibit and then create a finished work for their portfolio that was influenced by what they saw.
Working with controversial material such as the Bodies exhibition, Kara Walker, or even works by artists such as Barry McGee can certainly cause the wrong kind of attention if simply “dumped” into the curriculum and left for students to decipher (not to mention discuss with families) on their own. Teachers need to make sure that all aspects of the work are talked about and shared before a trip or long-term assignment that deals with the subject matter. Students need to understand the connections to the curriculum, and their own lives, before making art influenced by controversial works or exhibits.
I found it interesting that many students were fine with reports that exhibition organizers may have used bodies of Chinese prisoners who died and had no immediate family to take care of the remains. I then asked if it would be ok if any of the homeless men and women we regularly came in contact with were one day used for this exhibit. Almost every student then had a much different opinion. The suggestion struck a nerve. Suddenly, with the suggestion that this exhibit import bodies from someplace “closer to home”, students formed different opinions about whether the organizers should have written consent from the humans whose bodies are used, or at least the families of these people.
One thing becomes clear when you visit this exhibition…. You have to keep reminding yourself, these are people, not simply sculptures of people.
Inspired to Dance by Kara Walker: An Interview with Kyle Abraham
Emerging choreographer Kyle Abraham is performing two pieces this week at the Dance Theatre Workshop in New York (Dec. 3-6 at 7:30pm). One of the works, a solo piece entitled Brick, blends this signature style (a blend of athleticism and hip-hop) with influences from American visual artist Kara Walker (Season 2) and 17th-century Japanese artist Hishikawa Moronobu. I caught up with Abraham to talk about Kara Walker.
HV: What is it about Kara Walker that inspires you?
Kyle Abraham: I am inspired by how she is able to create such provocative situational environments in her work with a willingness to evoke anger, laughter, and a whole swelling of emotions from using what might be looked at as her signature paper cut-out approach. Seemingly simple in its nostalgic cut-out form, her work deals with historic references, representation, and stereotypical content that make me reflect on my position in life…and more so in this country, as a gay black American man who grew up in an urban environment marginalized by race, poverty and sexual orientation.
HV: What do you feel when you experience Kara Walker’s work?
KA: I experience a sense of history and frustration at times. It’s easy for me to see her work and draw connections from the historical references to today’s times. A great example of that is her After the Deluge book, which juxtaposed her work with that of American painters of the 1800’s in a way that easily draws connections to Hurricane Katrina.
HV: How do you translate those feelings into dance and what are the biggest obstacles? Also, is this your first time attempting such a fine art/dance translation?
KA: I am often inspired by artists of all media. I spent a good chunk of time working as an artist educator for the Andy Warhol Museum after leaving the New York dance scene in 2001. During that time, I was given the opportunity to create several works inspired solely by image-based sources. I guess I haven’t stopped.
I think the same great thing can be said about dance as it can about the visual arts…I want my work to have an individual effect. It’s not imperative that people walk away seeing or feeling the same thing. Art, in all forms to me, is about evoking something…either with in yourself or within those who stumble upon your vision.
My solo work has often dealt with racial stereotypes and gender in a way that uses what I like to say is a physical manifestation behind a message that I think Kara Walker and I might share.
Renaissance Ware
Check out all the great limited edition works created specifically for the Renaissance Society. Founded in 1915 as a cultural program to the University of Chicago, the Society’s nearly 100 years of history include a 1916 lecture by Paul Shorey on The Service of Art, to An Exhibition of Modern Paintings in 1918, to the current Francis Alÿs solo exhibition.
The designer wares were made in collaboration with numerous artists, including Art21’s Arturo Herrera, Jenny Holzer, Kerry James Marshall (his dinner plates are pictured above), Jessica Stockholder, and Kara Walker.
Introducing Flash Points: Controversy & Contemporary Art
FLASH POINTS is a monthly conversational series that focuses on issues relevant to the state of the art world at large, contemporary art education, and issues artists face today. You can participate by contributing feedback, posing a follow-up question, sharing anecdotes, or suggesting new topics in the comments area below.
Art21 often gets asked about the provocative nature of artworks by some of our featured artists. At the same time, we find conversations taking place, online and off, that touch upon how we—as educators, producers, viewers, and citizens—can make sense of the images we see.
Our comfort level with depictions of nudity, (homo)sexuality, prolific violence, political unrest, and the grotesque may waver from one work or movement to another. But art that instigates controversy nonetheless remains in our midst—difficult and perhaps irritating on one hand and psychologically expansive, moving, and even beautiful on the other. And clearly, the context and reception of art changes over time.
Otto Dix’s Stormtroops Advancing Under Gas (1924) and Nancy Spero’s Search and Destroy (detail, 1967)
Édouard Manet’s Olympia (1863) and Ida Applebroog’s Modern Olympia (after Manet) (1997-2001)
Anonymous cartoon courtesy of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia and Michael Ray Charles’s (Forever Free) Tommy Hilnigguh (1999)
Though now taught as key works on a modern art history syllabus, Courbet’s Origin of the World (1866), Picasso’s Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907), and most everything Warhol-related (but especially his car crash/electric chair silkscreens) once shocked their viewing publics to the core. And on it goes, from Richard Serra’s Tilted Arc (1981) and the controversies it raised around the nature and purpose of site-specific work; to the inflammatory tactics of the Young British Artists (YBAs) of the 90s; from Jeff Koons’ massive depictions of explicit sexuality with his then-wife (1989-1991); to Kara Walker’s room-sized installations reflecting her alternative vision of a sexually depraved and cruelly violent antebellum south.
So what is it about art and its capacity to shock us? Well, we were thrilled to find Color theory 8, A Shocking Negress?, a video by an educator and artist in Philadelphia named John T. In the video, he chronicles his “experiment” introducing the work of Kara Walker to his students, particularly her painting Negress Notes (Brown Follies) (1996-7). John’s engagement with Walker’s work prompts the questions: “Can a mere picture be shocking?” and “I very much like Kara Walker’s work. Does that make me a racist?” We hear from both him and his students as they debate the viability of the work and Walker’s intention to provoke or unsettle the viewer. Watch it here and if you have time, read the divisive comments on YouTube.
In tackling the issues surrounding controversial art, many additional questions echoing what John T. asks are raised. Over the next month, we will unpack some of them by introducing related posts by other writers weighing in from institutional, educational, and personal perspectives. In the meantime, let’s distill all of this inquiry down to a simple question:
Have you ever been shocked by a work of art and if so, why? What’s your take?
SFMOMA’s Explore Modern Art
SFMOMA recently launched their redesigned website with the initiative Explore Modern Art, an online learning environment and interactive space that integrates the museum’s collections information, calendar of public programs and events, and multimedia interpretive programs. Over the last decade, these features have produced engaging programming on 85 modern and contemporary artists, enabling visitors to learn about the contexts in which the artworks were created, see videos of the artists in their studios, hear first-person explanations of their creative processes, and view high-resolution digital images of the artworks. Explore Modern Art makes this substantial repository more accessible, user-friendly, and well, fun.
My favorite section is Making Sense of Modern Art, a lively video archive and guide to works in SFMOMA’s permanent collection, where one can go watch Ann Hamilton discuss her Indigo Blues Project, look up close at a Claude Cahun photograph, or listen to Richard Tuttle talk about the “presence of simple things.” Other Art:21 artists highlighted in this program include Matthew Barney, Louise Bourgeois, Jenny Holzer, Richard Serra, and Kara Walker.
Sullivan and Walker Awarded USA Fellowship
United States Artists (USA) is a grant-making organization dedicated to supporting America’s living artists working in a diverse array of disciplines. Catherine Sullivan (Season 4) and Kara Walker (Season 2) have been awarded the organization’s 2008 fellowship, which provides each of its 50 recipients an unrestricted grant of $50,000.
According to Artinfo.com, USA was established in 2005 in response to a study finding poor support structures for American artists. To become a USA Fellow, one must be nominated. Each year nominations for the award are made by an anonymous group of arts leaders, critics, scholars, and artists chosen by the organization. Nominators are asked to submit names of artists they believe show an extraordinary commitment to their craft. Eight other visual artists will receive the award this year: Terry Adkins; Michael Asher; Andrea Bowers; Deanna Dikeman; Barkley L. Hendricks; Tehching Hsieh; Rodney McMillian; and Martha Rosler.
Kara Walker at Irish Museum of Modern Art
The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Dublin, Ireland is currently exhibiting In Praise of Shadows, on view from November 5 - January 4, 2009. The exhibition, which is comprised of over 200 items by eight international contemporary artists, will primarily focus on the work of artists Kara Walker (Season Two), William Kentridge and Jockum Nordstrom.
As the title of the exhibition suggests, the work celebrates the use of the shadow. By using drawings, collages, texts, wall installations, film, photographs and stop-motion animation, this exhibition explores shadow theater and silhouettes as they relate to contemporary art practices. One of the works in the show will be the debut of a collaborative video by Kara Walker and William Kentridge, produced in 2004.
After IMMA, the show will travel to the Benaki Museum in Athens from May to July 2009. Read more about the show here.
