Performance Art at the Whitney Museum

                Visiting the exhibition called, "Rituals of Rented Island" in the Whitney Museum was definitely a new way that I have experienced artwork before. Each piece of artwork took place in the place, as a temporal art form, performance art can only be recorded through photographs, film, props, and other ephemera from the actual performance. Since the intended object that is presented to the viewer as art not longer exists as the artist fully intended, I felt that the pieces that included a film of the actual performance or a mimicking of the actions in the performance, were the most substantial and impactful to me and relayed the artist's message most faithfully.

                The first piece that had an impact on me was Michael Smith's "Baby Ikki". This piece is a television screen featuring a collection of videos with Smith dressed up as if he was a toddler, quite an interesting contradiction of size and body features. Smith would seemingly transform into a toddler, reenacting many things a typical child would do. Using exaggerated hand and arm motions, hitting, stomping, and grunting or yelling; Smith would take on the role of this toddler and never break character. He performed this on the streets on New York City, in front of skyscrapers, and in a park, any place that was seemingly public and/or well established as a business place where many serious adults would gather or travel through. This is seemingly a commentary on the social structure of the city, and by positioning a large man behaving like a toddler in these public areas where many other adults are, I believe he is creating a satirical work on the definition of being an adult in New York City.

                I next moved on to the Kipper Kids comedic routine called "The Kitchen". This performance piece was much like a play, performed many times with almost identical scripts, so that each showing of this title was very similar to the last. The Kipper Kids were a comedic duo who dressed up with quite interesting costumes. They wore half-face masks with exaggerated noses, a lot of makeup, and drawn on beards. The performance was quite wacky, and had scenes of utter obnoxiousness and vulgar behavior. This is reminiscent of "The Three Stooges" show, with each man playing pranks on the other, but in carefree and comedic way. The ephemera of this performance was substantial, including the actual boxing ring they performed in, with many props and clothing from their shows set on the table beside the large ring. The photographs and one film of such performances actually brought me into that audience, as if I was watching it for the first time.

                The last projects that resonated with me was Vito Acconci's "Proximity Piece" collection of personal space violation performance art. This collection included still photographs of Acconci performing his act, which was his intentional violation of a stranger's personal space in a rather formal and public setting such as the Jewish Museum on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. I felt that there was not enough pictorial evidence of the actual event[s], but the purpose of the project resonated with me. I enjoyed the concept of the intentional invasion of personal space, and was intrigued to find out what kind of reaction this performance would garner from its 'victims'. I feel that Acconci was attempting to comment on the almost silly idea of personal space, it is not something purely definable. One person might not pay any mind to someone standing shoulder to shoulder with you, and another will be uncomfortable if you stand even one foot away. The notion of personal space is extremely subjective and I believe Acconci was attempting to emphasize that.

                Each piece said something different to me, and I believe I was indeed more affected by the pieces that included film along with other ephemera that had the most impact on me. It is obvious to me now, that I would have enjoyed to see these pieces live and in person in order to more fully appreciate them. Just like the difference between seeing a photograph of a painting and viewing the actual paint and canvas, the film or ephemera cannot compare to the 'real thing', the actually experience of the artwork as the artist intended it to be seen.

Michael Smith
"Baby Ikki"
Video
1979

Kipper Kids 
(Martin Rochus Sebastian von Haselberg and Brian Routh)
"The Kitchen"
Video
1979

Vito Aconcci
"Proximity Piece" 
Photographs 
1970

ART21: Reaction

            I chose to finish the Art 21 series that was started during class, named 'Transformation'. I feel it is fairly clear that there is a definitive connection between each artist and the concept of transformation.

            For example, a well-known photographer, Cindy Sherman does something interesting in her work. She Transforms! Her transformation is created by using mask, makeup, jewelry, and costumes.  All of her portraits seem to be of different people, yet they are all self-portraits. This signifies a transformation of the physical body. Her journey with this art began when she was young, taking inspiration from film and television, which she brought to her early photography. Later on her art transformed from pure depiction in a movie style (mostly of women) to creating a character from her own mind. I would characterize her as a transformative artist because she changes her body to produce the photographs.

            Yikna Shonibare was the next artist to display such a transformation. His work also began with photography, taking his disability and transforming the her appeared through his Dorian Gray series. His later work changed in a socio-political commentary based on his African heritage and history. The work transforms objects such as headless mannequins into a commentary on power and excess. I would characterize his work as satirical not transformative because of his comedic commentary on power and excess.

            The other artist featured is Paul McCarthy. His transformation in style of work is by far the most distinct. He began with a video series in which he used paint, his body as the tool or brush and a vacant building as the canvas. Later in life he has produced many kinetic and static sculptures which differ greatly from his previous work. I would describe his work as transformative because of the drastic change of ideas and media.

            Overall I would label these artists and their works as transformative, however I had another word in mind too. Introspective. Each artist desired to say something about life and their own opinions or feelings and represent it through their own style and artwork.

LES Galleries Reaction

            This trip took me down to the Lower East Side of Manhattan to view the variety of galleries near Canal street. The neighborhood in which the galleries are located immediately evoke a different feeling than the Chelsea area. The buildings were old with dark colored bricks while Chelsea appeared new with modern construction materials or re-purposed old buildings made to appear new. This immediate difference in neighborhood aesthetics made the Lower East Side galleries seem more approachable. The Lower East Side reflected a sense that the galleries were catering to the every-man while Chelsea is directed toward wealthy and affluent people.

Untitled Gallery

            The first gallery I entered, called "Untitled" featured a single piece of work from many different artists in a variety of themes, this is definitely contrary to the artists featured in Chelsea where a commonality of theme could be seen in the space. The artwork also appeared to express more experimental ideas and greatly varied in its media choice. It was difficult to understand if there was any direction or meaning behind the pieces, but they reflected an adventurous, cutting edge artist, opposed to the delineated and well-established artists of Chelsea.

            The large 'white cube' mode of was present in all of the galleries I visited, reflecting the similar appearance of the Chelsea area, except one the "Castle Fitzjohns Gallery". It had wooden walls with spots of white painted cinderblock and temporary wooden walls with a canvas covering. This presentation gave it an approachable feeling, like I was inside an old/hip bar downtown, an old loft style building, or a large brownstone with exposed walls. There was even a full living room set in one of the rooms where the gallery proprietor was sitting, overall a more informal feeling than the business-like Chelsea galleries.

BOSI Contemporary

            On of the last galleries I visited was "BOSI Contemporary". This space elicited a different feeling from the other two mentioned, with a direction of meaning and theme reflecting some of the Chelsea galleries. It also showcased a single artist Dean Dempsey, and one of the few galleries with an exclusive show. The street it was placed on however, felt old and quaint with many Chinese shops surrounding it. This gave a stark contrast to its white minimalist interior. The artwork was mostly photographs and some photography related sculpture in the basement, all reflecting a theme of dual opposites.

            Overall there are significant differences between these two neighborhoods in terms of their aesthetic qualities and also in the content of the galleries. Speaking with some of the gallery proprietors, they mention that their client base is mostly young people with a desire to make a small investment into a piece of art. They spoke about a desire to make an investment in the hopes that in their future it would be worth a lot. By purchasing from a relatively unknown artist who works on the cutting edge of art, they hope to be on the emerging trend of what is considered valuable artwork.

Galleries:

BOSI Contemporary
48 Orchard Street New York, NY 10002
www.bosicontemporary.com

Untitled
30 Orchard Street New York, NY 10002
www.nyuntitled.com

Castle Fitzjohns Gallery
98 Orchard Street New York, NY 10002
www.castlefitzjohns.com