"Research installations by artists such as Kiki Smith, Bill Viola, or Jenny Holzer. Choose one of their installations and answer the following: How does the artwork interact with the physical space it occupies? Argue for or against the principles of installation art. If you are unfamiliar with the principles of installation art, do some research!"
Definition & Characteristics
"Installation art is a relatively new genre of contemporary art, practised by an increasing number of postmodernist artists, which incorporates a range of 2-D and 3-D materials to influence the way we experience or perceive a particular space. Installations are artistic interventions designed to make us rethink our lives and values.
As in all general forms of Conceptual art, Installation artists are more concerned with the presentation of their message than with the means used to achieve it. As a result, computer art is becoming a key feature. However, unlike 'pure' Conceptual art, which is supposedly experienced in the minds of those introduced to it, Installation art is more grounded - it remains tied to a physical space." http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/installation-art.htm
Kiki Smith
Kiki Smith (b. 1954, Nuremberg, Germany) is an artist who addresses the human condition, the body, and the realms of spirituality and nature in mediums such as, sculpture, printmaking and installation.
As seen in the image below, Smith typically creates site-specific installations. She draws on the traditions of "woman's work", and creates atmospheres of 'prisons', so to speak for women; but accentuates on the fact that all that women do is out of love for her family. So, the female sculpture reaches outwards towards a window, in essence to be part of the outside world, but she also holds a special place for the world going on inside these four walls. The artist uses materials such as paper, clay and fabric which also addresses things produced by, or used by a "housewife."
Domestic artifacts traditionally seen in a household such as blankets, baskets, artificial flowers, and porcelain plates on the wall.
Kiki Smith, "Kitchen"
Type: Mixed Media (Multimedia)
Type: Mixed Media (Multimedia)
Accession Number: 2006.2.1-.178
Physical Description: An installation containing stencil painted walls, ceramic vessels, a dining table a winsor chair, a NY Times, a witches broom, plastic rats, a porcelain female figure gazing at a window. The female figure was also produced in an edition of 3 the title is Standing Girl 2004-2005, Pace #37774.01
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Bill Viola
Bill Viola (b.1951) has been instrumental in the establishment of video as a vital form of contemporary art. For 40 years he has created videotapes, architectural video installations, sound environments, electronic music performances, flat panel video pieces, and works for television broadcast.
As seen below, "The Crossing" consist of a large screen which displays a digitally moving image on either side of the screen simultaneously. The artist hangs this large screen in the middle of a gallery in hopes that the viewer might freely walk around it. On one side, a man walks towards the audience and is engulfed in flames from his feet up. On the other side, the same man again walks towards the audience and saturated with water from above.
"Viola's personal history unveils why his art (almost) always has something to do with water. When he was six years old, he fell out of a boat when he was on holiday with his parents. He nearly drowned. But unlike most people, Viola described the experience as “… the most beautiful world I’ve ever seen in my life” and “without fear,” and “peaceful” [1]. This near-drowning experience resulted in his fascination with water.
For The Crossing, Viola added another element: fire; water's natural opposite. This results in an interesting interplay between antipoles. Tung Nguyen says this piece is about balance. "The concept of balance is presented through opposite concepts that each alone is an extreme that can only be balanced by one of the other extreme. Left - right, fire - water, red - blue, warm - cool, hot - cold, bottom - top, and so on. The viewer can even sense the artist's desire for moderation, for compromise, and the message that the extremes are what harming us (burnt by fire or washed away by water) and we need a common ground to survive." [3]
But one might also think about the disappearance as the most important part. Where has the man gone, is he dead? Or is he in a higher state? Perhaps he has dissolved on to the other side of the screen: first catching fire to be put out by the water later or first being soaking wet and in need of some warmth. In that case it is more a "what-came-first-the-chicken-or-the-egg" kind of question. Who is to say? One thing is certain: Bill Viola says the idea came out of his unconscious. Since we can't look there for answers, we should probably interpret this piece on our own, with help of our own unconscious part of our brain." http://artelectronicmedia.com/artwork/the-crossing
The artist has included sounds along with these moving images (Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to attach sound to this short clip), which allows the viewer to be completely consumed by the piece. The screens are not only displayed in the center of a gallery, but the gallery lighting is also dimmed to pull attention to the screen. Just like a movie theatre, all outside distractions are lost in the darkness and one image controls the stage. Not only is the imagery intoxicating, but the thought behind it, once you have reached this point, could be theorized on so many different levels. I had to include the interview above to be able to justify the meaning of the piece, straight from the artists mouth.
Bill Viola,"The Crossing", Digital Motion Picture, 1996, 2 minutes
Jenny Holzer
A Neo-Conceptualist artist, Jenny Holzer (b. 1950) utilizes language (Western and Easter literature and philosophy) to address political issues. Holzer felt the writings could be simplified to phrases everyone could understand. She called these summaries her "Truisms" (1978), which she printed anonymously in black italic script on white paper and wheat-pasted to building facades, signs, and telephone booths. She inspired pedestrians to scribble messages on the posters and make verbal comments. Holzer would stand and listen to the dialogues invoked by her words.
"SMITH: [...]The Internet—it's where young people go instead of visually presenting themselves in the streets. You had a run of three big shows in 1989 and '90: Dia, the Guggenheim, Venice [Biennale]. The Guggenheim show was one of the most memorable shows in that museum, formally and contentwise. But I remember for the show at Dia, you were writing the text in your own work. It really mixed the personal and the political and social together in an interesting sense of complexity and vulnerability. Shortly after that you began using other people's texts, and I thought, When are you going back to using your own texts? That Dia exhibition was so profound to me. It had enormous emotional resonance.
HOLZER: I really wasn't-and I'm not-a writer. The only way I could write was by pretending to be any number of people. That gave me enough shelter to show what inevitably was personal, but also to have the content be for and about others—since I was busy being somebody else. That worked for a while, but eventually writing wore me down because it didn't come naturally and my subjects were awful. The visual is easier for me. At some point I thought, I'm going to give myself a break, use my eyes, and go to people who really are writers-mostly poets, because this will let me expand my subject matter and emotional range, and hopefully make the work stronger." http://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/jenny-holzer/#_
Jenny Holzer, "Prague", 2009, Projections
Site: National Museum, Wenceslas Square, Prague
April 29–May 6, 2009Text: “Could Have” from View with a Grain of Sand by Wisława Szymborska, copyright © 1993 by the author. English translation by Stanisław Barańczak and Clare Cavanagh, copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Used/reprinted with permission of the publisher and the author.
Projection: FX Productions; Charles Passarelli
Photo: Attilio Maranzano / Ela Bialkowska
After reviewing all three installation artists, I feel that Jenny Holzer has the size and concept to make us "rethink our lives and values." While utilizing foundations that already existed to be appreciated and memorialized, it could further the impact with her written words projected upon them. Her work could be seen on buildings that tower above and are usually centrally located. Although it is simple in content, it is exceptionally powerful in concept, projected for many to see, and most to ponder. I guess in my opinion, hers is more powerful because it is displayed in such a way that could reach the masses, rather than depending on the amount of specific people who attend a particular institution, who are coming to a museum to view 'art'.
Great and thoughtful post, Cari. Another artist who uses public buildings, monuments, etc. for his installations is Krystof Wodizcko. I think you might enjoy looking at his work.
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