My Work in the Space (Before the Start)
I thought very hard about how to hang my work in the space. There were two two main walls in the space; one pink and and one white. As my work deals with femininity and stereotypes the bright pink background was a perfect setting for my photographs. I thought about the arrangement of the photographs in context with the parts of the body they represent. The pomegranate is displayed at the top; representative of the breast, the stain (tea and beetroot) stretching horizontally from the framed pomegranate photograph should suggest an arm. Below hangs the framed heart photograph, and offset beneath it a vertical stain (also tea and beetroot) suggesting a leg or menstrual stain. To create the stains I traced around my arm, curved in a motherly way or positioned as it would be if the body were in the foetal position. For the vertical stain I traced around the inside of my thighs, mimicing works such as Christine Lidrbauch's Untitled Drawing (1991), using body printing and menstrual blood.
Although originally trying to find other staining materials than blood was due to my moral qualms about buying meat for my artwork using tea has helped me to develop a stronger sense of nostalgia and memory in my work. It is definately something i wish to develop further, and I would not say I have lost any of the abject qualities presented by using blood, as at the art giveaway event the blood stain was described by the person who took it as 'epic in all its glory'. On the other hand the tea and beetroot stains accompanying the main body of the work were some of the last items to be considered, and the arm stain was one of very few to be unclaimed. Perhaps the sensationalist nature of the blood stain made it more desirable, but tea stains, bringing forth for me ideas of coffee tables with mug rings and watermarks or stained mugs offers alot more than sensationalism. The interest in the blood stain for me was it's surprising beauty yet repulsive origins, and maybe there is not much more to explore within this.
I later decided to include the nightgowns. This was partly because it mimicked the vertical stain, and also brought forward the physicality, the realness of the stain. Perhaps I should have made it more clear that they were second-hand old nighties from the market as I did not expect these to be taken. But they strengthened for me the contrast between the quite beautiful, framed and formal photographs, with the real objects outside of the frame; the mental and physical experience of objects if you like.
The two smaller pomegranate photos were presented diagonally to enhance the direction of the light in the photos themselves, and the idea of the flowing, ethereal material.
We wanted the space to be quite full of work, which is why I decided to include my prints. Just the day before I experimented with applying gloss paint to my wood blocks and I really liked the effect, and I'm so glad I did decide to display them. The comments were really interesting and put forward ideas I hadn't thought about. Most of the comments made connections to beauty, nature, flowers, melting and 'love'. I thought that I might ask all of the artists within JK RAMBO JAM how many times the word 'beautiful' was used to describe their work in the comments that were left. This is something I have been concerned with in the past and this would be the perfect opportunity to explore it further in a less forced and less controlled exchange.
Ideally I wanted our work to be quite mixed together, so I wanted some of my photos separate from my main body of work. Again they are positioned according to how they correspond to the body, squeezed into a narrow space in between two other artists work which to me strengthens the metaphor for the body. This time the accompanying stain also creates a stronger notion of bodily experience as it is a blood stain, albeit not menstrual.
I also included some small books I made. Unfortunately of four books only one received a comment in exchange. It was nice to display them as if I hadn't here I'm not sure when they would have been seen, and they were an attempt to add an element of humour to my investigation into feminist art, and to look at fairytales which I have always loved and wanted to reference in my work.
Installation Shots of the Exhibition (Before the Start)
The Event!
Celebration
Our New Exhibition (The Morning After)
A Commentary on my work
Susan Collis
Since I fell for you
http://www.ikon-gallery.co.uk/programme/current/event/364/since_i_fell_for_you/
A fellow student suggested that I look at this exhibition which is currently on at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham. Artist Susan Collis looks at the usually concealed or unnoticed elements that make up an exhibition. For example the screws on which the frames are hung, the broom used to sweep the floor and a stepladder.
It made me think about the secondary exhibition that would be created once the work was gone; the picture hooks I used to hang my photographs, nails and dots of tape and tack.We decided that simple white stickers or 'tokens' should be exchanged for the pieces of work, so that the artists received a critical commentary on their work, from the people that ultimately are asked to view it: people who are not artists! This is something which we often forget especially as students trying to impress tutors to get firsts.
The white stickers looked particularly pleasing against the bright pink wall (as did the work which was a bit of a surprise to some people). It is also a subversion of the white gallery space, which is something we did aim to achieve. We called it an 'event' rather than an 'exhibition'. We attempted to hang the images in a not quite so formal way. And we made the artwork available not to the highest bidder, but to anyone.This meant we created a third type of exhibition. As one of the comments noted, 'I become the exhibition'. Although all the artwork was removed from the walls within about half an hour of people arriving, people wandered about carrying things, talking about it and showing people. An interactive, walking exhibition which also made it easier for the artists to talk to people about the work, and for those who liked the work to talk to the artists!
It has been a really interesting experiment, and I know that quite a few of us are keen to play around with it and organise similar events.
It has been a really interesting experiment, and I know that quite a few of us are keen to play around with it and organise similar events.
http://www.ikon-gallery.co.uk/Repository/Media/4D836496-DFE8-40C0-B8FB-E17103A25150/4D836496-DFE8-40C0-B8FB-E17103A25150_t_6.jpg
http://www.ikon-gallery.co.uk/Repository/Media/E8EE94F5-E65D-49AA-94BE-E329FED25ADB/E8EE94F5-E65D-49AA-94BE-E329FED25ADB_t_6.jpg
http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/blogon/upload/2009/06/SusanCollis_MadeGood.jpg
http://www.inglebygallery.com/images/uploaded/artistimages/magick.php/1217945448_Susan-Collis-Love-is-a-Charm-of-Powerful-Trouble-2008-%5B0748%5D.jpg
