Santiago Sierra Annotated Bibliography :

Santiago Sierra 

Annotated Bibliography :   

Santiago Sierra.”Art facts net.” www.artfacts.net/en/artists/santiago-sierra_9963/profile.html

(Accessed October 3,2012)

A time line with information on biography including birth and place of residence ,exhibitions and art works.

Santiago Sierra.”Bombsite.”http://bombsite.com/issues/86/articles/2606

(Accessed October 1,2012)

An over look at Santiago Sierra’s work. Listing big impact works accompanied by multiple photographs . Containing convocation with Santiago on this sight provided to be insightful about the artists views.

Santiago Sierra.”Lisson Gallery.” www.lissongallery.com/artists/santiago-sierra

(Accessed September 29, 2012)

Artists page for Santiago Sierra the page talks about exhibitions and how santiago often addresses structures of power that operate in our everyday existence.

Santiago Sierra.”Marco.” www.marcovigo.com/en/content/santiago-seirra

( Accessed September 29, 2012)

Discussion of the history of shows by Santiago and key interesting elements about santiago , why he is different.

Santiago Sierra.”One day sculpture.” www.onedaysculpture.org.nz/ods_artistdetail.php?idartist=18

(Accessed October 9,2012)

The career of Santiago having a constant interest in political and social issues that art then present in his work.

web sights have been used for annotated bibliography due to difficulty accessing books - limited written resources 

Summary - PERFORMANCE “Some Relations between Conceptual and Performance Art”

Summary -

PERFORMANCE 

“Some Relations between Conceptual and Performance Art”

By Frazer Ward

Frazer Ward discusses the relationship between Conceptual Art and Performance Art.  Conceptual art is and has been the focus of ongoing arguments. For the purpose of the article conceptual art is out lined as including aesthetic experience, language and material but all coming secondary to concept. Where as with Performance Art the point is made that it is “relatively straight forward to define”. Giving the personal definition “ as a form of art that happens at a particular time in a particular place where the artist engages in some sort of activity, usually before an audience. The main difference between performance art and other modes of visual art practice, such as painting, photography and sculpture, is that it is a temporal event or action.” Ward states that Conceptual Art is hard for the public to accept because of the change in value of aesthetic pleasure.

In the late 1960s - 1970s there was an overlap but it is commonly thought that Performance Art is in opposition to Conceptual Arts in critical investigation. Ward compares  two works of art first Ian Burn, his Mirror Piece (1967) that is typically conceptual and second Vito Acconci’s, Step Piece (1970) seen as a conceptual performance. Both artists Burn and Acconci like Duchamp and his Readymades questioned what art is, art placement.

The work of Burn’s is conceptual because it is not aesthetically  pleasing. Mirror Piece is 13 typed pages of notes and diagrams framed and covered in glass and also a rectangular mirror, the notes included a quote about copy right of the work, explain the work and the interaction of the spectator to the mirror’s normal function and its “intended” function. In Acconci’s piece he steps up and down on an 18 inch stool each morning at a rate of 30 steps per minute for as long as he can and announcements are sent to the public so they can see the performance this brings the public into his home. Acconci takes the artwork out of the gallery challenging typical thought patterns of the time on art and the gallery.

Conceptual Art is also a movement, period of time but Performance Art is not.  Performance Art has coexisted  throughout the last century in many of movements. Performance Art now exist as primarily as documentation and Conceptual Art undertook the removal of traditional elements of aesthetic expression from art.

Annotated Bibliography– NATURE AND TECHNOLOGY: Rebecca Horn

Annotated Bibliography– 

NATURE AND TECHNOLOGY: Rebecca Horn

Heartney, Eleanor. Art & Today. London: Phaidon Press, 2008.                                                           Enabled understanding of the concepts that contemporary artists face surrounding the subject of nature and technology including  how science, technology change our reality and ideas around the body. These ideas relate to Rebecca Horn and her practice. Rebecca Horn is included in the Nature and Technology section of Art & Today discussing some of her concepts presented in works about the human body and her use of kinetic sculptures.

Horn, Rebecca. Rebecca Horn. Essays by Germano Celant and others. 3^rd edition. New York: Guggenheim Museum, 1995.                                                                                                                      This source refers to the career of Rebecca Horn and how it has been built on aesthetic, medium and material differences of her art practice. That it is unusual in the art world to move with ease from one medium to the next for different works. The themes dominant to her work human vulnerability,emotional fragility and sexuality are discussed and is suggested that these themes link her works together. Detail of early influences and the life of Rebecca is stated. The book is broken in to clear categories of different explored mediums and supported with clear photographs.

Horn, Rebecca. Rebecca Horn: Centre d’art contemporain, Geneve, 30 April-30 Mai 1983. Zurich: Kunsthaus, 1983.                                                                                                                               Contains photographs of Rebecca Horn’s most successful works from the early seventies up to the beginning of 1983. The catalogue was created closely with Rebecca enabling the reader to have a greater understanding of the personal and professional connections that come together influencing and adding conceptual understanding. Great lay out aided the informative education of Rebecca Horn be achieved  and retained for further use through breaking down the information to each work. Written in english as well as Rebecca’s first language of German adds to the understanding of the essence of Rebecca Horn.

Horn, Rebecca. Rebecca Horn: la Lune Rebelle. Stuttgart: Edition Cantz, 1993.                                                                                                                                            This book is a great reference for Rebecca Horns exploration of mechanical sculpture and installation. Is set out more like a catalogue with minimal information but very successful photographs. Manages to capture the work in a still and descriptive txt then needing to use film.

Rebecca Horn. “Official Website.” Accessed April 25,2012.www.rebecca-horn.de/pages/biography.html 

Was a excellent starting point sufficient over view of Rebecca Horn and brief  intro in to some of Rebecca’s art work. Interest was provoked in Rebecca’s performance pieces due to the use of black and wight images on this page. Photographs from this sight were used as part of the visual aids during presentation. 

Sean Kelly Gallery. “Rebecca Horn.” Accessed April 21,2012.www.skny.com/artists/rebecca-horn 

This source goes in to vast detail about the objects used for sculpture performances and light installations. Develops ideas on how Rebecca Horn uses unusual no-traditional art practices and materials.

John Kaldor Family Collection

Review -

John Kaldor Family Collection

The John Kaldor Family Collection was generously donated to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Valued at 35million it is the largest single art donation to an Australian public gallery with over 200 contemporary works of art including works by some of the most important artists of our time.  John Kaldor is an internationally recognized Australian art collector well known for his artistic programs, education and awareness.  Working with contemporary artists over the past 50 years, Kaldor has continually produced Kaldor Public Art Projects, commissioning groundbreaking works by emerging and established international contemporary artists. 

            The exhibition space has been developed to hold the broad array of work. The Gallerys old storage  area and existing display space have been renovated to create a entire new floor 3300 square meters of exhibition space. That now holds Australia’s most comprehensive representation of contemporary art from the 1960s to the present day. There is enough space to view each work individually and in the vast array of different works there is a consistent theme of Contemporary thew the presence of non-traditional art mediums and practices like video and sound installation. Key movements can be seen in the collection, including Pop art, Land Art and Minimalism. 

            A key aspect of this collection is the works unusual relationship with the space. The method of placing some of the works on the floor changes the way the viewer experiences the work evolving the piece to be interactive. The floor works ‘Body Double’ by Julie Rrap and ‘Steel-Copper Plain’ by Carl Andre use deliberate placement to change and add meaning to there work. In ‘Steel-Copper Plain’ it can be walked on creating and uncomfortable questioning as the interaction is  different to previously known “normal” behavior of  viewing in the gallery. The large variety in the collection is a great example and creates  more understanding of contemporary art across a variety of art forms. The collection creates questioning about the role of the individual. The individual as part of the work but also how the art work is alter by the presence of the individual.  The large exhibition displayed in the Art Gallery of New South Wales holds amazing elements of contemporary art but the selection of pieces are also a reflection of John Kaldor as an individual. Kaldor had a large impact on the placement of the works as well as his personal collection leading the exhibition to be about the individual from beginning to end.  

INTERVENTIONS

Summary -

SITE-SPECIFIC INSTALLATION : INTERVENTIONS

Artists have employed the medium of installation to investigate the physical, functional, intellectual cultural, or institutional character of there works. Installation moves away from conventional themes of art and addresses its literal surrounding spaces. Buren invited the street in to the gallery intending to undo the idea that the space for viewing art was isolated from life. Interventions are an outgrowth of art that refuses to abide by conventional practices. Duchamp created confusion about the nature of a space, he played a behavioral game with the viewers physical movements and breaks away from conventional walls.

In the 1960s there were many assaults on conventional thinking about the past structural nature of a work of art. Frank Stellas shaped canvases suggested extension beyond the painting the works engaged with real lace and the physical space drawing the viewer in to the work . Carl Andres floor bound work is a complex situation for the viewer unnoticeable in a space but wanting the viewer to engage by walking on the work. A large change in the history of sculpture the viewer creates transgression through experience. Creates a theatrical aspect from the behavior and awareness of the self this is important to installation a site-specific art. Sculptures depending on the environment and minimal works create a relationship with there surroundings that the viewer retains memory of. Breaks out against the predictable of structures and influence spatial exploring. Richard Serra used instillation sculpture to create an internal hermetic composition of parts that must be circumnavisated to be appreciated. The spectator is surrounded in a threatening experience. Creating uncomfortable and unwanted participation.

Many questioned the exalted contexts of art changing the idolization of work exhibited in a museum to the object of criticism. Artists felt there installations stood to far apart from present daily life issues. Artists intervened with this criticism creating works were the sight is more than an accomplice to the work becoming the subject. Asher emptied the gallery of all internal walls separating the front viewing area from the rear offices for gallery business, rather than enchantment you view the hole space including the not idolized elements. Given the increasing occurrence of transcultural experiences, the art technique of installation can effectively investigate the multiple realities and points of view common to ones experiences of life.

UNMONUMENTAL

Summary 

UNMONUMENTAL

Going to Pieces in the 21st Century  

 By Laura Hoptman

Sculpture can be viewed  as the leaders of contemporary art. Sculptures of the 21st century have two main ideas assemblage and unmonumentality.  Assemblage was seen as a way to achieve unmonumentality in sculpture. Sculpture has moved away from its traditional forms moulded, cast or carved. Early in the 20th century the first sculptural experiments  about using found objects were explored in Europe leading sculpture to have an extensive array of materials. The new out look on association and assemblage is a result of the large amount of choice and no limits to what materials can be used so the process of creating the sculpture has become equally valued to the product. Contemporary assemblage is known as being unmonumental. ‘Unmonumental’  describes a form of sculpture that intentionally lacks in ‘monumental’ values including massiveness, timelessness and public significance. Unmonumental is also a representation of the sculptors beliefs and opinions. Sculptures of the 21^st century are more personal due to changes in technology there is more information available and viewing art is now more accessible. Rauschenburg’s intended to utilize styles and techniques from past artists but plan to create his own path of style through his work. Rauschenburg’s series of “Combines”, are a mixture of paintings and sculptures from 1954-1964, are an example of assemblage’s height. Tho the term assemblage did not have enough momentum to become a movement or art period. The focus of many works during the  time of assemblage is the juxtaposition of everyday objects and that two or more objects can live within the artwork leading the objects to have both individual and a collective meaning. ‘Physiognomic fallacy’ was a term used by E. H Gombrich, which explored the assumption that artistic forms are direct reflections on the nature of the society that created it. Assemblage could be the result of disorder within the world at the time, instead of a means to reflect it. It can be seen that sculptors today don’t focus on ‘what art can be’ or pushing the boundaries, but how their works can engage in contemporary life issues. 

Sherrie Levine
Fountain (After Marcel Duchamp)
1991
cast bronze on wood artist's base, 26 x 15 x 14 in.