Projecting Identity

Projecting Identity

Anderson Gallery on Drake Campus

Last Friday night I took my parents to Drake’s current exhibition opening: Projecting Identity at the Anderson Gallery.  When we left I asked my parents what they thought of the show and they both said “That was weird.”  So you all will LOVE it!  The show is comprised of several video installations which explore ideas of identity.  The works range from Asian hookers in a bathroom putting make up on, to army tankers plowing over electronics.  The overall theme however felt very feminist.  Perhaps this is due to the almost all female class who assisted their professor in curating the show. 

My parents spent most of their time in a cocoon shaped room seated on throw pillows, watching a video about two old lesbians who were being compared to silk worms.  I didn’t get to catch this one, but my dad said the narrative and biography were interesting.   As I was wandering around what felt like a haunted house of secret rooms at a carnival, I stumbled upon a Marina Abramovic video.  For those of you who might not be familiar with her performance art, look it up – she is amazing and to quote Lady Gaga “The woman is limitless.”  Fans of Abramovic’s work won’t be disappointed as they watch herself and lover, ULAY, steady a bow and arrow between them.  One hesitation or quick release would result in ULAY shooting Marina through the heart with an arrow.  My parents comments throughout the 4:17 video were “How long do they do this for?” and “I want to see if he strikes her with that arrow.”  I believe Andy Warhol said something like “Waiting for something is what makes it exciting.”  This is exemplified in Marina’s piece.

The piece that spoke the most to me was Kate Gilmore’s “Standing Here”.  It is one of the first videos you encounter when entering the show but easy to miss because like many other videos, it is hidden behind its own curtain.  The video is 3 minutes and 45 seconds long and shows a woman escaping through a small drywall box by kicking and punching climbing holes to reach the top.  The woman is wearing a bright red dress, tights, maybe heels?  We watch her enter by literally busting through the bottom panel of the drywall box and climbing in.  She progressively works her way up to the top of the “box”.  I think what the piece is saying about identity is that for women sometimes an identity is created by breaking down barriers.  Think about if our subject had been a man in overalls and boots, bashing away drywall with a sledge hammer.  The same effect could not be reached.  The subject’s identity as a woman is in a sense the struggle to the narrative.  She seems to have no problem breaking through the walls to her escape using only brute force.  The only thing giving her problems is that damn dress she has on!  It prohibits her from fully bending & extending.  The female identity – pretty red dress – is what is holding her back.  We watch her pause and hike her dress up, exposing more leg, and think – “Man this would be easier if she had pants on!”  

My dad watching "Standing Here"

In my head I heard myself playing cheerleader for the girl in the red dress, “You go girl!” And in fact I’m sure a lot of other female viewers feel the same.  We (women) can all identify with this Rosie the Riveter concept and all guys know some bad ass girls out there who can use power tools or take karate.  I think the video is more than acknowledging a woman’s power to break down barriers.  The camera angle is looking down at the woman as she climbs up (brilliant idea of the artist by the way).  Immediately I thought of the “Glass Ceiling” theory.  The artist seems to be saying: “Us women are rising up!  We’re coming up to your level, and going to pass you!”  Is this idea maybe a little too 1960’s?  I think so, but it’s still a reminder that girls kick ass. 

I don’t really know what a feminist is in the 21^st century.  I think this is because I was brought up with two head strong sisters and a mom and dad that never made me feel like I could do anything less without a penis.  All of my girlfriends are independent women who can be identified as strong without breaking boards with their bare hands. But if this is what feminist feel speaks for them –then I’m happy to join the fight.  Show me the room and I’ll be glad to punch the wall!  It looks like fun and I have some aggression to get out.

In conclusion – PLEASE GO SEE THE SHOW.  There are artists worth acknowledgement that I can’t give justice to in this blog.  Show ends December 14^th !!!

Downtown Dangos (not dildos)

Jun Kaneko: Downtown Dangos (not dildos)

No, a prehistoric dragon did not lay eggs along the Des Moines River.  These ceramic sculptures called "dangos" are by world renowned artist Jun Kaneko and are the Des Moines Public Art Foundation’s newest gift to the community. 

Standing over 7' tall (add another 3' or so for the base) these ceramic pieces were individually sculpted by hand.  Kaneko’s signature style is shown in the geometrical shapes and lines which decorate each dango:  One drips (cries), one zig-zags (vibrates), one is cold (so it put a sweater on), one can't decide what it is (so it's three in one), and one is holey.  The artist contrasts light with dark, straight with curved, color with colorless, and cold with warm to illustrate bold sculpture.  Each one unique, but together all five are cohesive as one group.

 The overall impact when standing between or directly next to the works is one of monumental proportions.  One feels small; dwarfed by the giants.  They aren’t tall enough to make you feel as though you’re in the redwoods, but tall enough to make you feel like a munchkin next to Shaq.   From afar they blend in with the Des Moines skyline, imitating high-rises.  They fit in seamlessly with the architecture.  Take into consideration the coral colored stripe along the top of the Embassy Suites; notice how nicely it complements the composition.

Embassy Suites stripe in background

Cactus?

It's hard to deny that the sculptures look like, well… giant dildos.  It is true, they are pretty phallic looking.  But they are really so much more than that.  This guy is not world famous for creating giant ding dongs.  Check out his attention to detail on the glazing.  And anyone who has worked with clay before knows that hand sculpted pieces of this size demand mucho respect.

I met with an 86 year old art history professor earlier in the week.  He was complaining about how absorbed my generation is in multitasking and how we're always on our phones or laptops or listening to our ipods.  He gave me this take home advice, "Next time you're walking, even if it's only two blocks: turn off your ipod, take off your headphones and just look at what's around you… Who knows, you might meet an ant."  I advise everyone to do the same with Jun Kaneko's work.  Hundreds of people will pass these works every day and never really see them.  Closely examine the landscape he's created with this composition because it's so much more than first impressions.  

Nov. 13 - Dedication at the Des Moines River Walk 12:00 noon

JUN KANEKO WILL BE THERE!!!

Look at the Des Moines Public Art Foundation’s website.  There are cool photos of installation and a link to the artist’s website. http://dsmpublicartfoundation.org/public-art/five-dangos/

 I want to preface this drawing by saying that I mean no disrespect to Jun Kaneko.  I give him mad props for raising ceramics to the highest level of fine art work.  It’s just for giggles.

This blog is about artwork in Iowa.  I will be reviewing works of art, artists, and exhibitions.  PLEASE leave comments!  Criticism is greatly accepted!  If you have an idea for a great review let me know and I'll try my best to make it happen.  Because I live in Des Moines, most posts will feature Central Iowa artwork.  I am however going to try and incorporate other areas of Iowa into my reviews.  Feel free to share this blog on your facebook wall and encourage your friends to read :)  Here we go.... thanks for reading!  CHEERS

Curtis Poortinga’s Strange Invasion, Thee Eye

November 2012

“Bald Faced Hornet” painting by Curtis Poortinga

November 6, 2012

Walking into Thee Eye’s current exhibition “Strange Invasion”, I became thoroughly confused.  What was with the furniture?  Pee colored couches, vintage Coke machines, a record player, and an over the top ash tray littered the gallery space.  Each painting was accompanied by what I can only describe as a seventies version of an Ashley’s Furniture Store showroom display.  Was the gallery presenting this furniture as works of art?  Or was this perhaps a statement to make fun of people who buy artwork to match their furniture?  Whatever statement was trying to be made, it unfortunately took away from the real artwork of Curtis Poortinga’s paintings and I will go as far as to say that it degraded them.  Furniture belongs in furniture stores and if you want something to go over your fireplace that will match your couch, I suggest cruising the “art” isle in Target.

With that said, I do feel that Curtis Poortinga deserves recognition for his paintings. “Bald Faced Hornet” echoes several different mediums into one unique painting style.   The wings, composed of sharp straight lines creating perfectly delicate geometrical shapes like a tessellation, resemble a stained glass window.  The dark black body of the hornet contrasted with the light yellow background shows similarities of a wood block print.  But the shine and delicate outlining with attention to detail around the hornet’s legs show us Poortinga is in fact, a bold painter.   Maybe if M.C. Escher illustrated science text books, we might have seen something similar, but he didn’t so we can call it original. The use of dark reds and yellows against the body reads “Warning: I sting!” yet the delicacy emphasized in the wings reads “But I’m still fragile”.  I wasn’t sure what an actual bald faced hornet looked like, so I looked it up when I got home.  Poortinga stayed true to the insect’s colors and anatomy and opted to give us movement in more expressive ways by abstracting the wings and zig-zagging around the legs to promote a buzz.  “Bald Faced Hornet” is a nice composition and at $350 probably under-priced.   But seriously, what was with the furniture?

 

Bald Faced Hornet

A few examples of the room layout... sorry for my photography.  I recommend going to the gallery to get the full picture of just how crappy the furniture paring was.

Example of room layout

example of room layout