Sculpture Presentation: Post-Minimalism: Eva Hesse

Is a style of art that is simple like minimal art however it strives to imbue works with meaning. Post-minimalist artists attempt to go beyond the mere aesthetic of minimalism. Artworks are usually everyday objects, use simple materials and sometimes take on a 'pure' formalist aesthetic.

Eva Hesse 1936-1970

She is an example of a post-minimalist artist. Hesse uses grids and 'seriality' themes often found in minimalism, however is usually handmade introducing a human element in her artwork which contrasts the machine or custom works of Minimalism.

Eva Hesse, Addendum, 1967, Papier mâché, wood and cord, 124 x 3029 x 206 mm

Addendum consists of 17 grey paper-mache hemispheres spaced at increasing intervals along a horizontal piece of wood, fixed to the wall. From the centre of these hemispheres cords trail to the ground, curling at the end. Hesse goes further than minimalism in this sculpture as although it features geometry and repetition, a prominent feature in minimalism, her work goes further and evokes part of the body. As you stare at Addendum it starts to look like breasts and the ropes look like liquid trickling down.

Tracey Emin: My Bed

Tracey Emin, My Bed, 1998, Mattress, linens, pillows, objects, 79 x 211 x 234 cm

Tracy Emin created, 'My Bed,' in 1998 and it was exhibited in the Tate in 1998 as one of the shortlisted works for the Turner Prize. It is a view of her bed when she was in a state of suicidal depression. The objects and mess she has around her bed gives the audience a clear insight into her life. Emin's work inspired my print project as it featured the accumulation of rubbish which is then dispersed in the artwork.

My Rubbish Life, Mixed Media Collage on A1 paper, 841 x 594mm.

Talking About Drawing Robert Longo

Robert Longo born in 1953 is an American contemporary artist. I saw his piece, Untitled (In the garden, et in Arcadia ego) at Frieze and it took up most of the wall at 152.4 x 304.8 cm. It is a drawing of a Forrest scene in charcoal on mounted paper.

I translated the title from Latin and discovered it meant, 'In the garden and I am in Arcadia/Paradise.' I researched Arcadia and it is a place in Greece however in poetic fantasy it represents a pastoral paradise and in Greek mythology it is the home of Pan, the Greek god of nature.

I chose to talk about this piece as technically it is really amazing. When I first saw it at Frieze I thought that it was a black and white photograph but as I got closer I realised  it was a drawing. Secondly I like the contrast of the light shining through the darkness of the Forrest.

When I first looked at this drawing I thought Longo could have been inspired by this incredible view he saw. Inspiration formed from the shadows in the Forrest into his mind and he felt he just had to convey the beauty of nature. However after a second look at his piece I found it very commercial, I struggled to find a meaning behind the work and as it is technically a very good piece of artwork a vast number of people may appreciate it and perhaps buy it. However after discussing this piece in the drawing session it is more likely that this piece is actually about death. The phrase, 'et in Arcadia ego,'  is often used in artwork to show death, as the person has gone to paradise or Heaven. The strong contrast of light and dark also suggests death as light is often associated with Heaven and the light seems to be drawing you in towards it, like the expression, "go towards the light".

The process' of Longo's drawings involves him projecting a photograph onto a piece of paper and then tracing the figures in graphite. He then has his illustrator, Diane Shea, fill in details. Then he goes over the work in graphite and charcoal.

Group Presentation: Greta Alfaro

Greta Alfaro born in 1977, is a Spanish contemporary artist that lives and works in London. In her work she mainly focus's on photography and video although she does produce collages from found publications.

COLLAGES, 2008-2011

Collage with found publications

32 x 42 cm

 We decided to look at her work, 'Fall on us, and hide us.' This features a large derelict room. In the foreground there are scattered bones then in the middle ground there is a carcass elevated by a sort of brightly coloured altar. Judging by her photography of from, 'Fall on us, and hide us,' this carcass is that of a goat.

FALL ON US, AND HIDE US, 2011

Colour photograph

145 x 112 cm.

FALL ON US, AND HIDE US #2, 2011

Colour photograph

145 x 112 cm.

FALL ON US, AND HIDE US #3, 2011

Colour photograph

70 x 75 cm

The video piece features the projection of light across the entire scene to the rhythm of the music playing. The viewer becomes transfixed on it blinded by the light and taken in by the music. I think the reason why the piece is called, 'Fall on us,and hide us,' because of how the light falls on the scene  revealing this mass grave of animal bones but when the light is gone it is hidden.  

Video Link: http://www.gretaalfaro.com/work/fallonus/Fallvideoframeset.html

FALL ON US, AND HIDE US, 2011 (excerpt)

Video installation/vertical projection

HD, colour, sound, 16:9, 8min.

Music by Melissa Bugarella

Alfaro's work is often about the unseen as she states, “I work about the hidden and the unexpected. We live our lives governed by rules created in order to control chaos and vulnerability, but I am interested in the facts we try to hide or repress, in the differences between the private and the public, in the visibility of our everyday life hypocrisy.”

In Ictu Oculi

In the Saatchi Gallery there was a small dark side room with benches where a video was playing. There was no information provided. The video had already started; there was a table set up for a dinner party in the wilderness. An elaborate spread with silverware laden with food plus bottles and glasses of wine.  The table cloth blows gently in the wind creating a sort of ghostly presence. I sat and wondered for a while if this was all that was featured in the piece. Then I heard small squawking sounds that gradually grow louder. Shadows appeared and in a blink of an eye the dinner party guests swoop down and start gorging themselves.  I became transfixed watching this happen. Within minutes everything is devoured and then they just leave again. I waited for the video to start again and briefly a name in the corner flashes, Greta Alfaro.

The piece itself is called, 'In Ictu Oculi,' which roughly translated as, 'in the blink of an eye,' which is the manner in which the vultures appear. This piece by Greta Alfaro shares it's name with a baroque painting by Juan Valdes Leal.

Juan Valdes Leal, In Ictu Oculi, 1672.

This hints that Alfaro was influenced by Valdes Leal and they both do seem to feature similar themes, of chaos and death. They both also feature movement, Alfaro's by the nature of the media (video) and Valdes Leal by the pose of the skeleton; leaning as though in the middle of action.

I chose to talk about Alfaro's, In Ictu Oculi as although I don't really understand the meaning of it, the first time I watched it I was just fascinated by it and it was the most memorable piece of art that I saw in London.

The use of the studio

Google defines the term studio as: a room where an artist, photographer, sculptor etc works. Also : A place where performers, especially dancers, practice and exercise.

Artists need studios as they need a space to work. The use of this studio differs with different media, for example the amount of space needed. A sculptor will most likely need more space than a painter who does small scale water colours as they need space to store their materials and build their work. 

Our studio is a place of work and we produce artwork within our studio spaces. It is a place to generate ideas and also a place to exhibit work.

In Norwich every year we have an open studios event where participating artists open their studios to the public. I looked round Muspole Workshops were there is a cluster of artists working in small separate spaces. The artist Martin Mitchell has a studio there. His space is slightly larger than the other studios I saw because he specialises in printmaking and therefore needs room for a printing press, plates, woodcuts and raw materials and chemicals.

Whilst researching the costs of studios I read a report called London Digest  a survey of artists studio groups and organisations in London March 2006 from a national survey conducted by Acme Studios in 2004 and I discovered that rents for studio spaces in London are most expensive nationally at average rent being £7.54 per square foot per year which is nearly £215 a month for an average size studio.

In contrast Muspole Workshops in Norwich rents start from £70 per calendar month and includes business rates, building maintenance, management costs and water charges. There are many benefits to working within a studio organisation including:

• Company; in can get lonely working by yourself.
• You can gain feedback from other artists.
• They can provide you with inspiration and artists to research.
• Group exhibitions can easily be organised.

However there are some drawbacks:

• The studio must be kept clean and you are limited to your assigned space.
• Equipment might be required to be shared.