Rivane Neuenschwander - Term Paper Example

Rivane Neunschwander As an artistic movement, postmodernism has moved artistic expression away from the two-dimensional painting that appeals only to the eye in favor of more interactive pieces designed to engage the audience on a variety of levels at once. One of the contributing factors to this shift in artistic expression has been referred to as the “politics of representation.” The idea behind this expression is that there is a difference between the form of the image and the actual content of the image (Lyotard, 1984). This can also be thought of as the difference between the visual image and the sublime connotations of the image. Although the sublime element is, by its very nature, shapeless and indefinable and therefore cannot be placed within a specific visual form, the visual form, by its very nature, must suggest some element of the sublime (Lyotard, 1984). Every visible form is capable of suggesting some deeper meaning to an audience at varying levels of meaning regardless of the intentions of the artist. This is because art is not perceived to be the static element it was once considered just as the audience is no longer thought to be merely passive observers. Instead, it is a constant interaction between the artist and the viewer, between what the artist created and how the viewer interprets based on his or her own experiences, understandings and context and how the ‘canvas’ interacts with the element of time and the various forms of media available today. The postmodern movement, with its emphasis on illuminating the sublime, brought these ideas to the forefront leading eventually to today’s trend to engage more of the viewer’s senses in this interaction. Rather than simply paint on canvas or a marble sculpture, art today often involves a number of different elements including some consideration of the element of time and audience reaction/interaction. For this reason, it is often possible to walk into a museum of modern art and be confronted with scenes that confound the senses but do not necessarily conform to traditional general concepts of art. In the artwork of Rivane Neunschwander, for example, knowing the history of the artist or the art form and the creative process involved in making it can help to pave the way toward understanding or even participation. Once these elements of the work are understood, a greater appreciation for the work can be achieved and analysis can be more complete. Neunschwander is an artist heavily influenced by her environment wherever she happens to be. This began when she was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 1967 as a place where she continues to live and work. Her artwork is comprised of many formats and mediums including painting, drawing, sculpture, collage, film, participation events and performances. Her background in Brazil means she comes from a society heavily invested in creating art on the international level. According to Richard Flood of the New Museum in New York, "movements such as Neoconcretism and Tropicalismo have produced artists of supreme originality, including (to name a few) Lygia Clark, Helio Oiticica and Cildo Meireles. This too is Neunchwanders history, and it can be felt in the liberated formalism of her art." The Brazilian tradition places a heavy emphasis on breaking down the distinctions between creator and viewer of art which is an essential element to understanding her work. "The notion of social agency is incredibly important, and maybe thats what she and they [other artists such as Lygia Clark and Helio Oiticica] share the most: the belief in art as something participatory" (Flood). Brazilian folk traditions such as the one in which individuals tie ribbons around their wrists in the belief that when the ribbons fall off their wish will be granted heavily inform her work as well, but this playfulness with tradition and material also serves to mask the artists inner fears and insecurities by her own admission. "Normally I’m more melancholy than playful,” she said. “I think that I’m fearful, that I take things badly, and that the playfulness you see is really a way of escaping my timidity” (cited in Rohter, 2010). Her world travels as well as education in Britain also help inform her works as she embraces the various forms of expression and stories told by the various peoples she meets. Neunschwanders creative process and artistic techniques reflect her energetic rejection/exploration of fears and timidity as well as her strong emphasis on the element of time and participation. Flood points out that "much of her oeuvre is about measuring passing time: calendars, both marking the past and rushing to the future. Her maps, whether tracking visitors paths through the exhibition or presenting the blurred boundaries of those exposed to the elements during the rainy season are about creating new geographies for new explorations." The materials she chooses to work with generally reflect these dynamics as well, including the use of water drops, hole-punched confetti, eggs, constellations and soundtracks as means of expressing the temporary or fragile nature of things as well as their existence within a finite period of time. Audience participation is encouraged and even demanded at times, such as in the installation piece "I Wish Your Wish" in which audience members receive pre-printed ribbons in exchange for pieces of paper on which the audience member is expected to write down one of their wishes in life. Games are another element of her work which can also demand audience participation. In one exhibit, she had police install a number of listening devices that she would then spend time searching for. Recorders placed in the room would record the sounds of her search. Another game she has played to create her artwork has been to collect the doodles and folded creations left behind by patrons of bars and restaurants, compiling them in collections designed to highlight the artistic nature of the general public at large as it is produced in our unthinking, uncaring, unhurried moments. Another piece focused on the movement of ants as they transported colored circular pieces of candy to their hidden home and was presented as a filmic event. “By moving artworks in space and time, exhibitions became, before photography, cinema or digitalization, the matrix of the reproducibility of art and of the play of art with its own reproducibility” (Perret, 2009). At its fundamental core, art is all about how we communicate with one another and with ourselves and this is the tradition from which Neunschwander leaps. What this reveals about Neunschwanders work is that the creative technique varies from one piece to another and is as changing as the forms and presentations she produces. Each presentation of Neunschwanders work varies based upon the space in which she is working, but will have many of the same overall elements. In "I Wish Your Wish," for example, the room is filled with colorful silk ribbons, each already printed with the wish of a previous audience member. Entering into this space leaves the individual with the impression that they are walking into a party or celebration scene, immediately conveying a sense of optimism and cheerfulness. To receive a ribbon, all an audience member must do is write down one of their own wishes, becoming a part of the exhibition and a member in the overall conversation. It reflects on a Brazilian folk tradition in which it is believed that when these ribbons fall off, the wish printed on them will come true. Another installation piece, "Rain Rains," reflects on the disappearing nature of the Brazilian rain forests. Shiny silver metal buckets fill the room, some on the floor and some suspended from the ceiling. Water slowly drips from the buckets above into the buckets below, constantly being maintained by the physical presence of a maintenance man. This man ensures the buckets on top have a constant supply of water with the help of an ever-present ladder, calling attention to whats missing, Whats missing here, of course, are the trees. This absence forces the audience to consider the disappearing nature of the forest which is the goal of the installation. A third piece entitled "The Fall" also focuses on the temporal space of the forest, but in an entirely different way. This time presented as a video, the artist strictly controls what the audience sees and hears. Here, the scene is shot from the perspective of the artist as she walks through a forest holding a metal spoon in her mouth and balancing an egg in the cup. Her slow, 15 minute walk and the narrow focus of the video forces the audience to concentrate on the available sounds of the forest, the click of the egg as it rocks in the spoon and the sound of the artists breath as she walks. Although Nauschwander provides highly interesting artwork that seeks to engage her audiences senses and actions, there is not truly a consistent story flowing through these works without reaching. "The Fall" and "Rain Rains" each seek to increase awareness of the plight of the rainforests, which could be considered a centralizing theme even though the two pieces function in entirely different ways. However, the only way "I Wish Your Wish" fits into this theme is on the off chance that restoring, saving or replanting the rain forest happens to be someones wish within the thousands of wishes that have been collected. The underlying sense of hope that pervades this installation may also be considered as contributory to Neunschwanders optimism that something positive can be done for the rainforests simply by focusing more attention on their disappearance. Working from a long-standing artistic tradition within her own home country and well-grounded within art theory, Neunschwander presents thought-provoking and entertaining artwork that engages her audience in ways that traditional artwork is unable to duplicate. Works Cited Flood, Richard. "Rivane Neunschwander: A Day Like Any Other." New Museum Exhibitions. 2010. Lyotard, Jean-Francois. The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. Trans. Geoff. University of Minnesota Press, 1984. Perret, Catherine. “Some Comments on Cine-Museogrophy.” Event Culture: The Museum and Its Staging of Contemporary Art. Louisiana: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2009. Rohter, Larry. "A Brazilian Makes Playful but Serious Art." The New York Times. June 21, 2010. Read More