The
website for the openstudios does not have any usable links, and the artists do not seem to have much of an online presence as well. Overall, I was quite confused as to the roll which video plays in much of the students' work. It appears as though video was being heavily used as an ornament for mixed media works. In some cases it was clear that it serves as a tool for process. However, aside from those exceptions, there was no clear purpose, direction or relevance which supported the addition of the medium. With that being said, here are a few of the artists that I did like.
Anna Franceschini's films make use of the medium with a clear aesthetic. That is, the images are simple but the composition and lighting of the shots bring out the textures that the medium of film is capable of producing.
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| Reliques of ancient english poetry | signature |
Jian Yang's work (above left) reminds me a little bit of Tim Hawkinson.(above right) Hawkinson's exhibition at the Whitney in 2005 included many delicate and mechanical works, including a pipe organ made of paper, and 'signature' - a student's desk-chair which automated the process of copying out the artist's name on paper, before being cut and discarded onto a pile on the floor. Jian also had a small mirco/marco film box which intermittently illuminated a body hanging from a tree. Macabre tends to be more palpable when it is cute.
Thank God there are still artists with humor.
Feiko Beckers' work is not only entertaining but provocative.
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| 'The Matrix' |
Some other work I enjoyed was Kianoosh Motallebi's 'The Matrix' - an incandescent light bulb fused with fluorescent tube. The inductor hanging from the wall was a nice touch.
Finally, There is no image available for Giorgi Andreotta's work; however, this image is similiar, only a mirror was used in place of leaves. It is also nice to see someone who is using the particularities of their work space and integrating such a sensitivity into their process.
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| 'Dead Leaves. Still life. Still alive'] |
