Post Modern - Installation Art

 INSALLATION ART

    One of the themes we looked at this week, was Installation art. These works can be extremely diverse and are often large, mixed-media sculptures, or builds that are setup to viewed in person for a set length of time. There are many elements from other types of art that come together in this theme, including perspective art, found object art, abstraction, and, yes, explosions. 

TADASHI KAWAMATA

    The first artist we will be looking at this week, is Tadashi Kawamata, a Japanese contemporary artist who has made some very famous installation works. His style consists of mostly woodwork, and found objects to make towering sculptures.

Tadashi Kawamata - Chairs for Abu Dhabi, 2012

    This installation was titled Chairs for Abu Dhabi and consists of 1,000 different chairs. This work is meant to represent diversity, and for Abu Dhabi being a busy city that attracts people from all over, was only fitting. As all places that attract people from all over for business, the social climate can be tense and this installation was one to promote diversity, the sculpture is like a metaphor of the city, as there are many different types of chairs from all over, and each one relies on another one to fit into place. There is no special chair, or part of this that's better than another, they are all different and serve a purpose. One thing this installation had, was an area inside, where people could sit in the cove of chairs.

    When it comes to the art elements found in this, I would consider the shape and space to be the key points in making this a good sculpture. The shape of the chairs stacking on one another is important to not only hold it up, but show how strong something can be even if it's made of a bunch of mismatched puzzle pieces. The space, being a 20 foot high tower of chairs, gives off a feeling that's so different from what someone would normally see, that it can cut through the cultural norms of what deems art to be art.

Tadashi Kawamata - Over Flow, 2018

    This next installation by Kawamata, is titles Over Flow, and was on display at the Museum of Arts, Architecture and Technology. It's clear the point of this piece is to draw awareness to the amount of trash that's in the ocean. We see an artificial body of water with a sinking ship in the middle, and from a lower angle, underneath, there is a lone boat at the bottom. This installation servers more of a direct purpose that the first we looked at, and can be compared to protest art, directly using found objects. A piece like this can show how plastics and ocean waste are  huge problems, that need to be addressed. 

    An impressive project like this, rely heavily on elements like shape, color, and space. The shapes and colors of the plastics are important to create contrast and to stand out. The space is important as the garbage in the sculpture covers so much ground. I like this piece as it is truly what it appears to be on a surface level, and doesn't hide behind obscure complexities. 

CAI GUOQIANG

    This next artist, Cai Guo-Qiang, focuses on elements of Eastern philosophy, social issues, and Maoist sentiments in his art, and his signature styles are installation art and work with gunpowder. While his work with gunpowder and fireworks is directly related to Chinese culture, he uses the locations of the displays to start dialogue about history between viewers related and unrelated to his art.

Cai Guo-Qiang - Falling Back To Earth, 2013

    This installation is of 99 animas around a pool of water, and was a part of a four-part exhibit at the GOMA in Australia. This is an amazing installation as it shows the beautiful creatures existing in harmony over something they need to survive. I have seen firsthand how wildlife can can coexist with predators and prey; I spent some time in Africa and the amount of diversity seen at a watering hole is fascinating. This exhibit displays more than just animals coexisting, I believe this piece to show humans what they can learn from animals, and how we should spend less time fighting about things we need to survive. This, along with all of Guo-Qiang's works, dose an excellent job at sparking dialogue.

    The elements of this, can be seen in the small details used to give shape and texture to the sand which the animals are standing on, as well as the fine details from color accuracy, to shape and size of each animal.

Cai Guo-Qiang - Fallen Blossoms, 2009

    This installation, is more of a demonstration, following the same theme, of bringing dialogue to contemporary and complex topics, and places. This is one of Guo-Qiang's gunpowder works, connecting to Chinese culture of fireworks, while adding a new approach to it. There is a video of the demonstration here, where you can see the beautiful metalwork that went into shaping this. This display, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, is more of a performance than an installation, but the same tones and themes reside.

    The time and effort that went into perfecting something like this, when working a material as unpredictable as gunpowder must have been quite a bit. The shape of this piece is everything, the lines created with the metal outline to guide the flames, were what created the design and control the explosion. 

While this piece may not say as much as some of the other installations I've covered, I still think it's amazing.

CORNELIA PARKER

    The final artist we will be looking at is Cornelia Parker, and she is another sculpture and installation based artist. One of the tings she focuses on is elements of deconstruction and reconstruction in unconventional ways, this could also be seen as found art as the following examples will show.

Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View, 1991

    This first installation, title seen above, is the reconstruction of an old shed. This shed was exploded, along with everything in it, and put back together in this way.

    The meaning of this, and why it was made, is said to have been a way of reflecting the current societal climate, explosions on tv, in comics, movies, and talk of war all the time. An explosion didn't seem absurd then, so why would it be in this context? A shed is, as Parker put it is "a place where toys, tools, outgrown clothes and records tend to congregate." A place where things you don't want to get rid of completely go to hide. To blow it up is to take away that safe place for the belongings and in a way give them use again by displaying them. I like this as it can be up to your own personal interpretation, from getting rid of things to   reclaiming your past.

    The elements found in the installation are perfectly used, the use of the single light bulb to cast complex shadows from the lost belongings and tattered wood in particular. The shape pf these shadows in purely unique as the explosion changed how the wood looked, so each shadow is one of a kind. Like most displays, lines, shape, and space are three of the most important elements in making it work.

Cornelia Parker - Mass (Colder Darker Matter), 1997

   

     The final installation work we will be looking at on this blog is what I like to call the sequel to Cold Dark Matter, as the name is just. This is clearly similar to that exhibit, but the execution and subject are different. This follows the theme of reflecting deeper meanings as this is the remains of a church, the name inferring the church gathering and the dark matter aspect again representing destruction and nothingness, as it once was a church, and is now a hanging sculpture.

    The elements of this are similar to that of the last, yet shadows and light don't play a role in this the same way.  This focuses more on the small shapes of the charred wood and the way it fills the space. The theme of found art is another big part of these types of sculptures. I like this, as I feel the unique story behind the bits of lifeless wood give it a personality.

References

art, Camilla PappagalloGraduated in contemporary. Over Flow. Stunning Installation by TADASHI KAWAMATA AT MAAT in Lisbon. 10 Jan. 2019, www.juliet-artmagazine.com/en/over-flow-tadashi-kawamata-maat/. 

Cai Guoqiang 蔡国强: Heritage (2013). www.artsy.net/artwork/cai-guoqiang-cai-guo-qiang-heritage. 

“Mass (Colder Darker Matter) (Montón [Materia Más Oscura Más Fría]).” Phoenix Art Museum, 15 Apr. 2021, phxart.org/arts/mass-colder-darker-matter-monton-materia-mas-oscura-mas-fria/. 

“Please Take a Seat. Chairs for Abu Dhabi by Tadashi Kawamata.” Sustainable Diary, sustainablediary.blogspot.com/2013/02/please-take-seat-chairs-for-abu-dhabi.html. 

Tate. Installation Art – Art Term. www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/i/installation-art. 

Tate. “The Story of Cold Dark Matter – Look Closer.” Tate, www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/parker-cold-dark-matter-an-exploded-view-t06949/story-cold-dark-matter.