William Kentridge: History of the Main Complaint.

At the end of a flight of stairs at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago are two perpendicular walls with black and white drawings. This exhibit that can be easily missed in anticipation of the others on the floor is History of the Main Complaint, the sixth in a series of works by William Kentridge and was created in 1996. This is just one of the several works that the MCA has on display as a part of their show, “Artists in Depth: Works from the MCA Collection”, another one being the Kara Walker’s show that was reviewed in the article posted on November 3^rd, 2008.

The group of ten charcoal and paint on canvas are centered on the protagonist, Soho Eckstein who is a recurring character in Kentridge’s work and is seen in different locations: his office desk, on the road in his car and in a hospital bed. There is an element of confusion and disorientation in both the events of Soho’s life and for the viewer looking at the drawings. The random arrangement of the individual drawings in no chronological order is the cause for the confusion of the viewer and the confusion in Soho’s life is due to the apartheid in South Africa. This perplexity is soon dissolved, at least for the viewer.

What seem to be the main focus of the artwork, the drawings are only the raw materials for the making of the final product which is an approximately six minute short film. This film is screened in a small dark room that is entered through a narrow hallway and has a single row of chairs along one wall. The film puts together the story that is waiting to be told by the drawings of Soho Eckstein’s inward journey. It begins with him lying in comatose in a hospital bed, at first being inspected by one doctor and then ten. The physical inspection carried out by the doctors resonates his reflection of his life and emotions.

There are drawings and frames in movies that are almost absurd, for instance, the X- ray of his chest with a fax machine. This absurdity that is created by superimposing apparently unrelated things reveals a parallelism between his physical and emotional self and it seems as though the injury is almost completely emotional. His medical tests show that he is haunted by the bureaucratic nature of his life that once gave him power. He is also shown to be driving his car which is Kentridge expressing that Soho is responsible for worsening the condition of apartheid in South Africa by making capitalistic gains out of the situation. Soho also kills a black man on the road and drives on. The film ends with Eckstein back on his office desk and shows the little effort that industrialists have taken to better apartheid.

The film is archaic in the technique is uses. It is in only black and white, and was made by erasing and redrawing parts of the pictures, filming each picture for a short time frame to make an animation. The use of only black and white lends an organic quality to the drawings and highlights the theme of apartheid that the artist is focused on. The only colors that are used are red and blue toin the crosses red and it shows blood and injury. The technique employed to create the film allows the previous image to linger in the viewers mind for longer than it would otherwise. This layering of image after image makes it visually pleasing and less distracted from things other than the art itself. Layering effectively enables Kentridge to convey the layering of memory and past of the protagonist. Even if he wants to forget the past and attempts to forget it, it will be etched in his mind for a long time. The film engages more than just the visual sense. The melancholic music playing in the background interspersed with the telephone ringing and the sound of the adding machine makes the incident seem more distant yet more understandable.

While watching the film you are always aware of the process that Kentridge went through and you are able to appreciate the several hours that it took him to perfect a quarter of a second of the movie. His work is provocative yet subtle, not explicitly stating anything but implying a lot more than is shown. The simplicity of the work brings out the complexity of the theme and leaves you to ponder on the situation in South Africa. If this show had to be summarized and if it could be summarized, it is done most appropriately by the artist himself when he says that,

“I have never tried to make illustrations of apartheid, but the drawings and films are certainly spawned by and feed off the brutalized society left in its wake. I am interested in a political art that is to say an art of ambiguity, contradiction, uncompleted gestures, and uncertain endings; an art (and a politics) in which optimism is kept in check and nihilism at bay.”

– William Kentridge

            This show that made its debut in Documenta X in 1997 is appreciated widely today, and for good reason. Time spent viewing this exhibition is definitely time well spent.

 

 

 

http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/index.php

http://www.gregkucera.com/kentridge.htm

http://www.awn.com/mag/issue3.7/3.7pages/3.7moinskentridge.html

 

 

“Give it a shot” – Young Chicago

Short Essay

Most likely taken in the South Asian sub-continent, this photograph shows a classroom containing a dozen preteens being taught by a teenager. The lack of posing for the camera shows that the photographer was either attempting to take a candid image or that the people in the picture were made to pose to make the picture look candid.  The photographer chooses to take the photograph from one corner thereby including only a part of the class. The “teacher” is the only person facing the camera putting the focus on him and taking it away from the students. To the left of the image are seven girls and on the right half are five boys out of which one is standing. Their sitting distinctly apart in two groups stands out in the image. It is as though there is a clear line to demarcate one sex’s position in the class. The way the picture has been taken does not allow for each individual to be seen completely and there is plenty of overlapping.

The poor quality of the picture could be due to an unprofessional photographer, bad equipment or the lack of lighting in the room. The interiors of the room are deteriorating and the weathered walls reveal that they have survived many seasonal changes. The white wall is transforming into a brown one due to the effects of dirt and water seepage. Part of the ceiling is revealed and the room seems to be in an unfinished state and the bricks that are the foundation of the building can be seen.The desks, the blackboard and the scruffily stuck poster on the wall are all in the same state of wearing out.  There are also some unoccupied benches at the end of the classroom. There is a noticeable difference between the students and their surroundings in that they appear to be consciously making an effort to be tidy. The girls all have their hair tied back with white ribbons and everyone is wearing (perhaps old) but clean uniforms.

The picture has been taken only in natural lighting perhaps due to the lack of artificial lighting. As one views the picture from the left to the right, the white on the shirts of the students reflects less light and the light in the room is also seen to decrease.  The colors that are most prominent are shades of brown and white. There is uniformity in color arising from the uniforms worn by the student because of which the teenager in the red shirt stands out against the neutral and muted colors.  Even though one of the boys is standing, the only person in the picture who is performing an action and is in motion is the teenager. The blackboard in the picture shows that the students are being taught English grammar. The poster on the wall with rows and columns written in an Indian script is possibly a daily class schedule.  This picture depicts students that are probably not native speakers of English learning basics like “Direct and Indirect speech”.

TOP 5

1. Google.com
This powerful search engine has become almost indispensable today. It recently celebrated its 10th birthday and it is amazing how in only one short decade it has defeated and collaborated with several competitors to emerge as the king of cyberspace. There are several alternatives available for Google, but it produces the most relevant and fast results, qualities that are essential in all modern day technology and life. It is also extremely adaptive and constantly being changed and updated, an example of which are the Google Doodles (adaptations of their logo to show world events) that welcome you on their home page.
It is just as useful for a student as it is for a professional, as it is also for unfruitful surfer of the internet. Whether it is to look up a music artist or a historian, or even to write this blog for our freshman seminar, google.com is where the search for information begins. Even directions to the closest grocery store, the latest world happenings, thousands and thousands of images and more can be looked up in less than a second. It makes information accessible, maybe even too accessible for our own good. Try doing Google search on your friends and even your professors. It lives up to its name which is a play on the word googol in that it has nearly endless amounts of information. This is one gigantic virtual library that allows the whole world (literally) to search through its collection.

2. Big Bite Nite
When there are as many Northwestern students at crosswalks in downtown Evanston as there before a 10 ‘o’ clock class by the Arch, it has to be Big Bite Nite. An annual event organized in the beginning of fall quarter by the Associated Student Government; it is a great way to spend an evening. All you need are a Wholefoods bag, a map of the downtown Evanston and of course, to be a Northwestern Wildcat. Over 30 restaurants in the area set up a stall outside their restaurant and give out free samples. Even though lines can range from only a few feet to a whole block, in the presence of friends and good weather, the wait is not minded. Some favorites are Kafein’s coffee, The Olive Mountain’s falafel and egg roll’s from Lulu’s. Exploring the area and eating one too many bite sized samples come together to make you wait for next year’s. The variety of restaurants concentrated in this area is overwhelming and an event like this is necessary to showcase all that is offered, especially for freshman.

3. Sound of Music
Play this movie at any location, and someone will inevitably sing along with it. Directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews, this movie has made itself felt across generations and countries. This musical drama is about a nun leaving her convent and becoming a governess to 7 children. She goes on to marry her widower employer, Captain Von Trapp and the families flee from Austria to Switzerland. The movie is aesthetically very well made, and the musical score is an important part of the popularity of the movie. “Doe a Deer” and its other songs are so well known, that it is almost synonymous with this movie. There is also a certain nostalgia for childhood connected to this movie, like that with Disney movies seen repeatedly when we were kids. Part of the popularity it still enjoys today, is because of the experiences it has caused because of watching with loved ones. The movie is almost interactive in the sense that it almost invites viewers to be a part of the character’s experience. Even though the length of this movie is longer than most now days, however, at no point in time is one compelled to leave their seat and is most enjoyable when viewed with friends and family.

4. Post Its
These were invented as a result of a product going wrong. It was an accident that gave rise to “revolutionary” stationery. Though this is no extraordinary item, it is one of the most useful. They stick anywhere and everywhere and can be utilized for school work, home work and in the office. The special adhesive that was developed has allowed several new products to be developed. The bright colors that they are available in also make boring work more interesting. The different sizes also allow customizing and differentiating work. Post its are be used as bookmarks, for notes, and has also been used to create art pieces like wall art. In “ Romi and Michele’s High School Reunion”, the two protagonists claim to have invented Post Its and as silly as it looks to have invented a sticky piece of paper, Dr. Silver( the inventor) made a useful object.

5. Ice Hotels
These are structures that make igloos and underwater hotels seem commonplace. Made entirely from ice and rebuilt every year, they look like a crystal structure from a fairy tale. The two most popular ones are is Sweden and Quebec in the northern hemisphere. Of course, clothing would be an issue when one has to live in an ice structure, but the hotels take care of that by providing basic clothing. Most people will not get an opportunity to live in this wonder because of its ridiculously price, but for those who do, it would be a once in a life time experience.

http://www.searchenginehistory.com/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059742/plotsummary

http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/postit.htm

gallery listings

 

Letter from the Editor

Dear Reader,

Ever found yourself wishing for a personal fashion designer to keep you updated on the latest fashion trends? Ever wanted your own chef who would help you discover the joys of fine dining? Fashion designers, chefs, architects, and even engineers are the experts of their respective fields. They are the people that shape it and are most knowledgeable about recent developments. Then who would you expect to be most informed about the art scene in Chicago? Artists from Chicago. And that’s where we come in.  Artists for Arts Sake will bring the latest scoop from the makers of the art world to any inquisitive mind longing to be a part of the art world.

Artists for Arts Sake is an online magazine to satisfy any ones appetite for Art in and around Chicago. The contributing artists will change every month and range from men and women who have made their mark in the world of art to the new graduate from The School of the Art Institute. These artists will become writers to report on what love the most. Art. This includes current “fads” in art, the fanciest galleries and the not so fancy galleries that deserve a shot. They will talk about their experiences in trying to find an art gallery to showcase their work or their failure at doing so, reviews written by artists not art critics and sometimes we might even have an artist reviewing his own work, and the issues that are influencing them and the art available today.

This magazine will also provide artists with a platform to present their works. In every monthly issue, there can be up to 5 artists that can have pictures of their work put up in the magazine. However, any reader that gives the work consideration can rate it and review it anonymously on the blog. Galleries and museums can advertise in the magazines, and we will always consider special cases that cannot afford advertising. We will also have a section for individuals interested in buying and selling art work. We often go scavenger hunting for interesting shows and events and these will also be listed with details.

Here, at Artists for Arts Sake, we have something for everyone. Potential new artists for galleries and collectors, galleries and museum information for interested artists, and even if you are only an occasional visitor to museums we will have something to catch your fancy. This magazine is here to give you, the reader opinions from a different perspective that is often not heard and to make your voice be heard, whoever you may be and wherever you may come from.  You are always more than welcome to give suggestions or compliments, express any grievances that you might have and to tell us about what you would like to read more or less of.

See you once again on the 8^th of December 2008, when our first issue hits the stalls or rather, hits the web.

 Love,

Ritu Doshi.

Editor, Artists for Arts Sake.

Review

Kara Walker

(American, b. 1969)

Presenting Negro Scenes Drawn Upon My Passage through the South and Reconfigured for the Benefit of Enlightened Audiences Wherever Such May Be Found, By Myself, Missus K.E.B. Walker, Colored, 1997.

                This particular work by Kara Walker is currently on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago as a part of their exhibition, “Artists in Depth: Works from the MCA Collection”. Walking into the room that houses this work, the black cut-out silhouettes stuck on white walls strikes you as different from the other works that are full of color and distinguished from the backdrop. Even though each figure is separated from another there is a sense of oneness in this work, that the work would only be complete if each of the cut outs were placed together in the particular order as is dictated by the artist. From afar the work resembles a black and white wall painting that is a permanent fixture in the wall as opposed to the easily removable cut outs it is made up of. Just like the form of the work that requires close attention to discover, the work itself demands consideration to be understood and appreciated.  

                The use of black paper is apt in bringing out the central theme that concerns Walker, racism against African Americans. However, the use of only one colored paper restricts several aspects of the work and Walker creatively finds solutions around it. The shadow like form of the figures cause only, as shadows do, partial revelation of facial features, colors, details in clothing and even hairstyles.  The use of stereotypes of mammies, pickaninnies, sambos and slave mistresses is one of Walker’s answers to the self imposed restriction of black paper.  By playing on characteristics associated with these stereotypes like fat lips, the typical clothing adorned by their typical body shapes and also the way their hair is worn she transforms these figures from shadows to people who make you imagine a story.  What is impressive about the artist is her ability to set the social and geographical backdrop without the use of colors and distinct shapes. Instead by displaying washing lines, the barrels used for washing clothes and the houses with smoke clogged chimneys she showcases the antebellum south.

                There is a fair amount of absurdity in the contrast of the elements that are put together to make one work. The girl winding up a sweating slave and playing with him and owning him as she would a toy shows the dehumanizing of the slaves during this period. This is contrasted to the affluent life of the slave master and mistress who are joyously dancing. The representation of excretory tasks and cleaning of oneself is displayed in a disgusting manner as shown by the three children in a row examining each other’s naked behind and being repulsed by the sight. There is certain eeriness in the depiction of unkempt nature that makes it look unnatural like the dead wine hangings. A great proportion of the work is focused around women making them and their life, freedom and rights her main concerns.  The depiction of child labor is also saddening with scenes such as the master pushing a young boy to work. The horse on its back with two women next to it, the man hanging on the washing line and a civil war soldier running by himself seem disparate but are represent different aspects of their society.  Kara Walker does not put the displays of self hygiene, excretion, human sexuality and relations, the loss of innocence in children and the loss of the independence of humans in any particular order as a result of which you have to make the effort to remember and carefully observe the previous figures.

                Looking at the exhibit, you cannot help but think about the process of making the cut out. There is an inherent violence in the act of cutting something, in this case the black paper. There are traces of this violence that permeate through this work and contribute to its boldness. This shows through in the sharp well defined edges of each figure and yet Walker manages to maneuver the scissors so well as to produce delicate looking parts like a thin washing line or sweat drops. The cut outs compel you to think of the hand behind the work because it could not have been made otherwise.

                Through this art work Kara Walker is bringing the past back to life. It makes us view elements from the past through a modern perspective making the work contemporary and relatable. Walking into the room of black and white, we are compelled to observe the world and our society to be one of extremes, to be either black or white. This work is, in many ways, like a caricature. It distorts and exaggerates the features of individuals and society as a whole and challenges us to look beyond the obvious, beyond the figures.   Her display of contrasting emotions of anger versus happiness, pleasure versus pain, attraction versus repulsion is overwhelming but the work guarantees the arousal of such feelings within us, whether or not we like the artwork. The imperfect balance in her depiction and imagination of Antebellum South, the uniqueness and simplicity of the mode of expression and along with the degree of derogation make it a worthwhile visit.

References:

http://www.mcachicago.org/Book/Walker.html ( accessed on the 1st of November, 2008)