GOMA’s most recent exhibition displays the work of two artists - Bill Viola and Chris Drury - which focuses on the intersections between life and nature, as well as the concept of dualism and the twofoldedness of various entities. Through diverse personal aesthetics, Viola and Drury accentuate the emergence and cycle of life, natural processes and the concept of opposites. Each artist conveys meaning through their unique use of media; Viola utilising the media of contemporary film and Drury exploiting his work through the use of raw materials and photography. In order to understand the physicality of human life and similar processes in nature, we must also understand their opposites, whether it be inner and outer, light and dark or loud and quiet etc. This uncovers Viola and Drury’s level-minded approach to their focus, and the way in which they take the entire body of each concept into consideration, rather than a one-dimensional interpretation.
Bill Viola is a contemporary film artist who works within a psychological and spiritual context, examining the cycle of life, consciousness, spirituality and emotion. His visual language can be recognised by dark backdrops, with vast depth, and a range of colour schemes, from black and white to contrasted tones of reds and blues. His work also incorporates the natural elements, such as fire and water, reinforcing the idea of contraries within his work. Viola’s work is suitable for this exhibition as it explores the dualism of nature, spirituality and human life, such as the notions of stressed and calm, or light and dark. The fact that his work is captured through the lense of a digital camera is relevant to the other works displayed in GOMA, as digital media is an influential aspect of modern society and contemporary art. As apparent in “The Crossing”, Viola highlights the spiritual or religious opposing concepts of heaven and hell, or simply the ‘hot and cold’ of human existence. This meaning is conveyed through Viola’s use of the elements fire and water; fire representing passion and aggravation, and water representing relaxation and balance. This work is pertinent to ‘the Twofolded Entity’ as it presents stark contrasts of hot/cold, light/dark, red/blue and bottom/top. The man in the film is walking towards the camera, which is confronting and creates an atmosphere of anticipation. The film is edited in ultra slow motion, allowing the viewer to contemplate the meaning of the work, furthering the psychological context of this piece. The man is walking forward, which is representative of the coming forth, or emergence of self. As the man in the shot is slowly covered from head to toe with water, the film remains in slow motion and the viewer is able to capture exactly how the water encompasses the man’s body, revealing the notion that he is being enriched and ‘drenched’ in wholeness and purity. The water, indicating tranquillity and balance, produces positive connotations, as it appears to be a type of protection blanket over the man. The splash of water begins as a trickle, and slowly becomes a bucketing shower, reflecting an increase in the depth of consciousness. Finally, the meaning of Viola’s work is emphasised through his choice of media – film - which allows his viewers to gain an intimate interpretation of his works, as it captures the movement within the frame. This movement is enhanced through Viola’s use of ultra slow motion, allowing the viewer to gain a deep understanding of the piece and examine each minuscule aspect of it, down to the splash of one drop of water. Viola’s work fits seamlessly within the focus of this exhibition, as it reveals both faces of every entity or object that he works with. Viola believes that in order to understand anything, it is essential that you recognise its opposite. This simple notion is a useful tool for everyday living, as it encourages an open mind and the acceptance of all dimensions of any situation.
Chris Drury – working within an environmental, spiritual and psychological context – explores the relationships between humans and nature, as well as systems in the human body in relation to science and medicine, whilst drawing from religious traditions such as Buddhism and Christianity. Meshing with the focus of this exhibition, Drury’s work highlights the so-called ‘opposites’ related to these concepts, such as the inner and outer, and the microcosmic and macrocosmic. Drury’s personal aesthetic is recognised by predominantly unbalanced compositions of natural sculptures, earthy colour schemes and a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. This contributes to the meaning of his work as it reinforces the complexity, yet naturalness of systems within nature and the human body. The media Drury works with – raw materials such as sticks, stones, dirt, shells, plants etc – are directly linked to the meaning behind his work, of nature and the systems within it. The medium he works within is mostly site-specific installations, drawings and prints, and he photographs each of his ephemeral installations. The photography of his work allows his viewers to view his works as they appeared in their completed state, permitting the viewers to virtually ‘feel’ the textures of the raw materials. Photography is an influential facet of contemporary art and it allows Drury’s work to be appreciated by a vast audience. The uniqueness of Drury’s work lies within his notion of not possessing one particular style, or favouring one material over another. He carefully choses materials, locations and styles appropriate to his chosen focus, offering the piece additional depth and a life of its own. Once he has created these works in nature, he leaves them to carry on their natural cycle and survive through the environment, emphasising the meaning of Drury’s work in relation to systems in nature. Drury’s body of work “Mushrooms | Clouds” highlights the relationship between humans and nature, through a serious of drawings, spore prints, a video and an installation created from mushrooms hung by string, forming a large mushroom shape suspended in the air. In nature, mushrooms are givers of life as they regenerate soil, however they are correspondingly poisonous and deadly. Due to their continual destruction and regeneration within nature, mushrooms are a suitable metaphor for the cycle of life that humans experience, and the theory of rebirth in Buddhism. The installation is made not in the midst of nature, but inside an old barn room, underlining the link between human life and nature. Drury’s work effectively communicates the intersection between humans and nature, whilst drawing upon religious traditions, science and the concept of dualism.
Despite their diverse personal aesthetics, Viola and Drury’s work encompasses the emergence of life, systems in the human body, spirituality, the idea of opposites and nature. Both artists’ works are captured through digital cameras, prolonging the life of their pieces, and increasing their appeal to this modern art exhibition. Whilst the meaning of Viola’s work is communicated through film, revealing the big themes of life and the opposites between them, Drury creates ephemeral masterpieces made from various raw materials, underlining his focus on the intersections between nature and culture, as well as the contraries amongst them. Viola’s and Drury’s works are unified through this exhibition to reveal the themes of human existence, and the way humans relate to nature with undertones of spirituality and the idea of dualism. ’The Twofolded Entity’ is a must see exhibition!
No comments:
Post a Comment