Installation art

Kiki Smith sculptures call for a space that the viewer can engage with the pieces. I am familiar with with her human size sculpture and now how looked at her full room pieces. In installation pieces the artist is the one who is ultimately can decide if the space conveys how they want the work to read. Often spaces limit how and what can be shown successfully. Having the ideal is always the goal,but so often there has to be compromise unless the work is cite specific. A lot of installation work is a one time set up and documented in photograhy limiting the true experience for the few able to visit the piece. I enjoy the installation work because it does set an atmospheric feeling and creates an other world experience. Some of Kiki Smith's work being the "Singer" is set with a sculpture along with graphite drawings as her audience. Smith also has a piece called "Constellation"bringing the stars below our feet.                                                                                                                      

Smith,Kiki,Constellation.

Billa Viola focuses work on ideas of fundamental human experiences such as birth, death, and other aspects of consciousness/spirituality. He is a pioneer in video art wanting the viewer to sink into the image that surrounds them.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-V7in9LObI
Viola's Ocean without a Shore is set up in a small church in Venice Italy were his idea for the piece was birthed. He says he was empty which he considered a blessing. He took 3 strong areas being the altars of the church and set plasma screens to bring the space of the dead back to life with people who he filmed in black and white to emerge into the space with waterfalls and turn to living color. for me he invokes the Living Water who is Christ who bring eternal life. He sets it up almost to be a cleasing or baptism in a holy area of a church. The image comes forth to meet the viewer in a powerful way. Viola allowed the space to inspire his work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg19GwNCJU  Bill Viola





Jenny Holzer main focus of her work is the use of words and the idea of public space. She sends her message like advertisers would on buildings. She wants the message short and to the point so the message can resonant as the viewer think upon the flash of words they may only catch as the walk or drive by on the way to their destination. She uses the public space to bring her message to a larger base of people not just the gallery which unfortunately does get to the masses. Holzer brings her art to the streets where the "average person" lives and works.

http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/jenny-holzer