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

Observations of the Vanessa German's exhibition BITTER ROOT;

While being a part of the installation, I would have considered changes to the layout of the pieces. I feel there where some risk taking compared to the tradional gallery or museum setup, One being the piece you first encounter though I think it sets the tone of the show to have you engage right off. The placement could cause bottle necking if there is a large group viewing, yet consideration was discussed about the spacing allowing for room to view each piece from all sides. Knowing the artist's request to have the two larger pieces balance the space it started the process of layout. The break of the flooring is a challenge visual making the other pieces more crowed on the carpeted area.

The pieces are sturdy for the most part yet are made up of so many parts some being quite fragile. Unpacking and packing will be a challenge. Vanesse uses found objects (antiques) will processes to build the pieces whether plaster and carpentry to assemble.

While placing the hanging pieces we used the gallery standard measurement for opitimal viewing. The scuplture labeling may not be ideal with the viewer having to look for the label since they are not uniform on each pedestal.

It may be difficult for a person using a wheelchair or walker especially if there are others in the space,but I don't see major safety issues if the visitor is aware of surroundings.

The typography is bold and readable.

Vanessa German's work is a bold statement and the typography works with the work.

The visual unity is in the theme of the work with stripes of the flag, the colors she chooses, the figures that she portrays in the scuplture and the fabric pieces. German references history of the Bitter Root of the African Americans from the woman view point.

The work is remincent of Folk Art that was a popular artform during the time of slavery in this country.

The message of the show talks about the pains of a group of people in hopes of healing through understanding and restoration.

The exhibition is a whole there is not a beginning point except for the entry where you are introduce to the name and starting images on the baby shirts that is perfect in that our stories start at birth and are our roots. Vanessa didn't have a point of viewing that she asked to have the work displayed,so one could start in what ever direction they want to choose making a narrative unique to each individual.

I personally like the setup that allows one to move intimating with each piece as one in the midst of a gathering.

People under 25 can experience a time that isn't familiar and gain new understanding. The work isn't as comtempory and conceptual in which the culture is immersed and may not have an appeal to younger people without the artist's talk.

It can bring to surface some of the past feelings and prejudices a person over 25 had heard or grown up with in society or even within their homes.

I believe a person can share their experiences but words are only one type of experience face to face with art bring deeper meaning.

The floor of the gallery would be one flowing medium maybe concrete. The entry should be all windows to draw in the passerby. Right now the entry is not as inviting as it could be.