DIFFCULTARTS & CRAFTS

DIY Diff icult artMonthly anonymous essays ondifferent Dif f icult Art

Featured interviews W/:Cindy Sherman & John Baldessari

December 2012

W o r d S e a r c h 9

J o h n B a l d e s s a r i 1 0

D I Y D i f f i c u l t A r t 1 1

C o l o r i n g P a g e 1 2

W i l l P e r g l I n s t i l l a t i o n 1 3

D i f f i c u l t y o f M e m o r y 1 4

1 I n t h e N u d e

4 F r e s h H y b r i d

5 D i f f i c u l t y F a c t o r

6 D i f f i c u l t y o f S c u l p t u r e

7 S t e r e o t y p e s

8 C i n d y S h e r m a n

TABLE OF IDEAS

Nudity can be tough! Seeing naked people in art is a weird experience and can be very difficult to process sometimes. It makes you ques-tion everything youʼve ever learned, going all the way back to first time your mom yelled at you for taking off your pants in public. Letʼs face it: people have always been taught that being naked is bad. But when it comes to art, it’s just not true. Like a lot of great moments in art, it gives you something to think about.Why is this person naked? How does their nudity inform the piece? Are they trying to shock me? How does this relate to my own body? There exists an endless world of readings which can only be opened up by removing clothes from the picture. In some cases, the uniform we put on each day can be very blinding and inhibitive. Clothing is often what makes a person who they are, so taking taking that away makes them every person. They can stand in for anybody, because when you re-move the clothes, you are left with the purest form of human being. You have a human in its most natural state, the state in which it was born into this world. So, don’t let history tell you that nudity is bad. You were born naked, and you’ll surely be naked again sometime soon. What’s so wrong about a person spending some of their naked time in a piece of art?

i n t h e n u d e

- D.A.C.

F R E S H

HYBRID

F R E S H

HYBRID

Sandy Skoglund’s Fresh Hybrid is an art piece that

is considered both installation and photography.

This installation consists of fabricated figures and

human beings interacting in a man made space.

The sculptures and atmosphere have all been

made out of colored pipe cleaners and wool fibers.

The thing that i find most difficult about this piece

is that they’re are so many juxtapositions being

created all in one that it is hard to be able to form

a distinctive concept quickly. Several of these

comparisons include the materials being used

and the real world, fake figures to real humans,

from plant form to human form and bright

color to natural color. Fresh hybrid has difficult

subject matter but the piece feels inviting and

I’m able to invest myself in it because I am able

to relate to the actual living humans that i see in

the picture. I’im left questioning what exactly is

going on with interactions and why everything

is placed the way it is, but it isn’t necessarily a

bad thing. I want to keep coming back to this

image and keep investing more time because it is

so visually interesting. Overall difficulty i would

give 3.5.

HYBRIDF R E S H

4

- D.A.C.

5

DIFFICULTY FACTOR!WALL OF LETTERS: NECESSARY REMINDERS FROM

THE PAST FOR A FUTURE OF CHOICEAndrea Bowers, 2006

In this installation, a series of letters from mothers-(who-don’t-want)-to-be to a small group of female abortion doctors are hung on the wall. These letters are full of very deep and personal stories, giving the viewer a feeling similar to the one you get looking into your sister’s diary: one of intrusion and violation. The names may be crossed out, but you still feel that you’re looking at something that no one wanted you to see. This piece brings up a lot of political debate, being a strongly pro-choice (in favor of keeping abortion a legal option for pregnant women) work, and as such creates a great deal of tension between the two sides of this argument. When you bring politics, religion, and the body into one piece, you’ve certainly got a pretty difficult work on your hands!

- D.A.C.

Difficulty in sculpture

and other 3d art is that it

breaks the barrier of the

canvas and essentially

has no frame. Without

this frame, we have much

more to consider other

then all the elements of

a 2-d work. One thing

that’s first and foremost

important in deciphering

sculpture is the space.

Both the space it takes up

and the negative space it

does not need to be considered. Take notice at all

the aspects that are obvious, such as what is given

on the plaque, tor tag identifying the piece and

artist. Where is it located? When and where was

it made? Next we look at the technical aspects of

the piece such as how big or small is the sculpture

what is it made out of? How was it created? Carved

away? Built upon? How is it displayed? Now that

D i f f i c u l t y o f S c u l p t u r e

we’ve recognized all of the information immediately

available to us, its time to start digging in deeper into

what the artwork is all about. What is the subject

matter? (or lack thereof ?). What meaning comes

from objects used/the

material itself/ the overall

sculpture as a whole?

How is it presented?

Clean cut? missing pieces?

New? Old? Take into

consideration everything

that is obvious about the

piece. It may seem like its

too easy to be true but this

notion is important for

deciphering sculpture. It

is important to take these

into consideration when

looking at the conceptual

aspect of the piece. The

artist is well aware of the

piece they created, why

they created it and why

they utilized the space the

way they did. If you are looking at sculpture digitally

in the form of a photograph/video, it is also important

to keep in mind of the format and if it affects the

viewing of the art at all. Does it negatively or positively

affect the viewing, Is this digital format merely a form

of documentation or does it have a greater purpose

than that?

-D.A.C

- D.A.C.

6

Today this generations extremely obsessed

with being recognized for beauty or trying to

become beautiful when one no longer what it

means to be beautiful, this same attempt to fail-

ure is through a generic point of vie in seeing

art. When one does not have an open mind it

becomes difficult to accept the lack of morali-

ty in religions, as well as tradition. This is what

creates difficult art. The art itself isn’t difficult,

not is the artists intentional concept, it is the

viewer’s opinion, the one the artists chose to

produce it for. The viewers of art eyes are the

stage where a brush stroke, photograph, draw-

ing, dance and perform. Society is usually afraid

of old things being brought to light. There just

new locations with different performers and old

subject matter.

Stereoptypes.

-D.A.C

7

I met with Cindy in

her studio on a Sunday

afternoon. She made me

tea and then proceeded

to give me a tour of her

extensive collection of

props that includes a wide

variety of teeth, glasses,

and lips just to name a few.

The nature of Shermanʼs

work portrays her ability to

transform an individual̓ s

identity over and over

again. After the tour was

complete, we sat down

across from each other at a

table with the sunshine coming through the leaves on the trees

outside of the window, moving the shadows around the table

and studio.

DAC: Thank you so much for having me, Cindy.

CS: It is my pleasure, thanks for taking the time to come and visit

my studio. I always realize how extensive my collection of “stuff”

is when I show guests around.

DAC: Are you always collecting and looking for new “stuff”?

CS: Yes, I go out to thrift stores weekly. I’m interested in going to

thrift stores, because there is such a wide variety to choose from,

all in one store. I don’t always know what I am looking for, and

sometimes I am pleasantly surprised by a pair of pants that have

cheetah print on them. You

just never know what you are

going to find.

DAC: How long does it

usually take you to develop a

character?

CS: Hmmm, well, it varies for

each individual character. I

may come across the perfect

outfit in one trip to the thrift

store, but then I could spend

a week debating on what the

eyebrows are going to look

like! It is kind of ridiculous.

I suppose I make up for it

in my transformations that

manifest much quicker.

JK: Your art work is continually transforming identity through

change of outfit, make up, and persona. Would you say you are

just an adult playing dress-up?

CS: [Laughs] I suppose you could say that.

DAC: There are other elements to your practice other than just

playing “dress-up” that takes you away from being like a child.

Your work feels like you are trying to distinguish different cultural

roles that happen in our society both currently and historically.

CS: Yes, amongst all of my having fun and playing around, I am

interested in bringing attention to the vast variety of the way we

perceive people, especially through a photograph.

Cindy Sherman[inside look]

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F U M L Z Z Y K J N U V P R C

S J I N P L N Q J B N O W J D

G S E N I H C A M A L F E U S

J Z V M P R N U D I T Y L C P

B M A R A X H U T E K A V N J

E F N O I K O I F E D S S X Y

B R F A N U C Z C H D E K L T

R E U F T S T U T Q D X Z J E

L B I L B U N T X X R U M F I

P U P Y I N R Z I W Q A L E C

B Y Y K J A I E F C C L C M O

Y N E S H V F L O U N I D B S

E T F L L Z O Q Z M A T G K C

C Q T S N V E A I P E Y L Z Z

E N D X E O X J C P A N P N H

FAILURE

FAMILY

LOVE

MACHINES

NATURE

NUDITY

PAIN

POLITICS

SEXUALITY SOCIETY

9

John Baldessarithe interview

my camera in a perfect triangle.

It was only through that effort

that the failure was able to

become beautiful. How you

fail is just as important as the

notion that you did, in fact, fail.

DAC: A much better moral,

indeed. Your attempts really

were oddly noble at heart,

you knowing how seemingly

impossible the task at hand was

yet continuing anyway.

JB: I’m glad you think so. I think

that nobility you speak of lends

a greater sense of awe to the

action itself. I mean, let’s face

it: there’s nothing impressive

about throwing three balls in

the air. It’s something anyone

can do from a very young age.

It’s how kids pass the time when

there’s nothing else to do. But when you add that layer of impossibility,

it becomes something much more.

DAC: That it does. Thanks for taking the time to chat with me, today.

JB: It was my pleasure. [laughing] I hope to see your readers out there

failing away very soon.

- D.A.C.

- D.A.C.

1 0

I got a chance to sit down with

John over coffee

in his Los Angeles studio

recently to talk about

a few of his action photographs.

These pictures document his

attempts to perform seemingly

impossible tasks, many

revolving around attempting

to throw balls into the air and

capture them while in a perfect

shape.

DAC: So, John, I guess I have to

ask: why?

JB: [laughing] Well, isn’t there

something wonderful about

trying something you know

you can’t do? It’s a very freeing

experience, and one which

showcases the beauty of failure.

DAC: The beauty?

JB: Yes, of course! The beauty! Perfection is never fun. Itʼs fussy and

self-conscious and, honestly, rarely worth the effort.

DAC: I’m not sure how parents will feel about their kids hearing that.

JB: [laughing] Fair point. I suppose I should clarify for the youngʼns:

failure has a time and a place. Don’t use the power of my art as an

excuse to not do things to the best of your abilities. Every time I

threw those balls in the air, I really hoped I would freeze them with

DIY: DIFFICULT ARTSTEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR CREATING DIFFICULT ART

STEP ONE: PURCHASE A TWO PERSON TENT

STEP TWO: MAKE A LIST OF EVERYONE YOU’VE SLEPT WITH

STEP THREE: SEW THE NAMES TO THE TENT

CONGRATULATIONS!EVERYONE I HAVE SLEPT WITH,TRACEY EMMINS (1995)

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Review: Will Pergl Recur, 2006 Olive Tjaden Gallery

Installation Recur is an installation piece consisting of a projected video, a sculptural finger in front of a small television screen, and 2 object assemblages with a strong focus on lighting. There is also loud audio playing, a recording of a saw buzzing, along with the audio from the video, marble rocking repeatedly on a wood floor. This piece creates a sense of panic, discomfort and psychological stress for the viewer. The sound of a blade ensues danger, and at such a high volume it is impossible to ignore. The finger sculpture pointing at itself on the television also seems to be making a statement, “Look here, I’m impossible to ignore, there’s nothing you can do to make this go away”. The orange object assemblages and video also have a sense of the inevitable, the impending. The plumb bob hanging, is at the mercy of chance. Above the water, above a saw blade, or deteriorating dripping down pieces of itself. The audible and animated elements also speak about time. In the midst of a moment our perception of time can be skewed, especially a traumatic one. The slowed saw and slow video demonstrate this disjunct from reality. The installation makes comment on the fragility of each moment, how the unexpected is always here, waiting to take us by surprise, and the experience of being present within a traumatic moment. Overall difficulty factor: 4 out of 5.

- D.A.C. 1 3

Difficulty of Memory

One element that often crops up in art is

the concept of memory. A lot of art is based

heavily within if not solely on experiences/

events of the past. Translating a personal

moment from the past into a physical piece

now is a point of difficulty both for the viewer

and the artist. The piece is successful if it is

able to recreate the essence of that moment.

It is difficult to recreate the tangibility of the

moment in a different space and time with

different elements, however, the audience

should be able to pick up on the feeling

of experience of the moment and make

associations based in their own life. In two

dimensional works this is especially difficult

because of the limits within materiality and

static nature of those materials. With an

image, an artist can definitely create a sense

of dynamic movement, passing time, and

other sensory elements such as sound and

even perhaps taste and smell.

- D.A.C.

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