"Parable of the Garden"

The current exhibit, “Parable of the Garden” is a very strong exhibit in my opinon. An exhibit that features new media artwork from Central Asia, I was drawn to a Video piece entitled “Earth.” “Earth” (2006) by Simin Keramati, an artist from Tehran Iran, is a video installation that focuses on the personal as well as possibly social constraints an Iranian women is placed apon. The video installation features Simin Keramati as the main object of the piece. During the video, one observes Simin sitting being buried, very slowly. Over the course of the video that focuses on the process of her being buried alive, one is aware of the sounds of the sand pouring down on her. For me, this sound was very unsettling. The message behind “Earth” was very emotional and powerful. In my opinion, I believe this piece was in a sense, a self-portrait. She was her expressing a situation in which she is being constrained by, a situation in which she is passive towards. Although, I believe she is focusing on a personal issue, I also think that she could be setting herself as the face for all women of Iran, and the issues in which they face daily. The act of burying one’s self alive and allowing this to occurs shows a sense of desperation. A sense of self desperation, yet a sense of hope. I believe this piece was the artist reflecting back upon a time where she once felt this form of constraint. This piece, when not exhibited alone, is 1/4th of a piece of hers entitled “The Four Elements.” I believe this piece is very strong when presented in its own sense, yet I believe when with the other four it gains a different strength. In the “Parable of the Garden” there was another part of the series entitled “Water.” (2007) This piece featured a glass of water with a piece of paper with a message written. Over the course of this video, one observes the water erasing the contents of this message. One is unaware of what the message says, however Simin said that was not the focus of the video. Since water is often thought of as a purifier the process of the water destroying and creating something new was a very powerful message in my opinion.

Dia:Beacon!!

John Chamberlain is an artist that caught my attention when we first arrived at the Dia:Beacon. Aided by the vast ceilings and amble amount of space in the gallery, my attention was immediately focused on this large, surprisingly colorful sculpture that occupied a large portion of the room. This sculpture, The Pivet, by John Chamberlain was made in 1997. What i enjoyed most about this sculpture was that, for me, it was successful in two different aspects. From a far, as one enters the large gallery space, the bright colors in combination with the height and size of the piece draws one's eye in. As he or she approaches, the piece takes on a whole new beauty. From up close, one recognizes that this piece is in fact made up of sculpted automobile parts. These automobile parts are treated with a number of different designs, as a result of Chamberlains many techniques to create the bright, graffiti-like design. After the pieces are painted, Chamberlain then crushes these pieces and rebuilds them, essentially welding the piece together. As stated in an interview, Chamberlain believes the automobile parts take on a new form of canvas and that his "painting" of the automobile parts, its very much like any painter on a canvas. John Chamberlain, who was born in Indiana before moving to Chicago, was a veteran of the Navy. Once done serving his duty, he attended art school at the Art School of Chicago as well as Black Mountain College. Heavily influenced by his college professors at Black Mountain College, Chamberlain responded to the poets Charles Olsen, Robert Creely and Robert Duncan. For Chamberlain this "confirmed his understanding of the ways in which everyday elements...could be mobilized...to make unexpected kinds of sense...." (Dia:Beacon). Once out of college, he moved to New York City and began working with automobile parts, solely because they were virtually free. Over the years, he began experimenting with the automobile parts before finally arriving at The Pivet. This piece is one of Chamberlain's largest pieces and it was during the creation of this piece where he began to push the envelope of what was known and expected. Personally, this was my favorite piece of the whole exhibit. The fact that he took something so common as scrap car parts, and completely revamped them and composed them into something that one wouldn't think to be aesthetically pleasing, to me, is fascinating. I was drawn to this piece in the gallery, and after reading more about it, only grew fonder of the piece, as well as the artist.