Unit 3 - Contexts | Artist talk and tutorial with Tom Woolner
I am intrigued by Tom Woolner's artistic practice. He is an artist based in London. While he initially created large-scale installations and collaborative performances for specific contexts, his recent work has shifted towards a studio-based practice focusing on experimental drawing techniques. These wall-based pieces, although sculptural, maintain a resolutely flat quality. Woolner employs an intuitive and playful process involving pouring and piping semi-viscous liquids that slowly or rapidly congeal to form unique shapes. His works seem to exist in a realm between object, painting, and fresco, as the image becomes embedded into the surface rather than applied to it. This body of work, grouped under the title "Internal Weather," offers a glimpse into an alternative landscape and corporeal meteorology by opening portals into the body. Woolner has participated in various projects, exhibitions, and collaborations, it's a challenge to categorically define Woolner's creations, as they encompass elements of painting, sculpture, and drawing, and their fantastic peculiarity defies straightforward classification.
Tom Woolner's artistic practice intriguingly blurs the lines between various artistic forms, and the relationship with "painting" in his work is notably distinctive. Woolner's recent focus on studio-based practices involving experimental painting techniques has resulted in sculptural yet resolutely flat, wall-based works. These pieces are not easily categorized as traditional paintings but rather occupy a unique space between objects, paintings, and murals. The image is not merely on the surface but embedded into it, creating an intricate layering of visual elements. Woolner's use of pouring and piping in his creative process, where a semi-viscous liquid gradually condenses into a consistent form, brings a sense of fluidity to the work, blurring the boundaries further. The relationship with "painting" in his art, therefore, transcends conventional definitions and invites viewers to explore the interplay of texture, form, and visual narrative within his distinct creations.
I had the opportunity to visit the Tom Woolner exhibition “ A Tally of Distempered Parts” in the year 2022. I developed a profound appreciation for the works displayed within the exhibition space, particularly with regard to Woolner's spatial organization and the intricate interplay between his creations and those of fellow artists. This experience prompted a thoughtful contemplation on the nuanced dynamics of presenting my own artistic works within a spatial context while harmonizing with the visual dialogue generated by the works of other artists.
Tom Woolner & Sebastian Thomas, A Tally of Distempered Parts, ASC Gallery
“The way the mark-making happens makes me think about bodies or my own body”. Hands, feet, intestine-like fleshy shapes often appear in Tom Woolner’s work, and do so with an allusion to a narrative. ‘Internal Weather (Gift)’ has a baby-smooth surface of chalky pastel tones, which gives the work all the delicate beauty of a meticulously extracted fresco. Little wonder this fantastical and absurd object takes on a tantalising authority.
Internal Weather (Gift), Acrylic resin, pigment,2021
Reincarnation, 2023, digital drawing,MDF, wood, steal, leather, leather
Reincarnation, 2023, digital drawing,MDF, wood, steal, leather, leather
On Purple, 2023, digital drawing, MDF, wood, steal, LED
I found great gratification in the privileged opportunity to engage in a tutorial session with Tom Woolner following the presentation of my work. The insights he shared left an indelible impression, as he astutely identified thematic elements in my art that evoke notions of kinkiness and fetishism, reminiscent of intense and provocative gatherings, akin to a spirited post-event atmosphere. Woolner's discerning reinterpretation of my descriptive terms was profoundly enlightening, as it pointed out the subtleties within my work that had led me to employ somewhat veiled expressions. However, his feedback also underscored the potential impact of embracing more explicit language, which could serve to fortify the initial impact of certain sections of my artist statements.
Given the composition of my chair, constructed from leather, Tom prompted me to explore associations with leather-based items, notably referencing gym equipment. He posited that gym chairs, due to their often leather-textured upholstery, come into focus, especially when individuals engage in physical exertion upon them. The perspiration that permeates such chairs potentially carries underlying connotations of sensuality. Tom's critique underscores the importance of further contemplating the intricate interplay between these elements and their implications within my work."
Tom Woolner recommended three artists to me: Nairy Baghramian, Eva Rothschild, and Matthew Barney. So in the future, I will also conduct corresponding research on them.
Nairy Baghramian
"Nairy Baghramian was born in Isfahan, Iran in 1971. She has lived and worked in Berlin since 1984. Baghramian's work comprises sculpture and installation often in reference to architecture and the human body. Her work addresses temporal, spatial and social relationships to language, history, and the present, with forms which materialize in response to contextual conditions or the premises of a given medium. These structures offer the possibility of an open and discursive dialogue in response to a site, or a freeing of the assigned relationship between an object and its meaning. ”
“Marian Goodman Gallery is pleased to present the first solo exhibition by Nairy Baghramian at the Paris gallery, opening from 10 June through 24 July. For two decades, Nairy Baghramian has been conducting rigorous formal and conceptual research, investigating the relationship between architecture, object and the human body. In her reflection on the political potential of the sculptural form, she focuses on the importance of the physicality of the work, which embodies ideas and theoretical assumptions through its specific formal, material and presentational features.”
Nairy Baghramian demonstrates a remarkable ability to transmute figurative behavior into abstract forms, encapsulating the nuances of human posture and movement as central themes in her sculptural compositions. Her artistic discourse provides a subtle yet persistent exploration of bodily instability, the fragmentation of corporeal elements, and architectural motifs. Her work is intriguingly characterized as 'open and discursive,' a quality that beckons diverse and at times contradictory interpretations, oscillating between perceptions of weightlessness and heft, stability and dependency. Baghramian's art transcends the mere physical realm, addressing intricate temporal, spatial, and social dimensions in relation to language, history, and the contemporary context. Her forms materialize in response to contextual exigencies and the specific constraints of a given artistic medium.
Furthermore, considering the relationship between her works and drawing, Baghramian's sculptures exhibit a profound kinship with drawing, particularly in their ability to capture the fluidity of movement and the transitory nature of human postures. These two-dimensional representations, reinterpreted in three-dimensional space, invite an insightful dialogue between the immediacy of drawing and the tactile presence of sculpture. Baghramian's works challenge conventional boundaries and serve as a rich source of discourse for understanding the interconnectedness of various artistic forms."
Eva Rothschild
"Eva Rothschild was born in Dublin in 1971. Rothschild represented Ireland at the La Biennale di Venezia 58th International Art Exhibition in 2019 and has been an elected Royal Academician since 2014. Recent solo exhibitions include ‘Kosmos,’ Australian Centre For Contemporary Art, Melbourne; 'Alternative to Power,' The New Art Gallery, Walsall; 'A Gated Community,' Sonnaveld House, Rotterdam; Hugh Lane Museum, Dublin; 'Sightings', Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas; and 'Hot Touch,' Hepworth Wakefield and Kunstverein Hannover. In June 2017, Rothschild’s work, Empire, (2011) was unveiled at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden as part of the redeveloped Walker Art Center campus, marking her first permanent outdoor work in the United States. Her work is included in the collections of Tate Gallery, London; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin. The artist lives and works in London".
Installation view: Eva Rothschild, Arms Folded And Unfolded, 303 Gallery, New York, 2023. Photo: Justin Craun
Eva Rothschild
Sweet Spot
2023
Resin plaster, gesso, paint
Overall: 106 3/8 x 43 1/4 x 43 1/2 inches (270 x 110 x 110 cm)
Sculpture: 86 5/8 x 43 1/4 x 35 3/8 inches (220 x 110 x 90 cm)
Plinth: 19 3/4 x 29 1/2 x 43 1/2 inches (50 x 75 x 110 cm)
ER 272
Eva Rothschild
Sweet Spot
2023
Resin plaster, gesso, paint
Overall: 106 3/8 x 43 1/4 x 43 1/2 inches (270 x 110 x 110 cm)
Sculpture: 86 5/8 x 43 1/4 x 35 3/8 inches (220 x 110 x 90 cm)
Plinth: 19 3/4 x 29 1/2 x 43 1/2 inches (50 x 75 x 110 cm)
ER 272
Her work is predominantly sculptural and she works across a range of materials including aluminium, jesmonite, leather, fabric and perspex.
Among the aspects of her artistic practice that I find most compelling are her meticulous manipulation of sculptural structures and her discerning application of color. Her chosen color palette tends to gravitate toward lighter hues, including shades of pink, yellow, and blue, which impart a distinctly sophisticated and refined quality to her work.
Matthew Barney
Matthew Barney (born March 25, 1967) is an American contemporary artistand film director who works in the fields of sculpture, film, photography and drawing. His works explore connections among geography, biology, geology and mythology as well as themes of conflict and failure. His early pieces were sculptural installations combined with performance and video. Between 1994 and 2002, he created The Cremaster Cycle, a series of five films described by Jonathan Jones in The Guardian as "one of the most imaginative and brilliant achievements in the history of avant-gardecinema."[2] He is also known for his projects Drawing Restraint 9 (2005), River of Fundament (2014) and Redoubt (2018).
Regarding the relationship between Barney's works and drawing, his sculptures and drawings share a common theme of resistance and development, mirroring the muscle growth concept of hypertrophy. His use of self-lubricating plastic, both in framing drawings and in sculptures, demonstrates a unifying materiality that underlines the interconnectedness between his two-dimensional and three-dimensional expressions. Additionally, his "Drawing Restraint" series embodies the struggle against resistance, translating the biochemical principle into a visual narrative, further illustrating the deep-rooted relationship between his works and drawing.
Sculptures from the operatic film 'River of Fundament'
References:
Tom Woolner (no date) artmother. Available at: https://artmother.com/artist/tom-woolner/ (Accessed: 24 October 2023).
Nairy Baghramian - Marian Goodman Gallery (no date) Marian Goodman. Available at: https://www.mariangoodman.com/artists/29-nairy-baghramian/ (Accessed: 25 October 2023).
Eva Rothschild: Artists (no date a) 303 Gallery. Available at: https://www.303gallery.com/artists/eva-rothschild (Accessed: 25 October 2023).
Matthew Barney (no date) The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation. Available at: https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/matthew-barney (Accessed: 25 October 2023).