Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Santiago Sierra
A Reflection on the Work of Santiago Sierra Across the globe, public discourse has become increasingly hostile towards immigrants. International migration rises and falls, as do attitudes towards migrants. This leads us to expect a possible global recession to increase anti-immigrant sentiments and possibly spur new barriers to migration.In today’s global economic crisis the media has turned a spotlight on immigration and emigration. Along with that, historical research has shown that emigration is negatively related to unemployment at the destination, and positively related to unemployment at the source. With all this international turmoil going today there is an increasing amount of artists who are addressing the issues of migration, and globalization. In order to cope with the issues of the world there needs to be a sort of escape, and with art this is possible. Artists are seeing what is going on in the media, and are taking these ideas to create works of art that address immigration and globalization. As stated in an Art Us essay by Rex Butler titled, "The World is Not Enough: Art and Globalization,"The work's presumed critically and its excuse for doing what it does lies in the way that it does not see itself as outside of the problems it depicts but as part of them. This self-criticism or self-contradiction is what we propose as the very essence of globalist art. Yet the final twist of this critical turn is to be found in the fact that the exploitation they point to does not occur innocently, simply awaiting its unveiling through art, but occurs in the first place only because of something like art. Namely, that racial and economic exploitation no longer take place directly today, but only as the excuse for alleviating or doing away with them."
There are many artists out there working with these ideas. One artists' work I found particularly interesting was Santiago Sierras'. His work immediately drew my attention, and struck a chord within me.Santiago Sierra was born in Madrid, Spain in 1966. Growing up he had a unstable but creative background. After high school he went on to received his BA in Fine Arts from University Complutense, Madrid. He studied many different disciplines but focused on sculpture and photography.Currently he creates work that intermixes minimalist sculpture, conceptual photography, and performance art. His passion for justice causes him to interrogate the limits imposed by contemporary society. With almost thirty solo shows in his resume, his work ethic is very apparent. He currently lives and works in Mexico City. With so many impressive pieces of work to his name, I found it difficult to pick out just a few to discuss. After sorting through I decided to reflect and discuss on three of his pieces; The Trap,Submission , and Death Counter.
The first piece was an installation that Santiago did in 2007 tittle, "The Trap". In the installation the visitors were told to walk down a long corridor that was littered with construction. As the proceeded along they entered a stage. In the audience were one hundred and eighty six Peruvians. They were ill looking, and had blank stares. When the visitor realized that they had become the 'main act' so to speak, they tried to go back the way they had entered. This was no longer that option though, because the path had changed. Instead they were lead along a new route out onto the street. Upon arrive in the street they were greeted by a person handing them their car keys, and thanking them for attending. Now most people would be extremely confused as to what just happened, but this was the point. That is because this installation was only intended for a certain group of people. The intended audience was that of public officials, as well as the local government. One imparticular was the Director for the National Institute for Youth. Another was the president of congress. This installation was obviously a very political piece, and was bold in its approach. The shock aspect for the visitor is what I found intriguing. I would not know what to do if I were to suddenly be placed in the spotlight.For the piece to really serve it's purpose the intended audience would have to experience it though. I was unable to find out whether or not they did view it though. I felt that Santiago's attitude towards these individuals was that of anger and spite. The construction in the original corridor was suppose to symbolize the cheap and grueling labor of the Peruvians seated in the theater. I believe the nonchalant, dramatic exit of the visitor was intended to leave them thinking about what had just happened, as well as the issues surrounding the labors of these individuals. That feeling of wonder and danger would linger with the viewer for days to come. That could potentially allow for this issue to be brought to light in the media. Once the media gets involved there could be hope for change within the system due to the public outreach.
The corresponding piece with the installation was a series of photographs. The piece titled, "184 Peruvian Workers" was one hundred and eighty four individual portraits of workers. The individuals had received about fifteen dollars to pose for the photo. What I found interesting was that the viewer cannot see the workers faces. All the photos are shots of the back of their heads. This creates a unique aesthetic though. You are able to see the similarities in all of the people, and they become sort of ambiguous. I felt that this could be touching on the idea of globalization, and how we all become one. The mixing of nationalities and cultures has created a sort of grey race. These workers have become faceless and just another number.
The next piece that I found to be extremely interesting and exciting was titled, "Submission" (Sumision). This particular installation was put together in the town of Anapora, located just a few hundred feet from the U.S. border. This area was chosen to be the site of an erection of a large wall by the U.S. along the border. Anapora was established and occupied by workers in the area. For generations the conditions here were unimaginable. It was not until the late 1970's that paved roads, and sanitary drinking water was introduced. Yet most of the area is inhabited by homeless families. Production of products containing lead in the area has gave way to many health issues in its residents. With all these issues surrounding this area, I feel that the artist made an intelligent decision in choosing this site.For construction of the piece, workers were brought in by the local government to dig out the trenches. These trenches were extremely large and deep. The idea was to be able to see this word, "submission" from satelite view. After the trenches were dug braced up they were then filled with cement to create a permanent work of art. I really enjoyed the idea behind this piece, and find it so simple yet brilliant. His work seems to follow the idea of getting in your face with a particular issue. He is going to come up with an idea that is not timid in its approach. They was he goes through the process of research and execution is incredible.
A more recent work by Santiago Sierra is a installation in London titled, "Death Counter". This giant LED counter shows the global death toll. It is a permanent piece that was support by local government. The looming presence of 'death' encourages the viewer to do something with their lives. For me it cries out for people to get out and be a positive and productive member of society. According to the Birmingham Post article the ticker is expected to reach fifty five million by New Year's Eve of 2009. That is an unbelievable amount of people that die around the world every year. The issue of death seems to be another important staple in Sierras' work. The crucial time we are here is meant to be spent wisely. I think that his work is a manifestation of that thought, and brings to light the idea of immortality.
After taking a look at numerous work by Santiago I was rather impressed with what he had to offer. His ideas and creations really take a political side, and he uses his creativity to make something better out of it. With so much negativity in the world , he uses art as a tool to create positive. It is quite obvious that he is aware of the issues surrounding globalization and immigration. The sheer body of his work speaks to his passion and desire for art and social justice. To have his ambition and work ethic would be a blessing. With that ambition I feel that many people have been blessed by the work of Santiago Sierra.
There are many artists out there working with these ideas. One artists' work I found particularly interesting was Santiago Sierras'. His work immediately drew my attention, and struck a chord within me.Santiago Sierra was born in Madrid, Spain in 1966. Growing up he had a unstable but creative background. After high school he went on to received his BA in Fine Arts from University Complutense, Madrid. He studied many different disciplines but focused on sculpture and photography.Currently he creates work that intermixes minimalist sculpture, conceptual photography, and performance art. His passion for justice causes him to interrogate the limits imposed by contemporary society. With almost thirty solo shows in his resume, his work ethic is very apparent. He currently lives and works in Mexico City. With so many impressive pieces of work to his name, I found it difficult to pick out just a few to discuss. After sorting through I decided to reflect and discuss on three of his pieces; The Trap,Submission , and Death Counter.
The first piece was an installation that Santiago did in 2007 tittle, "The Trap". In the installation the visitors were told to walk down a long corridor that was littered with construction. As the proceeded along they entered a stage. In the audience were one hundred and eighty six Peruvians. They were ill looking, and had blank stares. When the visitor realized that they had become the 'main act' so to speak, they tried to go back the way they had entered. This was no longer that option though, because the path had changed. Instead they were lead along a new route out onto the street. Upon arrive in the street they were greeted by a person handing them their car keys, and thanking them for attending. Now most people would be extremely confused as to what just happened, but this was the point. That is because this installation was only intended for a certain group of people. The intended audience was that of public officials, as well as the local government. One imparticular was the Director for the National Institute for Youth. Another was the president of congress. This installation was obviously a very political piece, and was bold in its approach. The shock aspect for the visitor is what I found intriguing. I would not know what to do if I were to suddenly be placed in the spotlight.For the piece to really serve it's purpose the intended audience would have to experience it though. I was unable to find out whether or not they did view it though. I felt that Santiago's attitude towards these individuals was that of anger and spite. The construction in the original corridor was suppose to symbolize the cheap and grueling labor of the Peruvians seated in the theater. I believe the nonchalant, dramatic exit of the visitor was intended to leave them thinking about what had just happened, as well as the issues surrounding the labors of these individuals. That feeling of wonder and danger would linger with the viewer for days to come. That could potentially allow for this issue to be brought to light in the media. Once the media gets involved there could be hope for change within the system due to the public outreach.
The corresponding piece with the installation was a series of photographs. The piece titled, "184 Peruvian Workers" was one hundred and eighty four individual portraits of workers. The individuals had received about fifteen dollars to pose for the photo. What I found interesting was that the viewer cannot see the workers faces. All the photos are shots of the back of their heads. This creates a unique aesthetic though. You are able to see the similarities in all of the people, and they become sort of ambiguous. I felt that this could be touching on the idea of globalization, and how we all become one. The mixing of nationalities and cultures has created a sort of grey race. These workers have become faceless and just another number.
The next piece that I found to be extremely interesting and exciting was titled, "Submission" (Sumision). This particular installation was put together in the town of Anapora, located just a few hundred feet from the U.S. border. This area was chosen to be the site of an erection of a large wall by the U.S. along the border. Anapora was established and occupied by workers in the area. For generations the conditions here were unimaginable. It was not until the late 1970's that paved roads, and sanitary drinking water was introduced. Yet most of the area is inhabited by homeless families. Production of products containing lead in the area has gave way to many health issues in its residents. With all these issues surrounding this area, I feel that the artist made an intelligent decision in choosing this site.For construction of the piece, workers were brought in by the local government to dig out the trenches. These trenches were extremely large and deep. The idea was to be able to see this word, "submission" from satelite view. After the trenches were dug braced up they were then filled with cement to create a permanent work of art. I really enjoyed the idea behind this piece, and find it so simple yet brilliant. His work seems to follow the idea of getting in your face with a particular issue. He is going to come up with an idea that is not timid in its approach. They was he goes through the process of research and execution is incredible.
A more recent work by Santiago Sierra is a installation in London titled, "Death Counter". This giant LED counter shows the global death toll. It is a permanent piece that was support by local government. The looming presence of 'death' encourages the viewer to do something with their lives. For me it cries out for people to get out and be a positive and productive member of society. According to the Birmingham Post article the ticker is expected to reach fifty five million by New Year's Eve of 2009. That is an unbelievable amount of people that die around the world every year. The issue of death seems to be another important staple in Sierras' work. The crucial time we are here is meant to be spent wisely. I think that his work is a manifestation of that thought, and brings to light the idea of immortality.
After taking a look at numerous work by Santiago I was rather impressed with what he had to offer. His ideas and creations really take a political side, and he uses his creativity to make something better out of it. With so much negativity in the world , he uses art as a tool to create positive. It is quite obvious that he is aware of the issues surrounding globalization and immigration. The sheer body of his work speaks to his passion and desire for art and social justice. To have his ambition and work ethic would be a blessing. With that ambition I feel that many people have been blessed by the work of Santiago Sierra.
Blog #4
Borders make up the world around us. Imaginary lines that separate countries and people. Along with that borders often separate different cultures and customs. This is not always the case though. Special situations do exist. An example of this being Africa's's Tunisia, and Europe's Sicily. These two countries are unique in that they both share the Mediterranean Sea as their border. For them the sea acts as a border, but also a vehicle for travel and a way of making a living. Being located along the sea, the main industry is fishing. Because of the many benefits the sea offers the border between these two countries is open for either side to pass in and out of.This has caused a sort of mixed identity for those individuals living in this region. There is massive amounts of cultural exchanges between the two countries. This has help to create two unique countries who strive together. Even though there are two different continents that they belong to, there is still a closeness between them. In the case of Mohammed Beshir he lives in both countries. He makes his living as a fisherman with his wife. He also has two children that have grown up in both areas. He wants his children to go to school in Tunisia and get a proper education. For him most things are the same between the two countries. The exception to that being language and religion. The two hundred and twenty miles seperating the two regions has little impact due to the constant trading between them. Mohammed said that he is hopeful for the future of the two countries and is proud to be part of both cultures. For him it is a sort of mixed identity
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