Brief thoughts on taking time
A recent studio visit with artist Lillian Warren reminded me of what it means to look at something. Ours is a culture whose attention span is said to be unflatteringly short, but for almost an hour I had the luxury, or maybe the task, of looking at Warren’s paintings. And then this week I chose to look at works by the Russian group AES+F at the Station Museum
Truth be told, taking the time to look can be difficult. To look at the lightbox morgue photos of Defile, with their curious bodily scars, discolorations, and misshapen extremities, took more of my effort and concentration than didWarren
It is difficult to identify whether or not the marks and bruises are remains from the cause of death, or possibly the process of mortuary preservation. And because of the malformations that death imposes, the personalities I perceive in some of the photos is most likely the augmentation of embalming fluid rather than the shadows of healthy joviality. But the harsh truth, maybe harsher than death, is a truth that comes from paying close attention to both Warren's and AES+F's work. We do not know when someone or something, maybe life itself, will betray us.
Truth be told, taking the time to look can be difficult. To look at the lightbox morgue photos of Defile, with their curious bodily scars, discolorations, and misshapen extremities, took more of my effort and concentration than did
It is difficult to identify whether or not the marks and bruises are remains from the cause of death, or possibly the process of mortuary preservation. And because of the malformations that death imposes, the personalities I perceive in some of the photos is most likely the augmentation of embalming fluid rather than the shadows of healthy joviality. But the harsh truth, maybe harsher than death, is a truth that comes from paying close attention to both Warren's and AES+F's work. We do not know when someone or something, maybe life itself, will betray us.
posted by The Necessarian at
2:09 PM
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