Daniel Laskarin gave our class a talk on Tuesday. I wasn't surprized to learn that Laskarin's work is highly conceptual in the vein of Minimalism, but I was intrigued by the rationale behind his works having seen an exhibit of his recently that left me baffled. Laskarin talks about the current context for art making: anything goes. But if anything goes, nothing goes as well . . . nothing is art? This leads to the contemporary preponderence of uncertainty in art: what is art? Is this art? Why is it art? etc. Laskarin combines these thoughts with a "knowing" of material (as when one picks up a brick and is instantly knowledgeable that it's a brick and has brick-like properties). This is where the notion of the body as thought comes into play. Contrary to Descartes idea that the mind is seperate from the body, one can "think" through their fingers: mind and body are one. Laskarin's desire is to activate the viewer as they experience his pieces in real space (sculpture).
 |
| Detail of Forest for the Tree, Daniel Laskarin |
 |
| Detail of Forest for the Tree, Daniel Laskarin |
 |
| Detail of Forest for the Tree, Daniel Laskarin |
One particular piece that I liked of his is called
Forest for the Tree, 1991/2000. An upside-down tree is reflected through lens on the opposite wall using camera principles (camera lucida). This creates an optical forest and mimics the way images are cast on our retinas. A piece that makes the viewer question the act of seeing relates to the ideas of perception of reality and how we experience it. It's also a little un-nerving to be in a room with an upside-down tree . . . the "surreal" begins to creep in.
More about
Daniel Laskarin's work.
No comments:
Post a Comment