Artist as Found Object
LAN Hungh
mix media
variable size (approximately 55x36x168 cm)
2011 Dec 4th
presented at Live Art Review
at "Liebig12", Berlin
By the project “ Artist as Found Object”, the concept of repeating the
commune or similarity form or presentation, while they are with
different contexts or medias, challenges the artist to deal with the
fact, if the art piece changes its meaning by viewing from outside and
inside.
Thus we’ve seen quite often, from a beginner performer to Abramovic in
MOMA, many performance artists showing themselves as “living
sculpture” without any concrete or physically obvious actions as a
performative form. Action is concerned in performance art, which is
like materials in other visual arts, that’s why Hungh sees it so
interesting to minimize the decorative part, such as theatrical
movement and literary speeches. Hungh’s attempt here, it is based on
the same form but when we put it in the different category, it brings
him to a deeper though of the language itself, about the definition of
classifying. He acclaims this piece: it is not a performance (the
action should not take any importance); it is not a sculpture (it’s
already made). Instead of calling it “living sculpture”, it is called
“found object”, in order to focus more on the physical part of it,
weather dead or alive.
While Hungh brings up this question, the intention is now toward the
physical part. It could be a critic of critic: The critics are suppose
to judge this piece by its outlook, the fine details of human body or
the colors and ignore anything which is not showing here because of
the impersonal rencontre and materialized presentation. People who
know the artist or this object beforehand are of course easier
figuring out the specific part of interests, but then another question
is raised to this: While lacking of information how could we
appreciate (or not )art? How far can a critic goes?
Human body is never neutral because we all have connections to other
ones, combining memories, experiences and educations we could easily
prejudge someone, link to like, to hate, to fall in love or other
sensual thoughts. Trying to remove the actions from a living form is
impossible, because the heartbeats and breath are always going on. The
object itself will be as itself, everything shown is included to the
subject, in one side the artist “programs” the object to let it
express by the intention of the artist, another side the nature of the
object is also thought to take part. These opposites is confronting
the artist and the object, and making conflicts while being viewed. It
is conflictive between “performing art” and so call “performance art”
or “live art”, even it is not defined as performance for the artist
self.
Living art is dead, object is alive.
