Self-image as Another – Video Art Screening Series at the Pori Art Museum
MEDIA RELEASE
“Self-image as Another – Video Art Screening Series at the Pori Art Museum 12.3.-21.4.1996”
The international video art screening series “Self-image as Another,” curated by the Pori Art Museum, offers different perspectives on artists’ interpretations of themselves or their subjects as something else: as a role character, a double, a fusion of two people, transformed by intense emotions, or as an object of observation. The series begins with a video documentation of four actions performed by the Yugoslav-German artist duo Marina Abramović & Ulay in 1977-78, where they test human physical and mental endurance. In these actions, the woman and man act as one entity through breath, touch, sound, or presence. Unity is formed through an extremely charged situation, whose intensity grows almost unnoticed to the limits of endurance.
American artist Bill Viola’s video The Passing consists of different layers of sleep, the subconscious, and wakefulness. It is based on the artist’s personal experiences during the time of his mother’s death and his daughter’s birth. The slow-paced narrative alternates between dreamlike memories and flashes of clear consciousness, rhythmically punctuated by heavy breathing. Water is a recurring image and symbol in the work: a heavy, translucent mass that protects and creates new life, yet also encloses and drowns.
Los Angeles-based artists Paul McCarthy and Mike Kelley base their story on Joanna Spyri’s moral tale about the orphaned Heidi. In the video, the idyllic alpine hut is transformed into a grim portrayal of the traumatic experiences related to human psychological development, as well as the relationship to one’s body and its functions, using dark humor, puppets, and masks commonly found in horror films. The British artist duo Gilbert & George present their personal views on life and art in their video. They consciously use conflicting elements to create a holistic view of their world. They parody the ceremonial lifestyle of the English upper class with their extremely deliberate behavior and speech. Their other personality emerges through their interest in the stories of street boys and the occasional bursts of absurd behavior.
In the video Method in Madness by the young London artist Sam Taylor-Wood, the viewer is placed as a witness to a powerful emotional outburst. The work documents the reactions of a man on the verge of a mental breakdown, expressing pain and anxiety.
The series concludes with the video of photographer Larry Clark, shot from an American television program. In the studio, young people sit and receive mostly inappropriate comments from viewers calling in live. Amidst the chaotic conversation and restless atmosphere, Clark focuses persistently on capturing the expressions of a young man named Nate.
The works are shown following the “Video of the Week” principle, meaning each video is shown from Tuesday to Sunday during the museum’s opening hours. During the screening series, the Pori Art Museum will also offer a limited selection of literature on the works of the featured artists.
Translated with ChatGPT