Strange Oscillations – Splintered Poetry

[25 Oct]

Jan Bervin, The Dickinson Composite Series,

Fascicle 19–2004-08

Strange Oscillations and Vibrations of Sympathy was a refreshing literary trip. I am not much of a Virginia Woolf nor Sylvia Plath expert myself, but I am a sucker for poetry in art shows. The featured women in this show represent a wide variety of expression and media both past and present; from giant mason jars filled in a display case to flashing video segments, I was a bit dazed and confused carousing most of the opening. The direction of this show in particular reveals an intimate but common practice of all artists. We all have either our imagined muses or teachers across history in literature and the arts. These women, though, mostly engage with the material from a deeply personal perspective. They might revere or criticize what these women wrote, but for the most part I felt that they had a desire to extend their work into the language of visual culture. Their focus on disclosed expressions gives viewers a key into what is otherwise out of context. 

Stephanie Brooks, Sylvia Plath's Underlinings in
Virginia Woolf's The Waves series–2009

Stephanie Brooks' series Sylvia Plath's Underlinings in Virginia Woolf's The Waves was striking to me because of the transparency revealed in their conception. Brooks' does have a way to make their meaning more opaque, however. Underlining certainly conveys a personal importance to the reader, but these intimate moments could be ones of confusion, or unresolved places to return to in her reading. In another sense, taking these words out of their original context largely reduces their meaning; even if the intent is to seek out the source material, it comes at the cost of delayed understanding. 

Catherine Wagner, Beloved, Toni Morrison–2011

Bethany Collins, What good is science fiction to black people?–2016

Gallery 2A was very quiet and the majority of the works require close inspection, such as Wagner's pigment print and Collins' text-driven pastel. Beside the stir of excitement in taking a print from a large stack display, the room was very pensive, especially due to the monumental series by Jan Bervin. Easy on the eye and deceptively complex, these works also embed a language of their own, likening themselves to a Larry Poons color field painting. The craft in this case, though, is to another level. They were easily the most compelling works in the show for me, partially because I cannot fathom the entire process in textile-making. The scale of these works obviously took years of labor, indicated by the label.

(from my initial notes touring the galleries: quiet images, even in the video installations. A quote from one of the videos–"I think that when I write I am dead." This comes from Carrie Schneider's recordings of women reading sections from books by their favorite authors.)

still from Dawn Roe's The Sunshire Bores / The Daylights–2016

Dawn Roe's installation video and recording greets viewers as they enter University Galleries, and also transitions the space nicely when traversing across rooms. A sing-song voice intones these two phrases over and over again, droning on as the video cuts scenes in a matter of seconds. This video signals our auditory sense in a different way from the previous room and in a way prepares an awareness of our other senses. 

I was especially intrigued by the women represented that were authoresses and activists from parts of Latin America. This portion of the show was much more vibrant than others even though there was a temptation to exoticize what was unfamiliar. Simmons' installation was not only an overwhelming stimulant for me, but it created a sort of semi-translucence, such as a panel screen, for the rest of the room. I think that gallery 1A was tastefully sectioned for the video installations that shared a wall. The orientation of these few pieces really kept the space open for some of the more traditional-sized hung paintings and prints. 

The section of the show in 1A 

partial view of Xaviera Simmons Blue–2016

Sabina Ott, more naughty in a spectacle–2015

One of the better walls of the show featured a painting from 1979 next to prints made this year. Both sets depicted women reading, relating the literature of the show as a timeless endeavor. The two prints in fact correlated with the video installation around the corner and was part of a larger series to document women reading their favorite portions of books. The surreal features the poet Mistral reading one of her poems, which was then reprinted onto the placard itself. This was an important point in bringing clarity through curatorial decisions about the works. This image and its information is emblematic for me of the process involved in experiencing the signaling of the show.

Placard for one temporary wall in gallery 1A

Cecilia Vicuña, Gabriel Mistral (desnuda con pitahayas y
mangos / with cactus-fruit and mangoes)–1979 and
Carrie Schneider's chromogenic prints made in 2016

Fascinating interviews, but I am not sure I understood what this project was really getting at. The intricacy of the artist's motivation made for a dense yet emotionally-charged documentary. I ended up being most intrigued by visuals like this one that seemed out of place.

Still from Lisa Tan's HD video from 2013 entitled Sunsets