I have recently come into contact with an artist, named only by the letter D, who is creating a stir in the art world with their ephemeral micro-installations. They are works of small scale using items at hand---often items meant to be discarded---to make short-lived 3-D art, which ultimately only survives in its documentation.
I hope to bring this art to the world as the body of work grows. Here I present two pieces, connected and yet each stands on its own merit. It is only a nibble of the veritable feast awaiting us all. While the work clearly stands on its own, I cannot resist making my own commentary, offered in hopes that it will deepen and broaden your appreciation of what is clearly a monumental talent. D---remember that letter.
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| finished/not finished |
"finished/not finished" The journey of a
thousand miles begins with a single step, but not all journeys are completed.
This seems to be the message of the artists in this installation. The tiny
spoon can savor the yogurt, but ultimately, the tiny bites could not take us to
the bottom of the cup. Ah, but therein lies the question of the piece. Are we
truly at the end or do we come upon the cup in media res? There are points in
life when we ask, "is this it? Or may I savor a little bit more? And how
will I feel if I do?" Note that
what is left is the fruit compote at the bottom of the cup. There is still
sweetness to experience if we are willing to lift the spoon again. Moving
beyond the object(s) at the center of the installation, one notices the
textures and colors in which the object(s) is/are set. Darkly stained wood,
woven placemat, and other layers of textured browns and greys set off the piece
with a dark beauty that makes the white of the yogurt stand out as a beacon of
hope---and yet the dark textures are beautiful in themselves. Journey, desire, fullness, emptiness, savor,
letting go, darkness, light . . . layers to engage every intellect.
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| Tiny Bites Empty the Yogurt |
"Tiny Bites Empty the Yogurt" This work finds the artist working with similar materials but a slightly different mood. The bowl, holding the off-centered yogurt cup, speaks of room for more. More what? Life, of course. The small spoon speaks of taking time, savoring life, because a big spoon scoops life too quickly. Death is ever present, as we see in the darkness of the larger bowl, but we can get there in tiny bites or one gulp. The artist asks us all, "why not tiny bites?" Again, the dark textures of the stained wood offsets the piece, drawing our eye to the empty cup---which speaks of a sated eater. D reminds us that not everything finds its completion, but oh how satisfying it is when completion comes. Unless the completion means death---but does it? Ah, therein lies the delicious tension of this piece. Sated hunger or completed life? Are they mutually exclusive? I leave you to wrestle with that question.
