Mesmerized by Matthew Barney

So… Matthew Barney, I really don’t even know where to begin. Cremaster 4, the part I did see, and the short clips of the others we saw on the video we watched in class, really blew me away. I have enjoyed all of the artists we have looked at in this class, some of course more than others, but the experience to really learn about this medium has been amazing! Now I learn about Matthew Barney, doesn’t get any better. I am immediately drawn to this work. It has the ability to talk about things that are grotesque, or human, or taboo but he makes them beautiful, almost sublime.

What I love about this work is that it is sculpture. I see video art as such, but this, this is truly sculpture to me. It’s highly conceptual, he uses very bright high contrasting colors and a lot of white, it’s very striking to me. His use of balance and symmetry is
also important, and something that I think a lot about in my own work, and life, really. In his work I see grace and beauty, refinement, even when someone lays dead, it is still strikingly beautiful to me. It’s so surreal, and real, and textural, and curious, and clean, and etc. etc. etc. I love this work!

It’s fascinating that he went to college on a football scholarship, living a much different life, even modeling to pay his way to go to Yale, and ends up making Cremaster 4! This guy is a genius, I’m keeping my eye on him.

Here’s a piece of Cremaster 3 to share. Peace.

Uncategorized | Comment (1)