Matthew Barney and Janine Antoni

Week 7 Day 1: Matthew Barney and Janine Antoni

Today in class we watched Art 21 (link) and a couple of the artists that inspired me the most are Janine Antoni and Matthew Barney. Although I found most of Matthew Barney's videos and make up grotesque and made me uncomfortable and nearly nauseous, I also saw how he was using that over the top make up to send a message. It made me wonder if I could make an over the top message about feminine beauty and the standards media has today. I wonder if making my own face nearly horrible and something no one would want to look at, and watching it melt away or washed away, showing what I really look like...could that be almost a glimpse into my inside? Don't Judge a book by it's cover. I plan to do more research on Matthew Barney to see if his style is something I could see myself doing, or if another artist would fit my personal style/message better.






Such as Janine Antoni. I have to admit, I love her work! How she whole heartily emmerses herself into what she is working on and brings a simple element but making it enchanting. We watched as she made rope out of a cellection of other people's belongings or clothing. Her Grandmother's Christmas dress, a friends hammock, tieing each to the other. It was very symbolic and gives the viewer many chances to take what they will out of it. One of her pieces that stuck out the most to me was when she sculpted or molded her face both out of chocolate and soap. She would lick the chocolate bust and wash with the soap bust, and both slowly disolved. She talked about how this piece was about her own difficulties looking in the mirror, and watching her face dissapear gave her new insight into her views and perspective of herself. That spoke to me as that is a large part of my personal message, I want to ask why as American's and why as Women are we so obsesed about our appearence? I am one of the biggest women out there so consumed with vanity and image that I guess the art is more for me then anything. But if others can share in the feeling I am trying to express, then I hope what I create can help. I never really viewed this message as being a feminist, I never really viewed myself as a feminist, I suppose that this struggle and fight could be considered as such, but mainly it is a fight with myself and hopefully the creative outlet is a therapy and reliese that may someday help others who might be like me.