What is it?
The concept of mindstream is the english interpretation of the Buddhist philosophical idea of being consciously aware from one moment to the next. A mindstream can be a finite period or can be a part of an infinite period of consciousness. There are may texts referring to this process as a stream of thoughts and images that allow one to gain insight into themselves as a part of the universe.
In my work
Much of the work I produce has some element of the mindstream, I often find my hands making movements and gesture that I don't consciously think about, especially when working in collage or with mixed media. Throughout the years I've been making art, I've had to become semi-aware of this phenomena being present in how I work so that I can still maintain a level of cohesion within the pieces I produce. Mindstream, in conjunction with research and planning, has helped me create some of my best, most honest works of art.
Quotes from experts
"In Vajrayāna Buddhism the subtlest state of consciousness is known as clear light. In terms of categories of consciousness, there is one type of consciousness that consists of a permanent stream or an unending continuity and there are other forms of consciousness whose continuum comes to an end." Gyatso, Janet (1998). Apparitions of the Self: The Secret Autobiographies of a Tibetan Visionary; a Translation and Study of Jigme Lingpa's 'Dancing Moon in the Water' and 'Ḍākki's Grand Secret-Talk'. Princeton, New Jersey, USA: Princeton University Press.
Ryhs Davids interpreted Professor de la Vallee Poussin stance on mindstream to be "not as one permanent, unchanging, transmigrating entity, as the soul was in the atman-theory, but as an 'essential series of individual and momentary consciousnesses...'" Davids, Rhys. Stories of the Buddha: Being Selections from the Jātaka. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services, 2000. Print.
Schnell's work hit me hard the instant I walk by the wall sized image hanging on the wall of the VMFA, it's simply impossible to miss. He has this ability to create a great deal of light source "movement" as if the unseen sun in the image is rising and setting over the course of the painting's creation. Implied lighting aside, his perspective line work is simply stunning, forcefully sending the viewers eye from one end of the image to another and back again, over and over. Finding this talented, recently budding artist has already made a tremendous impact on my own work in how I use color, create line, imply depth, et cetera.
Bio
"David Schnell usually employs elements of landscape in his paintings. Indeed, first-time viewers might be under the impression that they are looking at landscape paintings, but in reality they are witnessing Schnell's obsessive treatment of space - something he frequently intensifies by painting in large formats that seem to engulf the viewer. Equally striking is Schnell's compelling use of linear perspective and the vanishing point to create pictorial order. However, this order is often counteracted by the artist's almost subliminal desire for action. These conflicting elements of order and explosion give the paintings an extraordinary energy and dynamism that never leave the viewer's eye or mind at rest. The landscape in Schnell's works provides a framework against which he explores his thoughts, ideas and artistic concerns.
David Schnell was born in 1971 in Bergische Gladbach, Germany. He lives and works in Leipzig."
"Artnews.org: David Schnell at Parasol Unit London."Artnews.org. artnews.org, 09 Jul 2006. Web. 28 Mar 2011. <http://artnews.org/gallery.php?i=2323&exi=2603>.
Quotes
“Equally striking is Schnell's compelling use of linear perspective and the vanishing point to create pictorial order. However, this order is often counteracted by the artist's almost subliminal desire for action. These conflicting elements of order and disorder give the paintings an extraordinary energy and dynamism that never leave the viewer's eye or mind at rest.”
"Streifzuge: Paintings by David Schnell / e-flux." e-flux.com. e-flux, 18 Jun 2006. Web. 28 Mar 2011. <http://www.e-flux.com/shows/view/3300>.
“A love for the tradition of great German Renaissance painting is added to a notion of a new pictorial space. These are elements that Schnell reprocesses in an extraordinary range of highly original compositions in which colour and forms lead towards a fabulous imagined world depicted at the borderline of abstraction” Rovereto, Mart. "Contemporary Germany. To Paint is to Narrate. Tim Eitel, David Schnell, Matthias Weischer. -Mart." http://english.mart.trento.it/. N.p., 28 Jun 2008. Web. 28 Mar 2011. <http://english.mart.trento.it/intranet_newsletter.jsp?area=42&ID_LINK=59&page=92&IDCTX=2194>.
Kleine Rennbahn, 2003
oil and tempera on linen
31 x 47 " (78.7 x 119.4 cm)
Rinne, 2004
oil and tempera on linen
65 x 99" (165 x 250 cm)
Lichtung, 2002
egg tempera, paint and charcoal on canvas
98.43 x 70.87 " (250 x 180 cm)
Gehege, 2000
egg tempera on canvas
94 x 83 inches (240 x 180 cm)
"Laurel Nakadate (born December 15, 1975) is an American video artist and photographer living in New York City. Laurel Nakadate was born in Austin, Texas and raised in Ames, Iowa. Nakadate's 2005 solo show at Danziger Projects, "Love Hotel and Other Stories," was featured in The New York Times, The Village Voice, and Flash Art. Art critic Jerry Saltz named her a "standout" in the 2005 "Greater New York" show at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, N.Y. Since then Nakadate's work has been exhibited at the Getty Museum, Los Angeles; the Asia Society, New York; the Reina Sofia, Madrid; the Berlin Biennial; Grand Arts, Kansas City; and at Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York. An ten-year retrospective of her work, called Only the Lonely, is on view at MoMA PS1 from January 23 to August 8, 2011. A cover interview with the artist appeared in the October 2006 issue of The Believer. Nakadate's first feature-length film, Stay The Same Never Change, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on January 16, 2009, and was featured in New Directors/New Films 2009 at The Museum of Modern Art and Lincoln Center. Her second feature, The Wolf Knife, premiered at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival, and was nominated for a 2010 Gotham Award and a 2011 Independent Spirit Award. Nakadate currently lives and works in New York City. She is represented by Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects." Bio excerpt from Wiki
Questions
A large portion of your work deals with psychosexual identity and feminism, do you feel that you work is equally accessible to both men and women?
Relating to your work that is currently in the MOMA, since it deals so heavily with voyeurism, loneliness, longing, etc. I sense a commentary about contemporary American society. Do you feel this is the case?
The first thing I noticed about Tomaselli’s work when I saw his piece “Woodpecker” at the VMFA, was the exceptional level of intricate detail that he creates. His work commonly explores themes of memory, exploration, and altered states of reality truly taking viewers on a fantastic journey. Many pieces explore the human desire to alter one’s own state of mind through the use of legal and illegal substances that “instead of traveling through the bloodstream to alter perception, these objects traveled through the eyeballs (Shields).” Ultimately, the main connection I have with Tomaselli’s work stems from his intricate collage and line work.
Shields, David. "BOMB Magazine: Fred Tomaselli by David Shields." Bomb Magazine. New Art Publications, Fall 2010. Web. 21 Mar 2011. <http://bombsite.com/issues/113/articles/3625>.
Bio
“Fred Tomaselli was born in Santa Monica, California in 1956. He has been included in numerous group exhibitions including ‘Open Ends’, MoMA, New York (2000), the Berlin Biennale (2001), the Liverpool Biennial (2002), the Whitney Biennial (2004), the 5th Site Santa Fe Biennial (2004) and ‘Ecstasy’, LA MoCA (2006). Solo exhibitions include Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, (1999), Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art, Florida (2001), Site Santa Fe, New Mexico (2001), Albright-Knox Gallery of Art, Buffalo, New York (2003), Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh (2004), IMMA, Dublin (2005) and The Rose Art Museum, Massachusetts (2005).”
"White Cube--Fred Tomaselli." WhiteCube.com. White Cube, n.d. Web. 21 Mar 2011. <http://www.whitecube.com/artists/tomaselli/>.
Quotes
I am cognizant of the inherent limitations of painting and act accordingly. One of the great things about a good picture is ambiguity; a painting hanging on a wall should be able to resonate with different meanings over time.
Shields, David. "BOMB Magazine: Fred Tomaselli by David Shields." Bomb Magazine. New Art Publications, Fall 2010. Web. 21 Mar 2011. <http://bombsite.com/issues/113/articles/3625>.
It’s funny, but my sense of individualism has been diminished by my use of collage. I increasingly see myself as merely a conductor to the collective voices of the various authors that combine into my images. This sense of collectivity doesn’t just stop with the combination of images—it extends to the various pictorial traditions, manifestos, and philosophies that I weave together.
Shields, David. "BOMB Magazine: Fred Tomaselli by David Shields." Bomb Magazine. New Art Publications, Fall 2010. Web. 21 Mar 2011. <http://bombsite.com/issues/113/articles/3625>.
Images/Video
Halo of Flies, 2006
Mixed media, acrylic and resin on wood panel
18x18 in.
Big Raven, 2008
Acrylic, photo collage, and resin on wood panel
82x72 in.
Field Guides, 2003
Photo collage, gouache, acrylic, and resin on wood
I’ve been told multiple times over the course of my tenure in school that I needed to explore the work of Annette Messenger and can only say that I am frustrated with myself that I only just now chose to do so. There were instant connections I drew between her work and mine from physically exploring material to exploring the development of one’s self. While her work has a great deal to do with feminism, I can relate to her pursuit of self-actualization through the exploration of her craft. In an interview with French poet Bernard Marcade she said “You could of course, accuse me of being a castrating woman, and people certainly have done so, but I also know that it’s about a kind of dime store sadism or fetishism. In the end, it is about false introspection. I like making the viewer a little ashamed, to put him/her in the position of a voyeur caught by surprise. I want the viewer to have the impression of discovering terrible secrets when what is involved is a ridiculous image, even if this image always touches us in the end. (Marcade)” I feel that, in many ways, this statement relates to my work as I’m using family photos, something that’s meant to display an “ideal” of family life or values, and shroud any tension or turmoil beneath a cheesy smile. Messenger, in turn, shows you that tension and, while it may not be directly related to family, it does discuss bringing our more private intimacies to light.
Marcade, Bernard. "Annette Messenger." Bomb Magazine Winter 1989: n. pag. Web. 21 Mar 2011. <http://bombsite.com/issues/26/articles/1147>.
Bio
“Annette Messager was born in 1943 in France. She attended the Ecole des Arts Decoratifs, but was eventually asked to leave as she spent more time at museums and movie theaters than at school. In her installations, Messager makes use of photography, drawing, knitting, embroidery, sewing and objects she has collected.
Her work often involves fragments, such asMy Vows, which includes an large number of small close-up pictures of parts of the body. This tendency to fragment and catalog is everywhere in her work. She catalogues ink blots, pictures of children with their eyes scratched out and her own children's drawings. She embroiders misogynist French proverbs and creates drawings based on popular media depictions of happiness. These are sometimes included in albums or encased in glass and framed.
The individual elements of these catalogs are snapshots of the broader themes Messager deals with - issues of sexual and physical abuse, fragmentation of the body, sin, obsession with appearances, fairy tales, children, symbols, effigies, disguise, distortion, repetition. The work is often executed using traditionally feminine materials and techniques.”
"Annette Messenger." Oneroom.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar 2011. <http://www.oneroom.org/sculptors/messager.html>.
Quotes
"In my family, my father was the artist," Messager recalled in a conversation at her home on the outskirts of Paris. "With Christian, I was the girlfriend. And since I was cute, well, it was thought impossible to be an artist and cute. At first, I felt proud when someone said, 'Your work looks like a man did it.' Then I realized that was stupid."
Riding, Alan. "Annette Messager: A bold messenger for feminist art | The New York Times."NYTimes.com. The New York Times Co, 26 Jun 2007. Web. 21 Mar 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/arts/25iht-messager.1.6316141.html>.
"I wanted to look for an identity through others," she said over tea. "I asked myself, 'Who am I?' I am nothing. So I asked what people said about women. I appropriated the identity of others."
Riding, Alan. "Annette Messager: A bold messenger for feminist art | The New York Times."NYTimes.com. The New York Times Co, 26 Jun 2007. Web. 21 Mar 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/arts/25iht-messager.1.6316141.html>.
Images
Secret, 2006
Net wire, 63x110 1/4 in.
Et Range Ta Chambre [And Tidy Your Bedroom], 2007-2009
Installation, Variable Dimensions
Installation View
Et Range Ta Chambre [And Tidy Your Bedroom], 2007-2009
Installation, Variable Dimensions
Installation View
Et Range Ta Chambre [And Tidy Your Bedroom], 2007-2009
"Kathy Rose’s work has evolved from her early drawn animated films of the 1970’s, through her unique, pioneering performance work combining dance with film in the 1980-90’s, to her current surreal performance video spectacles and installations, with influence from symbolist art and the Japanese Noh theater. Rose received a Guggenheim in Performance Art in 2003, and in 2005 was awarded a New York State Council on the Arts grant in Video (Media & New Technology). Rose has toured extensively in live performance throughout the United States and Europe, giving performances at the Museum of Modern Art’s Cineprobe series, Kennedy Center, Serious Fun at Lincoln Center, Fondation Cartier pour l’art Contemporain, the Walker Art Center,The Kitchen, Institute of Contemporary Art in London, Danspace-St. Marks Church, Baltimore Art Museum, Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, Akademie die Kunst in Berlin, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, etc. as well as performances in Geneva, Helsinki, Amsterdam, Hiroshima, etc. Her video installation works have been exhibited at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Aldrich Museum, Cooper Union, etc."
"bio." Krose.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar 2011. <http://www.krose.com>.
Your work utilizes a great deal of technology, how do you feel technology plays into the creation of contemporary art in the 21st century?
In addition to your use of man made devices, you incorporate the presence of the organic, a human. How do you feel that presence of both elements affects your work?
