Simple Performance - Jackie Logan

 

“as a mattress or other man-made object is released from and transcends its logically determined form through destruction, an artist….is also released from and transcends his logical self.”

When Raphael Montanez Ortiz made this I think we wanted to challenge the idea of art itself. The paint has a purpose that it is made to continually serve, but destroying you realize it from that entirely, so when you do something like this as the artist is realized from the confines of what art is supposed to be. 

A lot of things came out of post war Japan. one of which was the rise of performance art. It's hard to to not connect the sate of Japan after war with this piece. The look of someone hopelessly in mud brings strong images of despair and shows the shape of many after World War II. 

"Cut Piece, still remains as a precursor to a myriad of feminist and body-centered art pieces and performances. Interestingly enough, this artwork also displays her deep influence of Zen Buddhism, as Ono stated recently, when she was creating the controversial piece, she was originally thinking of Buddha and how he gave everything up."

By doing something as personal as giving the audience members control of what they take from you she is thus giving up a part of herself. A very sacred part of herself. the similarities to that of Buddha are shown. 

"creating a vessel through which she viewed artistry as the absence of complexity, a vacuum through which she was led to a state of complete relaxation of mind"

This can be shown by some of the simple nature of her work like her "instruction pieces". They  simplicity of it really just leaves your mind on a few thoughts. It is at is simplest form. 

"I don’t know what drove me to identify as an artist because it wasn’t within my familial background—not that I know of anyway—and my only exposure to art, growing up in Queens"

I find it fascinating how someone can get into something without much exposure as a child. It makes me think of me and my current major in media and how my family didn't have a background nor was it super present where I grew up. The world is just funny like that sometimes. 

"I don’t understand how I never felt that the historical art canon could not be achieved simply because of my ethnicity or color. That was never a blockage for me, psychologically."

When you look back and most fields you'll find it is mainly taken up by white men. That could deterring to everyone else. Of course it is up to the individual if that will block them from what they set out to achieve. 

"“I’m going to work.” When she wakes up, she will have had a dream. And then she’ll make her work. So, she counts her sleep as working hours. Many artists get their best ideas from their dreams or in a state of complete tranquillity. I hate the studio. It’s a trap to me. Ideas come from life."

Its strange sometimes the things artist do and think of that inspires them. most people wouldn't consider sleep work hours but if your ideas come from them then it is valuable. It is important as artists that we collect experiences from life we can use in our art. 

"I had my first exhibition of paintings when I was 14. I painted my dreams. I remember being so jealous of Mozart because he started composing when he was a young child. I knew it was too late for me to be a genius, but I tried my best." 

When I think of this I think how everyone is so enamored with a child prodigy. As if being so good at something so young makes them better. to me, it doesn't matter where you start it's where you end up and it is never to Kate to make headway in something.