Video Story
Virtual Tour of exhibition
Critical Mass @ Venice Biennale
The artwork Critical Mass appeared within
Personal Structures - open borders
an exhibition within the context of the 2017 Venice Biennale
organised by the GAA Foundation, hosted by the European Culture Centre
First and second floor,
Palazzo Bembo,
4793 Riva del Carbon,
30124 Venezia (Venice), Italy
13 May to 26 November 2017.
See the work
the detailed story: below....
Personal Structures - open borders
an exhibition within the context of the 2017 Venice Biennale
organised by the GAA Foundation, hosted by the European Culture Centre
First and second floor,
Palazzo Bembo,
4793 Riva del Carbon,
30124 Venezia (Venice), Italy
13 May to 26 November 2017.
See the work
the detailed story: below....
The sculpture is on the second floor, in the Palazzo Bembo, 4793 Riva del Carbon, 30124 Venezia, Italy.
Click on image to visit venue website.
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Over time the artwork: "Critical Mass" changes physically and metaphorically.
1. At the exhibition preview on the 11 and 12 May, the audience's preconceptions of the sacredness of art objects were challenged by their their own participation in the destruction of a huge ceramic sculpture.
It was also an "art communion" within the Venetian Roman Catholic culture, creating a reverent and welcoming tone to each evening.
With growing comprehension of the text, object and video, the room suddenly becomes even more crowded.
By accepting the offered Prosecco in a porcelain drinking vessel , and keeping the it as a “ souvenir", the recipients become unofficial agents for thousands of Western Australian (WA) artists. By showing their “souvenir” to others, they also show the address for a WA artist, which is kiln fired onto the vessel.
2. Across four venues during the Venice Biennale period 13 May to 26 November, the European Culture Centre (ECC) presented over 275 artists, included conceptional artists Yoko Ono and Jeff Koons through to technical geniuses Carol A. Feuerman and Li-Jen Shih.
3. The post-preview "Critical Mass" is an appendix to itself. The 13 May to 26 November exhibition viewers, will see only the residue of the subterfuge. When seeing the video, any initial social disappointment of missing the party, should be replaced with satisfaction upon seeing the now uncovered, real sculpture. Those with real connections to the artist will find themselves on or in the artwork. This suggested a further, more permanent social structure, within which other viewers are welcome to step inside and digitally photograph themselves.
1. At the exhibition preview on the 11 and 12 May, the audience's preconceptions of the sacredness of art objects were challenged by their their own participation in the destruction of a huge ceramic sculpture.
It was also an "art communion" within the Venetian Roman Catholic culture, creating a reverent and welcoming tone to each evening.
With growing comprehension of the text, object and video, the room suddenly becomes even more crowded.
By accepting the offered Prosecco in a porcelain drinking vessel , and keeping the it as a “ souvenir", the recipients become unofficial agents for thousands of Western Australian (WA) artists. By showing their “souvenir” to others, they also show the address for a WA artist, which is kiln fired onto the vessel.
2. Across four venues during the Venice Biennale period 13 May to 26 November, the European Culture Centre (ECC) presented over 275 artists, included conceptional artists Yoko Ono and Jeff Koons through to technical geniuses Carol A. Feuerman and Li-Jen Shih.
3. The post-preview "Critical Mass" is an appendix to itself. The 13 May to 26 November exhibition viewers, will see only the residue of the subterfuge. When seeing the video, any initial social disappointment of missing the party, should be replaced with satisfaction upon seeing the now uncovered, real sculpture. Those with real connections to the artist will find themselves on or in the artwork. This suggested a further, more permanent social structure, within which other viewers are welcome to step inside and digitally photograph themselves.
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I summarise this project as 1 percent crazy idea and 99 percent perspiration. as it took over 1,000 hours for me to hand make each individual porcelain flute that made up the sculpture.
Where did the ideas for this artwork come from? I suspect it was the creative intersection of four themes I have been thinking deeply about and exploring over the last few years. Theme 1: Ceramic traditions. Potters /ceramic artists have a long tradition of gifting to, or collecting peers' cups. I first participated in this ritual, but by using small ceramic sculptures during the 2002 International Ceramic Symposium, in Panevezys, Lithuania. Both types of ceramic objects have a pedagogical purpose, illustrating different techniques, materials and styles. Like tourist souvenirs or family photos on domestic mantlepieces, they also provide a tangible, physical reminder of significant events and people geographically removed. My evolving ritual of gifting parts of my artworks before, during and after my exhibitions in various countries, became a way of connecting in new ways with other participating artists and the audience. |
Artist Graham Hay inside his social structure. Photo: Victor France
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Theme 2: Engaging with Peers.
For the 2013 Florence Biennale, I refined my unique kit-set techniques to create three 1.5m high ceramic sculptures that fitted into my airline carry on luggage. At the conclusion of the exhibition I gifted a part of the sculpture each to the artists whom I had developed friendships with over the week. For the 2014 Dublin Biennial, I created two, 2 metre high polypod bowels made from 300 ceramic flutes and compressed paper. These were exhibited, used for drinking wine during a 1 day conference, gifted to fellow artists and guest speakers. This ritual was inspired by correspondence with Dr Neil Carlin from the School of Archaeology, at the University College, Dublin. His PhD on Neolithic Beaker Culture highlighted for me the use of ceramics vessels in local and international gatherings. It was possibly they were crudely made, solely for consumption and destruction at the latter. After seeing a striking similarity between Neolithic and Polynesian polypod kava bowels, I used this as a starting point in designing the sculptures. See images here. |
Graham Hay receives funds from Creative Partnerships Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund. (slow loading Trove record of crowdfunding page)
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Theme 3: Acknowledging others.
I have become uncomfortable with the excessive focus by art institutions on the artist as a singular person.
In a 2015 blog I wrote...
"Something is ... missing from explaining the whole process of art making.
Our families and friends provide substantial financial, social, and moral support to us, .... But on their own, over an extended period the burden of supporting single-minded overclocking artists such as us, can eventually be too much. I speak from personal experience.
So we have developed a larger support group. Around eighty students attend the studio on a regular basis, providing both financial, social, and moral support for all five studio artists. In return we share what we know and have learnt, plus share our studio space and time with them. Many are also artists...."
... "Then there is the families and friends of these students, who encourage and provide financial, social, childcare and moral support for the students, so they can come to the studio, to the classes and workshops.
All up I guess there must be around 350 people who have either directly or indirectly supported myself, while I created the ... sculpture.
... I'm honoured to be part of such a large and generous team.
So why does the ... people who come to the exhibition see only my name next to the artwork?
Source: Social Sculpture Blog, Thursday, March 5, 2015
When I was invited to exhibit during the 2017 Venice Biennale, I considered how I could use it to acknowledge my supporting network of students and their families. I also wanted to help other WA artists during the current economic downturn in Perth..
Generous gesture
"When nominating Christine Macel as the Curator of the 57th International Art Exhibition, Paolo Baratta, the President of La Biennale di Venezia, had declared: '... aware that we are currently living in an age of anxiety, La Biennale has selected Christine Macel as a curator committed to emphasizing the important role artists play in inventing their own universes and injecting generous vitality into the world we live in.'.
... in September 2016, Baratta added to this: 'The world needs generosity more than ever. Art needs the world to trust in its potential more than ever...'
source: http://u-in-u.com/venice-biennale/2017/ (@ 29/111/6) My emphasis added
"When nominating Christine Macel as the Curator of the 57th International Art Exhibition, Paolo Baratta, the President of La Biennale di Venezia, had declared: '... aware that we are currently living in an age of anxiety, La Biennale has selected Christine Macel as a curator committed to emphasizing the important role artists play in inventing their own universes and injecting generous vitality into the world we live in.'.
... in September 2016, Baratta added to this: 'The world needs generosity more than ever. Art needs the world to trust in its potential more than ever...'
source: http://u-in-u.com/venice-biennale/2017/ (@ 29/111/6) My emphasis added
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The Collateral Events approved by the Biennale curator, are a looser, less political place, although many individual artists are political: with less national or local pride at risk, artists are free to take creative risk.
In mid November 2016 I received an email invitation to participate in one such possible Collateral Event: This was “Personal Structures - open borders”, an exhibition organised by the GAA Foundation and hosted by the European Cultural Centre. The exhibition runs 13 May to 26 November 2017, and could become a Biennale Collateral Event if approved by the 2017 Venice Biennale Curator Christine Macel The eight curators of the GAA Foundation combed the world for suitable artists, from thousands of exhibitions and events. From a final list of 1000 artists, they selected and contacted 300 artists to invite. From that list, about a third will exhibit in 2017. Youtube summary of 2015 exhibition by two curators here |
Theme 4: My personal structure and space
Where did the idea and shape for the large 2.5m high sculpture come from?
The idea came as the next small step in the 25 year development of my artistic ideas.
Cultural context:
It is easy to lose a balanced perspective in these days of technological disruption. Our sense of time is being digitally compacted, causing an acute sense of disorientation and virtual social stress.
My solution is to look back into human history, compare how we interacted then and now, putting the current changes into a more realistic perspective.
I looking backwards to my own ancestors, 5,200 years ago when human culture changed from nomadic hunting to farming and small settlements. We created large physical symbols from stone and soil to reflect our shared values and beliefs. Sometimes stones were arranged in a circle or ellipse. Up to 4,000 were built through British Isles and Brittany, as well as in southern Scandinavia, in Israel and elsewhere. "The geological examination of the Brodgar megaliths ... confirmed that the stones had been brought from different sources, and quarries, across Orkney. ... may, ... represent the different people, or communities, involved in the construction of the stone circle." source: http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/brodgar/building.htm 4/12/16 emphasis added
In 1990 my wife and I cycled past the circle of huge stones that is Stonehenge, and for many years I have worked with pottery clay, a medium almost inseparable to the circle and the earth.
In 1992 I created an ellipse of stones around a symbolic grave, on a salt flat in remote Western Australia in 1992, and designed a ritual walk around and into it for myself and my fellow art students . Two years later I created a circle of limestone plinths for The Ways of the Seeing Places exhibition, upon which I presented circular ceramic forms reflecting my perception of various social structures. A fellow exhibitor created and performed a ritual around the plinths.
In 2015 I created small circular ceramic candle holders with embracing figures reflecting the values of a weekly support group. This form reminded of my experiences cycling past Stonehenge and visiting Newgrange. At a 2016 exhibition in Robertson Park Artists Studio, the collection of holders were carried into the exhibition space by the individual group members, placed on stone plinths, their candles light, and then the groups' preferred holder removed.
During the creation of these works, they had became larger and larger and more and more abstract. The sculpture for Venice is a natural extension of these works.
Where did the idea and shape for the large 2.5m high sculpture come from?
The idea came as the next small step in the 25 year development of my artistic ideas.
Cultural context:
It is easy to lose a balanced perspective in these days of technological disruption. Our sense of time is being digitally compacted, causing an acute sense of disorientation and virtual social stress.
My solution is to look back into human history, compare how we interacted then and now, putting the current changes into a more realistic perspective.
I looking backwards to my own ancestors, 5,200 years ago when human culture changed from nomadic hunting to farming and small settlements. We created large physical symbols from stone and soil to reflect our shared values and beliefs. Sometimes stones were arranged in a circle or ellipse. Up to 4,000 were built through British Isles and Brittany, as well as in southern Scandinavia, in Israel and elsewhere. "The geological examination of the Brodgar megaliths ... confirmed that the stones had been brought from different sources, and quarries, across Orkney. ... may, ... represent the different people, or communities, involved in the construction of the stone circle." source: http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/brodgar/building.htm 4/12/16 emphasis added
In 1990 my wife and I cycled past the circle of huge stones that is Stonehenge, and for many years I have worked with pottery clay, a medium almost inseparable to the circle and the earth.
In 1992 I created an ellipse of stones around a symbolic grave, on a salt flat in remote Western Australia in 1992, and designed a ritual walk around and into it for myself and my fellow art students . Two years later I created a circle of limestone plinths for The Ways of the Seeing Places exhibition, upon which I presented circular ceramic forms reflecting my perception of various social structures. A fellow exhibitor created and performed a ritual around the plinths.
In 2015 I created small circular ceramic candle holders with embracing figures reflecting the values of a weekly support group. This form reminded of my experiences cycling past Stonehenge and visiting Newgrange. At a 2016 exhibition in Robertson Park Artists Studio, the collection of holders were carried into the exhibition space by the individual group members, placed on stone plinths, their candles light, and then the groups' preferred holder removed.
During the creation of these works, they had became larger and larger and more and more abstract. The sculpture for Venice is a natural extension of these works.
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The Plan
For the Venice sculpture I purposed to place the names and/or contact details of the hundreds of recreational and professional artists who have supported me via my classes and workshops, onto a core structure of flutes. Layered over these will be over 2,000 ceramic flutes (with the web or social members address of WA professional artists), which will create the artwork to be used to consume refreshments during the Venice previews and Opening. I hope that the audience will take some of the flutes away as souvenirs, or keepsakes to remind them of the event and visit in 2017. Upon closer examination and reflection on the name on the wine flute, perhaps they will ponder where is Western Australia and what is it's artistic community. I hope they use the information on the flute to personally contact the West Australian artist. |
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