THE BSAK
ART NEWSLETTER
EDITION #2
WELCOMING WORDS By Kathryn McGuire Our second edition of the Art Newsletter will be entirely devoted to the discussion and exploration of the topic of self-referentiality, an idea that we, as BSAK Art Ambassadors, collectively decided to discourse on whilst exchanging views about our personal relationships with our own and other artists’ works of art. Within the pages of this publication, you will consequently find; an essay on the personal discovery of auto-referentiality as a concept, how it can be implemented in artworks and a critical look at the artistic oeuvre of William Anastasi; a theoretical exploration and study of autoreferential cinema (also known as “experimental film”); a review of the exhibition Parthenogenesis currently on view at the NYUAD art gallery; and finally, a gallery of artwork to honor the creative prowess and perseverence of BSAK secondary students. However, before we tackle the subject of self-referentiality at length, it seems rather prominent, to first and foremost ponder its semantic meaning and define its theoretical limits. In visual art scholarship, the latter concept is used to refer to any artwork or collection that makes direct reference to either itself, its artist, the artist's other works, or is self-aware of its creative processes or artistic techniques. Here are some examples of this concept in action: - A painting of a museum [fig. 1] by Phil Delisle. This artwork is making direct reference to itself - it is art in an art museum. However, it is not one of the artworks on display, but merely a viewpoint recreation. - Graffiti apologising for the act of creating graffiti [fig. 2]. This artwork refers to the artist who created it and is self-aware of its constituent materials. - Frames within frames [fig. 3] by Jason Eppink. This artwork makes direct reference to itself and its materials, making clear what this physically is. As you can discern, there are a myriad of well-known examples that attest to the intersection between auto-referentiality and the visual art world. We hope that our publication offers you, the reader, with an incisive introduction and further enriches the literature on the subject.
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1. Phil Delisle, “Salon”, 2013, acrylic on canvas. 2. Anonymous artist, “Sorry About your Wall”, 3. Jason Eppink, “Self-referential Art”, 2009. 2007.
TABLE OF CONTENTS The BSAK 50th Virtual Whole-School Exhibition / 3 Exhibition Review - Parthenogenesis / 5 Films About Films: Autoreferential Cinema / 7 Skirting the Boundaries of Metaphotography / 9 Gallery of Honour / 11 -
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THE BSAK 50TH VIRTUAL WHOLE-SCHOOL EXHIBITION
The BSAK whole-school exhibition in recognition of the UAE’s 50th Year is a celebration of young artist work from primary and secondary students. Physical exhibitions have been paused as a result of Covid, but in art, creativity and opportunity often grows from adversity. Our first virtual exhibition has been a journey that has drawn inspiration and creative energy from across the school community, culminating in a dynamic and heartwarming showcase of our artists. The exhibition has been designed and curated to reflect the schools’ inclusive ethos. Placement of work is non-hierarchical, and all students who submitted work are represented. Whilst the decision not to name work can be contentious, names and/or year group information can be located in the exhibition catalogues. The exhibition poster design manifests from a creative collaboration of BSAK design students, who worked with the brief of exploring contemporary and traditional visual language and drawing together elements of UK and UAE identity. By clicking on the links, you will be taken to the exhibition spaces. If you click on an image, you will be automatically flown through to it. Otherwise, by using a mouse and or the navigation cursor you can navigate your own way through the exhibition and explore the brilliance of our young creatives. We’re very excited to have been able to create this whole-school exhibition, and as we continue to innovate and drive forward our creative footprint, we very much look forward to our next virtual exhibition, the ‘BSAK Summer Art Exhibition’. A celebration of Yr11 GCSE and YR13 A Level Fine Art, Photography and Graphic Communication artwork. We hope you enjoy these virtual experiences and, looking ahead, their continued production to enhance our return to our future physical exhibitions. Kindest regards, Mr Emery
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Exhibition I: https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/node/8739482 Exhibition II:https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/node/8741014 Exhibition III:https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/node/8741019
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EXHIBITION REVIEW Parthenogenesis
March 1 - June 12, 2022 By Iva Ajtoski
The artist trio Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian’s first institutional solo exhibition at the NYUAD Art Gallery.
Parthenogenesis - a word describing the spontaneous development of an embryo from an unfertilized egg cell. The artists use this term as a metaphor for a beginning with no cause as a comment on the origin of art. In this review, we will be looking at a few pivotal and hard to miss series and pieces within the exhibition. The exhibition itself was created as a collaboration between Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh, and Hesam Rahmanian in which they relay the experiences of the Iran-Iraq war and the culture shock that they experienced due to these life-altering events. The artists describe their paintings as “fields of negotiation”, and we can see how the artists navigate their respective styles and techniques - which all differ from one another - through the continuous interplay of moving images, sculptural installations, paintings and even poetry. As soon as one enters into the gallery space, they are immediately struck by the beautifully painted floor panels in the center of the room [fig. 3]. The work is tied to a poem displayed on a nearby wall titled “Boys and Animals”, which narrates the story of the impact the Iran-Iraq war had on child soldiers, animals and landscapes. It depicts various life forms, and predominantly donkeys which at the time were frequently used to check for bombshells on fields by walking over them, suffering as their images are rippled in layers of a black whirlpool. Black is a prominent color in this piece, as it is meant to symbolize oil - which brings the region its wealth, but is also believed to be the reason behind the war - and how it is engulfing and pulling all living creatures into a vortex of misery and suffering.
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3. O, You People, (detail) 2019-2022 gesso, acrylic, epoxy on MDF 1100 x 1200
5. Where’s Waldo? (series), 2018-2021 acrylic, ink and gouache and collage on paper, 55 x 76 cm each.
4. Alluvium (series), 2021-2022 acrylic, gesso, ink, watercolor, gouache, collage and acrylic sealer on clay plates and iron. Pictured, at left: Alluvium, Molecule Structure A and Replication of Alluvium, Molecule Structure A.
Across this floor painting, there are multiple sculptural installations consisting of iron frames and clay plates’ titled Alluvium. The iron frames were made with the help of Mohammed Rahis Mollah, who is a wielder. The abstract, iron forms were conveyed through non-verbal gestures and dances which the wielder would interpret in his own way as there was a prominent language barrier present. The array of clay plates displayed on the wielded forms are referred to as ‘molecules’ by the artists, depicting various responses to cultural references ranging from pop culture to current news such as the water shortage in Egypt and the temporary closure of the Louvre Abu Dhabi due to the Covid-19 outbreak [fig. 4]. However, the idea of using plates instead of a canvas came to the artists as they became struck by the repetitive process of making clay plates that still managed to produce varying results each time. This idea of reproduction, repetition and transformation is central to the work of the artists, and could be used as a lens to view and explore the various important events from the region. Lastly, the Where’s Waldo? Series takes the name of a popular children's puzzle book under the same denomination [fig. 5]. The aim of the book is to find Waldo in each image and take him to the moon, and the artists have taken this concept and explored it through the story of war refugees and their journey to Europe. The artists have taken news images of these refugees and worked over them three times (once for each artist) in order to offer equal contribution and collaboration to the works. However, the artists use the term “contaminating” for this process as they stray away from the stereotypical narratives of helpless mother and children that are frequently present in Western media. Instead they ruthlessly work over the paintings until the identities of the refugees have turned anonymous, in a way that accords them, their journeys and their actions more agency– outside of western tropes.
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6. A still from the final shot of “Man with a Movie Camera”, dir. Dziga Vertov, 1929.
7. A still from “Man with a Movie Camera” portraying an audience watching “Man with a Movie Camera”
FILMS ABOUT FILMS:
By Lara Parsons
The emergence of autoreferential cinema Self-referential cinema is commonly perceived as “Films about film”. In essence, this implies that the director is delving into themes that explore and reference the filmmaking process, either as a featured element of the plot or a meta-narrative device, producing meticulous pieces in which the art of film becomes both the process and the product. In many contemporary mainstream films, we observe the perfectionism that arises when seeking to satiate capitalistic ideologies, wherein a clear narrative is formed to offer escapism to the audience. Conversely, in self-referential films, there is more concern with the medium itself rather than the narrative, to the point where the medium becomes the narrative. Instead of being merely used for audience consumption, self-referentiality therefore turns the film into the catharsis of an artist. The basis of a self-referential film is that it creates an enigma and resultantly, subjectivity. In many cases, the narrative is built on fragments thrown together in a seemingly random way, thus elevating the post-modern nature of the experimental film. This is especially due to the fact that postmodernism was quickly being picked up in the 1960s following the rejection and deconstruction of modernist techniques and messages–although self-referential films date back to the early 1900s. There is no singular way such films can be interpreted as there is no grand narrative, let alone the sense of a clear narrative altogether, where the films do not force the audience to think a certain way and spur the shift from passive to active consumption. This can be explained by the fact that the belief of objective truth was diminishing with the rise of postmodernism. Self-referentiality can be formed through various techniques, often using stylistic choices that were previously associated with the imperfection of old films, such as the lines that cut down across the frame due to the nature of old film cameras or the grainy texture and a narrower aspect ratio that is no longer seen in commercial films—-and even the inclusion of “bad” footage. Themes involve self-discovery from a motif of diaries, or simply the passage of time and ongoing life in which a stationary camera is set up to record the surroundings. This has been highlighted by the MoMA curator of film, writer and art critic Donald Richie: Unlike the traditional narrative film, which seeks to maintain the illusion that what we are seeing is reality, the self-referential film wants to show that it itself is an illusion… In showing that it is an illusion, however, the self-referential film also suggests another reality—that, for example, of the makers of the self-referential film we are seeing. This reality is presented as a more real reality than that which the ordinary illusion-film offers. All self-referential cinema becomes, then, a search for reality, or for truth.
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Richie then goes on to define self-referential films as an illusion in themselves, rather than presenting an illusion. Otherwise said, a sort of direct simulacra of real life. Indeed, he states that it becomes so much an illusion of reality that it slowly begins to be difficult to distinguish whether it is truly an illusion or a hunt for the truth. A primary example of a self-referential film is Man with a Movie Camera, directed by Dziga Vertov, an early Soviet film director and communist, and edited by his wife, Elizaveta Svilova, using a montage editing method that offers juxtaposition between images and shots laid next to each other [fig. 6, 7]. Each clip itself only lasts between 2 to 4 seconds whereas the typical average of film clips in the early 1900’s were around 11.2 seconds. In total, the film culminates to 80 minutes of silent documentary film in black and white, made in 1929. Vertov was known for experimenting with frame-rates as well as distorting the speed of clips. He also experimented with employing various and seemingly unusual camera angles, positions and special effects to increase the overall visual interest of the film. He wanted to create a new style of cinema that would break from the conventions of theatre and the bourgeois contents and form of Western cinema. He instead focused on film as an art form in which he pondered the lives of workers and civilians, with a specific interest accorded to Ukrainian cities. The appearance of a camera man is a frequent occurrence throughout the film. In fact, it is the only constant presence in the ever shifting mise-en-scene. However, there is no sense of character development, particularly due to the lack of a conventional narrative.
Another notable example includes the film Tom, Tom, The Piper’s Son, directed by Ken Jacobs in 1969, with a total of 90 minutes [fig. 8]. Unlike Vertov’s, Jacobs’ film has various colour sequences and so it presents itself in both black and white and in colour, adding close details to the sets and costumes for an added charm and a decorative quality. Rather than producing an entirely new film, Jacobs intended to create a “didactic” film, as stated by himself, with footage from an early American film entitled the same from 1905. He did this by first presenting the original film, then theatrically re-photographing the original film while it is being projected for 70 minutes with a long shot, after which he provides an analysis of it [fig. 9]. Lastly, he shows the original film in its entirety, lasting around 10 minutes, with the addition of his own brief coda. Overall, the avant-garde film is entirely different from other, more commercial films popular at the time, such as the 1969 Midnight Cowboy, directed by John Schlesinger that had a more contemporary approach to conventional cinema.
8. A still from “Tom, Tom, The Piper’s Son”, dir. Ken Jacobs, 1969.
9. A still from “Tom, Tom, The Piper’s Son”, dir. Ken Jacobs, 1969.
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SKIRTING THE BOUNDARIES OF
METAPHOTOGRAPHY
By Kathryn McGuire
I first started consciously thinking about self-referentiality when I was doing a photoshoot of my dad when we were out eating at a restaurant [fig. 10]. I decided to take a series of pictures throughout our meal, as I wanted to capture a story, with each shot being a different aspect of what eating at a cafe or a restaurant may look like (ordering, eating, paying etc). I kept the same framing, and at first, I thought the lack of colour would render my Dad less vibrant, but all it did was force the viewer to observe the forms, shapes and objects more carefully in order to form an opinion on the physicality of the photograph itself; rather than merely looking at the colours and instantaneously figuring out what it is without truly grasping its formal structure. On the other hand, it seems important to note that the geometric and inconsistent lines within the photograph create a disorderly and unbalanced feeling for the viewer. In fact, when looking at the background of this photograph, a feeling develops of almost an exaggerated visual of trying to choose something off the menu when everything offered looks just as good as the last - spending ages trying to figure out which option will be the best. I believe that my Dad looking over the camera, to me, makes the viewer acknowledge that there is actually somebody behind the camera lens and not just a static object of contemplation. These photos did not just occur arbitrarily, the man in the images did not set up a camera and take photographs of himself eating. Instead, the viewer is invited to imagine a conversation that may have taken place beforehand, as well as the guidelines that the photographer—in this case, myself—gave him, in order to take a “better” shot. Otherwise said, this may make the viewer acknowledge that this is not one person's photoshoot or artwork but is the work of two people, a conscious collaboration between the subject and the photographer. Additionally, the intimacy of the setting makes it seem as if the viewers are intruding on a personal, private moment, therefore rendering them conscious of the creative process that precedes its existence.
910. Kathryn McGuire, “Photograh of my father in a restaurant”, 2022.
11. Kathryn McGuire, “Untitled”, 2022.
12. Kathryn McGuire, “Autoportrait”, 2022.
After this photoshoot, I started to use and develop this concept in my work more deliberately, even if it was just linking it to my work after the fact [fig. 11]. This is particularly important to me, as it allows me to look outside of my work, to the audience, and actively remind myself why I am creating my art. For instance, I have made it somewhat of a habit to include myself in my photographs, linking myself visually to my thoughts and emotions [fig. 12, 13]. I came across the photograph “Nine Polaroid Photographs of a Mirror” by William Anastasi [fig. 14] whilst conducting my research and delving deeper into what constitutes self-referentiality, at large. What drew me to it over the myriad of other photographs was the optical illusion it presented me with, as I had to almost unpick what I was seeing to understand it. To make it, Anastasi stood upright in front of a mirror and every time he took a photo, he stuck it on his reflection in the mirror, therefore making the photos appear more and more crowded as he went on, the last photograph being the one in question. When looking at it, one is dumbfounded by the amount of detail that can be found in each and every rectangle that it is easy to stare at it ad infinitum. In fact, the way the piece is constructed forced me to think further about its significance, why the artist has created it, and what the audience is supposed to take away from it. One way to interpret this photographic marvel is that Anastasi’s gradual obstruction of the mirror using itself is akin to explaining to a mirror what it is or what it resembles, an impossible task for something that does not have knowledge of its own physiognomy. In fact, the mirror will only begin to understand its appearance being reflective
13. Kathryn McGuire, “Autoportrait II,” 2022.
14. William Anastasi, “Nine Polaroid Photographs of a Mirror”, 1967, black and white instant print.
I think that Anastasi may have created this piece to prompt the audience to look further into their surroundings in life, rather than just accepting things as they are at face value, as Anastasi took what once was an accurate and true depiction of reality, and was able to twist it into an endless maze of repetition, the perceptual gap between the thing itself and what is depicted completely eradicated as a result.
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GALLERY OF HONOUR
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A very special thanks to all those who made this newsletter happen: ART AMBASSADORS Andrialy Razafindralambo Fatima Hussain Francesca Stephenson Iva Ajtoski Kathryn McGuire Lara Parsons
ART DEPARTMENT Daniel Emery (demery@britishschool.sch.ae) Jayne Newsam (jnewsam@britishschool.sch.ae) Monica Zakka
(mzakka@britishschool.sch.ae)
Thomas Smith (tsmith@britishschool.sch.ae)
