The emergence of installation
artists has certainly changed the face of art. Involving the configuration of
installation of objects in a space, installation art presents a unified
experience practiced by an increasing number of postmodern artists. Even though
sometimes it is a temporary apparatus, installation art draws the viewer,
engaging them in multiple ways and making them feel a part of the art. In this
manner, art becomes something you can touch, hear, feel or smell. They are
installed in art galleries and museums to public squares. The term installation art can be thought of as
an umbrella term for 3D works which aim to transform the audience's perception
of space. It is believed that installation art developed primarily in the 2nd
half of 20th century as both minimalism and conceptual art evolved. This article explores artists who have made
unique contributions to installation art and how it can be defined.
Instantly recognizable and
immensely iconic, Yayoi Kusama's series of Infinity rooms has caught the
imagination of her audience in 1965. She utilizes mirrors as walls and is able
to translate the repetition of her earlier artworks in to an art installation,
a seemingly endless room carpeted with polka dotted fabric phallic structures.
Since 1965, Kusama has created more than 20 distinct Infinity mirror rooms. By
tapping into the magic of mirros, Kusama's work is able to trick the senses and
create poetic art installations that speak to our most human responses,
creating environments for existential contemplation.
A monument to women's
history, artist and feminist writer Judy Chicago's - Dinner Party art
installation is comprised of a massive triangular banquet table of 39 place
settings. There are 13 settings on each side of the triangle, representing the
number present at a traditional witches' coven. Each setting is deeply
personalized and honors a historical or mythical female figure; including
artists, goddesses, academics and activists. The floor on which the table sits
honors an additional 999 women, whose names are inscribed in gold on the white
tile. Originally a travelling exhibition, the piece was created with the
assistance of over 400 volunteers. The installation can now be found in the
permanent collection of the Brooklyn Museum's center for Feminist Art.
Beginning in 1994, Los
Angeles based artist Jason Rhoades became an installation artist. His first
work of installation was comprised of mundane items like cardboard, wood and
Styrofoam all painted yellow and assembled to reference the geographical and
cultural landscape of Los Angeles. Rhoades, created many more installations
during his career, pushing boundaries of social conventions and breaking
unspoken rules of public decency
American artist Allan
Kaprow's Yard, 1961, signaled a new era in art history. The artist filled the
outdoor backyard of New York's Martha Jackson Gallery to the brim with black
rubber auto tyres and tarpaper-wrapped forms before inviting willing participants
to climb, jump and frolic like children in this giant playground. His iconic
installation art opened up a new, sensorial experiences for visitors allowing
them to engage in art. Kaprow also introduced improvisation and group
participation into his art, taking it closer to the reality of ordinary life.
In his words, "Life is much more interesting than art. The line between art and
life should be kept as fluid, and perhaps indistinct as possible"
British artist Cornelia Parker's
Cold Dark Matter: An exploded view, 1991, is one of the most striking and
memorable installation artworks of recent times. To create this work, Parker
filled an old shed with domestic junk including toys and tools, before having
the entire shed exploded in a field by the British Army. She then gathered
together the fragments left behind and suspended them mid-air, as if
permanently suspended. When set amidst eerie lighting these once familiar items
become abstracted and unrecognizable fragments, while the title 'Cold Dark
Matter' further emphasizes a sense of gothic mystery, referencing what Parker
calls, "matter in the universe that hasn't yet been measured."
Danish-Icelandic artist
Olafur Eliasson designed his impressively ambitious installation artwork - The
Weather Project in 2003 for Tate Modern's Turbine Hall, replicating the effect
of a huge sun emerging through a fine mist. There were low frequency lamps
around his artificial sun, reducing all surrounding colors to the magical
shades of gold and black. A master of Illusion, Eliasson made his glowing orb
from a semi- circle of light which is reflected by mirrored panels on the
ceiling that complete the circle. These
mirrored panels continued across the entire ceiling, allowing visitors to see
themselves reflected as if floating in the sky above them, creating the
sensation of hovering weightlessly in space.
Observing the above works of
art, we can see that installation art has and will remain one of the most
dominating mediums of contemporary art. With advancing technologies, more
artists are now focusing on interactive digital installations, and this
advancement has opened doors to entirely new possibilities for this genre and
it is far more relevant today.
Manesha
Pieris (2022)