Caroline Monnet
ART Habens
pornography / sexuality, control, scopophilic viewing and the modern gaze, and entrapement. I wanted to viewer to be aware that they were looking at a constructed image, thus bringing awarneness to the“ looking” and“ interpreting” process— one that was both familiar and unnervingly uncertain here. I attempted to present stories, objects, and symbols that are already embedded into our cultural consciousness but worked to confuse the signification of these tropes and rendered their meaning uncertain. For example, in“ red carpet” we are presented with the symbol of the movie industry: the red carpet. The symbol of fame, stardom and presentment, it is a powerful emblem that is usually only seen off screen and not in it— in“ red carpet” is has been transplanted to the center of the frame. A woman walks the carpet, yet there are no media scrums and she is seemingly alone in her poised and stoic journey. She is not presenting herself‘ to’ the camera but rather walks endlessly away from it, forcing the viewer to follow behind her throughout the passage of the seasons. Thus, while it subverts cinematic space, it is also a tale about transcendence and literally walking the line, negotiating loneliness, and coming to terms with the human condition. It also reawakens a warning given in Agamemnon by Aeschylus, the first Greek play to use the symbolism of a mortal walking upon tapestries. It is a warning that has long since been silenced: beware all mortals who attempt to act as gods and walk upon such extravagences [ artist’ s paraphrase ]. Out of interest sake, the paintings that inspired“ red carpet” were Barnett Newman’ s“ The Wild”( 1950) and“ Achilles”( 1952), two of Newman’ s red“ zip” paintings. representation itself. The paintings were also selected to posit interesting themes that I could work with: spirituality / transcendence,
The works in Pictures attempted to subvert the viewer’ s expectations and also frustrate him / her in not providing a concrete resolution to the narratives— things are not always what they seem or are‘ seen’. Art, for me is an investigation into how we construct meaning for the world. Both power and danger lie therein: we often take what is presented to us
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