On Wednesday, I went on a trip to London galleries with other MA students, and tutors Charlie and Megha. While some were trying to fit in as many galleries as possible, I had decided to limit myself to two major shows for the day, which seems to be about my limit for being able to give proper attention to what I see.
Steve had mentioned wanting to see Pippilotti Rist’s work at The Hayward, and I was quick to agree, remembering the name from hearing my friend Joanna Austin talk about her as an influence. I love Jo’s work, which is joyful, mischievous and subversive, and the work I’ve made in collaboration with her has been some of the most fulfilling work I have been part of. Despite this, I’d never actually seen anything by Pippilotti Rist, so I’m very glad we did go to see it. The exhibition, Eyeball Massage, was exactly what I needed to see – it filled me with excitement about using video installation, and the urge to try out different ways of doing it. The darkened space helped to make the experience feel enveloping and immersive, and the works were interactive to just the right extent for me – they made me feel physically involved as well as mentally, but did not put me in a situation where I felt compromised.
I am never entirely certain how I feel about feminist art practice which focuses overtly on the female body (vaginas, breasts, menstruation, childbirth – while I certainly don’t advocate a stigmatised view of the female body, making it the focal point of an art practice does sometimes feel to me a little like pigeonholing oneself. I think perhaps I am from a somewhat confused generation of women in Western culture, who are aware of how much we owe to feminism, but uncertain where to position ourselves in relation to it. Wanting to be seen as people first and foremost, but aware that we are relatively lucky to have any say in the matter), as quite a lot of Rist’s work does, but in this case I can’t deny it’s done well. Besides, I think that much of Rist’s work addresses issues relating to the body in general, male and female, so it’s natural that her work will come from the perspective of her own – female – physical experience.
The thing that has really stayed with me about this show is how immersive the experience is for the viewer. There was so much to take in, I think I will need to return to see more of it another day – I would like to spend longer watching some of the videos. I’ve bought the exhibition catalogue, which contains several essays, so it might be interesting to return for a second viewing of this show with the benefit of having read these.
