This art exhibit in the Hammer museum was comprised
of three artists: Loretta Fahrenholz, Tommy Hartung and Ed Atkins. I was able to
view Ed Atkins’ video work, Even Pricks.
This video exhibition was held in a huge dark room that had projected the video
with two bean bags on the floor. This had made viewing the video highly
comfortable which I think contrasts the purpose of his video. According to the
description of his video work, his video relates to the “idea of
depression-both physical and psychological-to the immaterial surfaces of images”
(Hammer 2015). His video did have not a plot or storyline; they consisted of
random images that mainly consisted of the thumb. The video would present a
thumb in various angles and motions. Additionally this thumb that he would
present would be seen poking different parts of the human body. For example, in
one part of the video it had poked an eye out. There would also be random
images of chimpanzees that would make various facial expressions throughout the
video. I could not really relate or comprehend what was going on in these
videos. Rather I just took what I saw as it is while I was watching this video.
Taking into account the purpose of his video, I think
it was intended to provoke various emotions a depressed individual might
experience yet not having the ability to express one’s self which depressed
people may be incapable of doing. Therefore I think this exhibit was more about
experience rather than aesthetics, which we have learned some artists have done
in this course. Some have had open surgeries in order to have the experience be
the actual art, and I think that is what Ed Atkins attempts to do. The feeling
of not knowing how to feel about what you’re watching is the art that he
intends to portray.
Citation:
Schedule. (n.d.). Retrieved June 4, 2015, from http://hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/2015/hammer-projects-this-is-the-end/
