Joep van Lieshout - Annotated Bibliography

Atelier Van Lieshout, Autocrat, 1997. Reproduced from Atelier Van Lieshout, http://www.ateliervanlieshout.com/ (accessed September 8, 2010)

Joep van Lieshout (b. 1963. Ravenstein) is a working artist based in Rotterdamn, The Netherlands and is the founder of Atlier Van Leishout (AVL), a now internationally recognised organisation, well known for their objects which balance on the boundary between ar, architecture and design. Associate themes which AVL focus on include autocracy, power, politics and all things associated with life and death. AVL's workshop is situated in a large warehouse in the harbors of Rotterdam. The building is an inustraial monument, and was built in the 1920s an oirginally used to store cotton. It has today been transformed by Leishout into a manufacturing workshop with a fibreglass, sculpture, wood and metals department. AVL has 20 employees all with previous professional backgrounds and origins, designers work closely with the employees throughout the manufacturing process.

AVL-Ville (founded 2001) The early works which Leishout based around the idea of the mobile home and complete self-sufficiency developed the idea of a free state close by to AVL for past, current and future AVL employees to utilise. AVL-Ville currently has its own hospital (1998), organic farm, art school, group housing as well as workshops which produce weapons, bombs, alcohol and medicine.

Atelier Van Lieshout, Tampa Skull, 1998. Reproduced from Atelier Van Lieshout, http://www.ateliervanlieshout.com/ (accessed September 8, 2010)

Atelier Van Lieshout, BarRectum, 2005. fibreglass and mixed media, 16m x 4m. Reproduced from DesignBoom, http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/vanlieshout/yoko.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/vanlieshout.html&usg=__QPq1o64lS2BA_N7pvj5u7lfW9ko=&h=312&w=460&sz=30&hl=en&start=4&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=OSF_8VwHazhw7M:&tbnh=87&tbnw=128&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbar%2Brectum%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1 (accessed September 5, 2010)

Atelier Van Lieshout, BarRectum, 2005. fibreglass and mixed media, 16m x 4m. Reproduced from Atelier Van Lieshout, http://www.ateliervanlieshout.com/ (accessed September 5, 2010)

Atelier Van Lieshout, Utopian Doghouse, 2002. Reproduced from Atelier Van Lieshout, http://www.ateliervanlieshout.com/ (accessed September 4, 2010)

Atelier Van Lieshout, Workshop for Alcohol and Medicines, 1998. Reproduced from Atelier Van Lieshout, http://www.ateliervanlieshout.com/ (accessed September 4, 2010)

Up The Organization - Joep can Lieshout, Atelier van Lesihout - Interview (2001)http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0268/is_8_39/ai_75830817/ (accessed September 4, 2010)

About AVL - Atlier Van Lieshout, Official Website http://www.ateliervanlieshout.com/ (accessed September 4, 2010)

DesignBoom: Joep van Lieshout Interview in Milan (2007) http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/vanlieshout.html (accessed September 5, 2010)

Art & Globalisation - Fiona Hall

The Real Thing, 1994 - polaroid photographs 68x53cm

'The Real Thing' is part of Fiona Hall's series of works 'The Price is Right' (1995) which was her first commercial showing. The walls of the exhibition featured tupperware illuminated by internal globes and photographs of Coca Cola cans embossed with images of everyday objects, such as a mop, hot watter bottle and underwear. The Real Thing is embossed with the image of Buddha and photographed on either side, displaying the Coca Cola on one side and the shiny aluminium on the other. I interpreted this particular work as a comment on Buddhisms growing popularity and Coca Colas universal status in our contemporary society. Coca Cola cans which are a global marker of modernity are used frequently by Hall in her works; either shredded, knitted, as is or flattened and embossed like so in 'The Real Thing'. Hall's use of the everyday object, I feel is strongly related to globalisation. With the increase of Westernisation, western objects have become frequently utilised in different cultures, which has made them globally identifiable to an extent and vice versa with religions such as Buddhism or asian or middle-eastern cuisine encultured into western society.

The Real Thing, 1994 - polaroid photographs 68x53cm

http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/artists/17/Fiona_Hall/150/

Art & Sprituality - Victoria's Way Indian Sculpture Park

"Victoria's Way Indian Sculpture Park is home to over 14 amazing sculptures. The unusual spiritual visions of an Irishman were created in stone by craftsmen in Mahabalipuram, India, and now populate this park in County Wicklow, Ireland. Covering 22 acres, the park includes a series of dancing figures of Ganesh, Shiva, and other Hindu deities. It also includes more bizarre sculptures of a skeletal Buddha-like figure, an enormous disembodied finger, and a sculpture called "The Split Man" which shows a figure ripping itself in two, representing "the mental state of the dysfunctional human." Intended to represent the spiritual progression to enlightenment, the astounding collection of statues took a total of 20 years to complete."

"It was in 1989 when Victor Langheld first envisaged a strange and wonderful sculpture park. Sculptures which symbolized the stages of the journey from un-wholeness to wholeness, to awakening, enlightenment, fulfilment and the happiness that is the reward for complete fulfilment. Langheld had previously travelled throughout India for over 30 years on a quest to uncover and understand the drivers of life and death. In Mahabalipuram, near Madras in southern India, Langheld discovered 3 artisans who were willing to carve his visions into black granite or where not possible, create models which could then be cast in bronze"

I personally have very little knowledge about Hindu beliefs, but it has always been of interest to me. When I came across these images of the Victoria's Way sculptures, not only did I find them to be spritiual, but very haunting and disturbing, these two images specifically which depict very skeletal like figures. Langheld's vision seems to have been a very spiritual one, taking on board what he had learnt from his travels in India, and perhaps his very own moral's of life and death. I would really love to experience this spiritual journey for myself, and see these amazing sculptures in the flesh! Bec, take me back to your country, lets have an adventure!

http://www.victoriasway.eu/

Dadang Christanto - Art & Identity

They Give Evidence, 1996-1997 - 16 standing figures holding clothes, terracotta powder, resin, fibreglass and cloth.

"Dadang Christanto (1957) is an Indonesian born artist who sees his role as an art activist. Dadang's professional creative life grows out of his experiences in Indonesia and in Australia, and encompasses the deepest levels of human experience and identity. Often his work is in response to the suffering of Indonesians persecuted for the political and religious beliefs or their ethnicity, primarily during the Suharto regime. Christanto was only eight years old when his father was arrested and soon after killed during this time of civil distress. This has been a strong influence throughout Christanto's artmaking, as he continues to reinforce his identity and experience his native history through his sculpture and performance works. Dadang feels that people who live in a difficult, repressive places, develop a different concept of identity and that individuals who are forced to show only their public, official facade are also in danger of losing their private identity. Now reciding in Australia, Christanto is able to embrace his identity and share his concepts behind this ideo with the artworld."

Heads from the North, 2004 - installation, 66 bronze heads

I'm attracted to Dadang's work personally, as I too like Dadang have Indonesian heritage. Because my family are 7th generation Chinese in Indonesia, the concept of Identity has always been an important concept in my family as our Chinese identity overtime has been lost through the generations in Indonesia. Up until recently, I had always thought of myself as being Indonesian because it is the culture which I identify most with. However, my father told me a couple years ago that we are infact originally Chinese and that we have a 'made-up' surname because Chinese immigrants were made to change their surnames to avoid racially motivated abuse/discrimination in Indonesian society. So really, I am of Chinese, Indonesian and Dutch background, first generation in Australia; an individual who identifies with 4 different cultures! I think the more the merrior, race and identity seem so heavily integrated. When I was young I didn't really understand or appreciate my cultural diversity, but today it's something that I'm very proud of :-)


http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/multicultural_art/artists/construct_ourselves/co_art3_dadang.html

Duane Hanson - Art & The Body

Queenie II, 1988 - polychromed bronze with accessories

"Duane Hanson (1925-1996) was an American artist whose primary interest was in recreating the human form, and well known for his lifecast and realistic works of everyday people. Hanson uses a range of materials including polyester resin, fibreglass, bondo and bronze. He first began representing the human body at age 13 in 1938 when created a 3 dimensional wood rendering of the figure in Thomas Gainsborough's famous portrait 'The Blue Boy' (c. 1770). Hanson's earlier sculptural works include a carving of his mothers broomstick, which he made into miniature representations of the human form."

The individuals which Hanson has chosen to represent appear to have the stereotypical appearance of Americans, especially the uniform of the janitor and the holiday outfits of the tourists. What interested me the most however, are the blank expressions and motionless stances of the individuals. The certainly don't appear to be enjoying themselves, doing it is whatever they're doing. Because the invidual's roles in society are so easily identifiable, and their expressions so plain; I feel that Hanson is attempting to comment on the routine of everyday life and perhaps the inability to escape routine (of a job for example).

Traveller, 1988 - autobody filler, fibreglass and mixed media with accessories

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/duane_hanson.htm