Sunday, October 18, 2009

Collections as Art






Unfortunately Song Dong’s exhibition has closed at Museum of Modern Art in NYC last month, but as I have only just started this “fluff ‘n’ stuff” blog recently, I still wanted to highlight this amazing exhibition, Based in Beijing, artist Song Dong created this exhibition “Waste Not”, For a fellow appreciator of objects, this exhibition highlighted for me the magic of collections and how half a lifetime of collecting objects can say so much about a person’s life and existence, In this case, Song’s mother, the installation consisted of the complete contents of her home, amassed over 50 years during which the Chinese concept of wu jin qi yong, or "waste not," was a prerequisite for survival, while to most it would seem like just objects worthy of being simply thrown out, To me I appreciated it’s attention to composition, color blocking and repetition of objects, It was truly fascinating, For me when styling, I often employ similar techniques, The idea of also working with found or everyday objects has always held its appeal and often that one (..Or as in this case many) unexpected objects in a composition whether for art or styling photographs sake, is what can make a image retain a sense of interest or appeal, Its that twist or that sense of quirk I like, often everyday objects can seem the most interesting, because they can turn up unexpected but also hold a sense of familiarity. Its not a new concept, Look at the work of Marcel Duchamp, Andy Warhol or Jeff Koons for example, where everyday objects became high art, one would argue these were done with shock value intended where as Song’s work has a wonderful sensitivity and personal energy.

You can read more about Song Dong’s work on www.culturebase.net

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