Installation art and perfected use of space

Overview of the art style.

Installation art is one of the most intriguing art styles, with it being presented as the use of space in a creative way and usually making an attraction equally interesting for both art professionals and regular people, just because it is so impressive. The impressiveness of this art is also strengthened by the fact that these art pieces are not permanent, which means that people appreciate them so much more. The artist artist Ilya Kabakov described this art form as " The main actor in the total installation, the main center toward which everything is addressed, for which everything is intended, is the viewer." (Tate, 2021).

The post-modern art style came into prominence at the beginning of the 20th century and the term Installation art was first documented in 1969 by the English Oxford dictionary, but it has been used long before, with the Gesamtkunstwerk, which from German means "total artwork" - it had the same concept as Installation art - to make use of all art forms and make the viewers incorporate all of the senses to fully take in the piece (Installation art, 2021).

Most impressive art.

Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View - Cornelia Parker (1991)

This work was created by Cornelia Parker and is one of the artworks that are associated with the Installation art form, since you can see here, that it uses the whole room that it is set up in, the lighting is adjusted, so the shades from the objects around would be highlighted and really bring attention to the whole theme of the "Dark Matter" being stretched out, by a force in the middle, which could at any time bring it back together. The piece uses materials such as - Wood, metal, plastic, ceramic, paper, textile and wire, to make the matter of the work. The inspiration and story behind the work is that Cornelia Parker asked the British military to blow up a shed and then she recreated it as it would have been in mid-explosion (Tate art, 2021).

In my opinion it is an impressive work of art and definitely inspires awe in me. I do not think it would be the best art piece to have in a living room, but it is really fit for an art gallery room, since that makes the work immersive and really appreciate all of its might. 

Heritage - Cai Guo-Qiang (2013)

This artwork was created by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang in 2013, it depicts 99 life-size animals by a pool drinking and involves some serious drip mechanism work, that it took to put down the sand. The work was displayed in the Brisbane festival. Most of the animals displayed were safari animals, starting from lions and ending with giraffes, but there are also pandas and tigers. The work itself kind of represents the animals drinking from a watering hole. The exhibition curator Russell Storer described the work as "seemingly a peaceful gathering of predator and prey, the menagerie of heritage conveys an almost reverential solemnity, in a lyrical utopian vision loaded with uncertainty" and I feel like the utopian vision is represented really well with these animals being on different levels of the food chain and drinking like this - all together, in peace would not be possible in the real world (designboom, 2014).

I like the work and it inspires calmness, just as much as intrigue, with the animals being life size and you not really being able to get that close to a life size tiger, without becoming a potential snack. The work uses the room as a contingent for the endless space, that these animals could actually wonder and makes them more centered, also the contrast between the white walls, sand and the blue lagoon water is exaggerated and helps bring attention to the animals.
I would actually like a work like this in my collection, as it does take quite a lot of space, but I think ti would be great to be able to show people life-size animals and the peacefulness that could only be achieved in a utopian environment. 

Big Bembi - Vasiliy Ryabchenko (1994)

This work by Vasiliy Ryabchenko is a darker one, if we compare it to the ones before, however it too has its push and pull. The works features three oil barrels placed in a triangle and connected by light bulbs, with deer antlers  hanging from the ceiling above and right in the middle of the barrels (Vasiliy Ryabchenko, 2021). The work definitely accounts for the basis of installation art, since it uses the room as a container for the piece and involves the light games that are going on, with the bulbs being bright and the barrels dark in the poorly lit room, the lights also highlight the antlers that are hanging above. The installation is somewhat symmetrical and therefore evokes a clean and well-thought out plan for the installation, however there are still dark and gloomy vibes that are taken from the work, that are there because of almost a ritualistic feeling for the work - dead deer antlers and symmetric lap around them.
I would not own a piece like this, since I feel like it is too dark and does not really give out a lot of happiness. I think it is a great piece for more serious conventions, which take in to account more of the artistic side and detail of the work. 

Photo of the My Inner Beast sculptures and the artist Jens Galschiot

These sculptures can be linked to the installation art, because of the way they were placed around the world - without permission from the local authorities, so once it was put up, it got taken down in a little while, which brought a lot of attention to them, because they would only appear for a little it. The sculptures depict a pig-man combination in a dark trench coat, exposing the terrible beasts that live in each and every one of us, reminding us about the wild side of our personalities. I find this work of art very intriguing, with the fact that there were not many of these placed around Europe - 20 of these sculptures were made and placed around cities over a 2 day period, back in November 1993 - all of them got taken down, however some of them were kept and two were even adopted in the German state's art collection (My Inner Beast, 2021).

The only place where these would be appropriate, in my opinion, is everywhere, because that was the idea - not to give in to the authorities and show some kind of rebel mindset. I think I would not own this, just because of the fact, that it looks kind of weird with the pig face, however as an investment I think it would be awesome to have one and maybe try replicate something similar to this installation later in life.

Test site - Carsten Holler (2006-2007)

The test site by Carsten Holler was created at the Tate modern art gallery and is a part of the Unilever series of art. The installation piece displays a metal slide that is 5 stories high and is created with tubes, that turn around a huge metal pole, which is the base of the whole art piece. It is interesting to both look at it from the side, but you can also enjoy it as a fun slide down. What Holler said appeals the most about this piece to him is thee feeling going down the slide - it is both anxiety, but also the delight and lucidness of the mind (Tate test site, 2021). 

If someone would ask me if I wanted to have a huge 5 story high slide built in to my house, I would definitely agree, because who does not like slides. One issue I see with this would be the scale - kind of takes a lot of space. This is a great installation and works perfectly in the Tate modern art gallery - i do not think there would be any other places, except for a huge shopping mall, where this art installation could be pulled off. I think it is definitely the definition of installation art, with it having such huge scale and taking a part of a massive space.

Fiebre de Automovil (Auto-Fever) -  Wolf Vostell (1973)

This is an installation work created by German artist Wolf Vostell and depicts a car standing on ceramic plates and being held there by straps. The car itself has what it looks like is arm sleeves coming out of the headlights and it is overall a bizarre look. The work uses the space around to make it even more interesting, since you would not expect to see a car in a setting like this. I like the art style that is shown here and I am a fan of vehicles, so it is especially appealing to me. However I cant say I would like to have this type of art in my house, since I think this is a waste of a classical vehicle. I think the best place for this is in an auto-museum. I brings out confusing emotions, since the car is placed on ceramics, which could not possibly hold up the weight of a car. 

 

Sources used: 

Tate. “Installation Art – Art Term.” Tate, 2021, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/i/installation-art.

“Installation Art.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Sept. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Installation_art#History.

Tate art. “The Story of Cold Dark Matter – Look Closer.” Tate, 2021, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/parker-cold-dark-matter-an-exploded-view-t06949/story-cold-dark-matter 

“99 Animals Flock Together for Cai Guo-Qiang Exhibition.” Designboom, 26 Feb. 2014, https://www.designboom.com/art/99-animals-flock-together-for-cai-guo-qiang-exhibition-11-26-2013/.

“Vasiliy Ryabchenko.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Sept. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasiliy_Ryabchenko.

“My Inner Beast.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Mar. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Inner_Beast#cite_note-1.

Tate. “The Unilever Series: Carsten Höller: Test Site – Exhibition at Tate Modern.” Tate, 2021, https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/unilever-series/unilever-series-carsten-holler-test-site.