What is going on Mother Nature?! Here in my little city, things were looking up for being outside. I noticed the new plants making their way up through the ground. We’ve had some beautiful days of 60+ degree weather. Spring is here. Wrong! Last night, we got a nice dusting of snow and it’s an insulting 30 degrees out. The sky is grey and moody. So, what is on my mind today? I’m thinking about the work of artist Berlinde De Bruyckere.
The first time I saw her work was in the book Vitamin 3-D. This publication highlights what’s going on with contemporary sculpture and installation. I must admit, I am not really a fan of what is going on as a whole if this is what the future looks like for sculpture and installation. Maybe I need to see more in person or maybe I need to read more about it. In any case, a lot of what’s in the book was not for me. That is until I saw De Bruyckere’s sculpture of a horse carcass draped over a table. Highly conceptual, creepy and engaging, I was drawn in. In seeing more of her work, sculptures of human bodies, I can’t help to be reminded of Kiki Smith’s earlier powerful figurative works. De Bruyckere’s depictions of flesh are that of vulnerability and at the same time kind of sterile and scientific. For me, what really adds to their impact is how she puts bodies together. They twist and writhe as if they are experiencing the pain of being born. When suspended from the ceiling, they are forbidden meat.
In an article I read, Art Gallery of South Australia director Nick Mitzevich spoke about recently acquiring one of her pieces. Mitzevich says, “I want art to change people’s lives … not to be a passive pursuit. If it is a little bit shocking and a little disturbing, that’s the role of art in the society that we live in now. It is supposed to change our thinking.” These words and De Bruykere’s work are truly motivating and inspiring. Yes, for work that makes you have to use your brain and think!