Scary Gorgeous: Virtual Studio Visit to LauraSplan.com

Laura Splan's work is beautiful, delicate, and disturbing.  (An alternate title for this posting could be "Blood and Beauty Products.")  Her website showcases sculpture, photos, videos, other digital art, and works on paper that make you cringe while also making you want to lean into the screen, looking closer and closer until you fall into her world.

JJS examined this website from the bottom up (largely bypassing the section titled "installation views," which shows not installation art but the installation of other artwork on the site).

Because she mostly magnifies and alters materials we all own, particularly blood and skin, there is a natural fascination with Splan's art.  You'll want to continue to look, though, because of the skill with which she examines and manipulates her materials.

For instance, in the video "Disbursement & Accumulation" the initial beautiful burst of blood-like fluid evaporates into a more disturbing residue left behind.  According to the artist, another work, the photographs "Underneath (1-4)" display what we see when we peel back the layers of our hopes, fears, and ambivalence towards the human body.  A perfectly reasonable interpretation, but the surgical drawings on skin can also be read as humans' precise, beautiful attempts to understand the body through science and cosmology (the drawings look a lot like astronomical charts).

Given Splan's subject matter, the more tactile her work is, the more successful it is.  More conventionally-produced work, such as the photographs "Exam Gown" and "Simple maneuvers" are not as compelling as the "Underneath" series or "X-ray Visions and Morphine Dreams" photo collages.  Ironically, her 2-d prints and drawings pulse with life, not only because many of them use her own blood, but because they appear to be microscopic organisms caught in action.  And many of the drawings are actually based on scientific forms which, of course, have their own beautiful design.  The second and third "Reflexive" drawing series particularly stand out with thin forms that appear to crawl across the page as you watch.

Splan's sculpture wisely veers away from trying to portray the body to presenting everyday objects – especially medical tools – in extreme form.  Her 25 foot-long functional stethoscope, four foot-long tongue depressors, and huge functioning catheter make us cringe in a different way than the blood-soaked drawings and prints.  But the sculptures' impact does not go far beyond shock value, while the drawings and print images linger and call the viewer back for third and fourth looks.

The question of whether Splan's work would be as compelling if we did not know that she is using blood or representing the body is moot – the whole point of her work is its relationship to corporeality.  When considering her wallpaper and doily designs painted with blood, we cannot separate the material and the image.

The website is impeccably organized and extremely user-friendly.  And the art images themselves flow together well partly because Splan's subject matter is so consistent across media and representations.  Finally, it is great – and rare – to read an artist statement that accurately describes how someone other than the artist might view the work.  Splan, who seems to have been honing her craft for years, understands the inside and outside of her own artwork as much as she understands the body's surface and inner systems.

The Colors of Craft

This posting could ask why crafters of color aren't more visible – but that question has been asked so many times of so many arenas, over so many years.  It's an important, relevant question, but not the most interesting one.  

The more interesting question is why the craft aesthetic is so uniform. The overwhelming images are of 1950s and 1960s kitsch – brightly colored, geometric (mostly round) shapes, and semi-ironic pictures of women in dresses with crinoline.  In fact, lots of "craft" reminds me of what a Washington Post journalist once said about USA Today: "Just like Fisher Price toys, it's appropriate for small children - all bright colors and soft edges."  The particular nostalgia shown in these craft motifs reinforces stereotypes about gender, race, class and sexuality.  And if the bored housewife theme isn't your thing, it's also monotonous and annoying.

Bright colors and softness are great – but where is everything else? Where are the objects that aren't afraid to speak a direct message, that draw on more recent - or older - inspirations, the ones with a darker sense of humor, some sharp and pointy edges?

That's why Crafty Chica is so refreshing.  Kathy Cano-Murillo's empire (you think that word is too vast?  The Chica's got products in Michael's, her own crafty cruise, a web-video show, and an eye-popping website to tell you all about it!  Check out craftychica.com) – Where were we?  Her empire is awesome – and it's based on a wide variety of crafts, many of which draw on her Chicana cultura.  She'll give you directions to DIY Day of the Dead altars and sell you Latina Power Bracelets and Mighty Mujer Purses.  And she'll also tell you about her "Hip Home Décor," ribbon frames, and a multitude of ideas that aren't as culturally-specific.

There's a sincerity, a joy in her website that makes you think Crafty Chica is just being herself – making things based on whatever inspiration hits her in the moment.  In a recent post, she wrote  "Empanada pin cushions! After seeing so many fiber artists have their way with cupcake pincushions, I thought I'd throw a little needle love to Mexican puff pastries."  She points out a trend that could be read as benign, annoying, and/or ethnocentric, but instead of dwelling on it, she does her own thing.  Craft on!

With a little hunting (and a lot of looking at pages other folks' link to), JJS found some other poc crafters with a little edge.  You can start with the Black Crafters Guild, based in Canada, which features folks who make jewelry, paper, soap, "edible art," and other crafty types - blackcrafters.ning.com – Some individual sites are:  SistahCraft (for needlework) - sistahcraft.typepad.com – and Black Purl magazine – in print and online at www.black-purl-magazine.com - Are the knitters and crochet-ers more organized or just more searchable than other crafty types?  And where are the API (Asian/Pacific/Islander), Arab, and Native crafters?  Drop a comment and tell JJS about other crafty poc.

So remember those questions about invisibility and racism?  As tired as these questions are, they continue to exist because the inequities that cause them continue to exist.  In a brief post at http://www.sheeptoshawl.com/blog/index.php?blogid=1&query=crafting  blogger Donna Druchunas asks "Is the crafting world prejudiced?  It's good that a self-described "pasty-skinned" person is asking this question.  It's good that people all over and of all backgrounds continue to ask these questions, and it's even better when they try to answer them or try to change the existing answers.  JJS does a lot of that off the 'net, so this space looks more at how race and other issues function within art than at how they function in larger societies.  Ok, ok, here's an answer:

Crafters of color are everywhere – you can see them on the subway knitting or crocheting.  You will see them in craft stores buying their supplies.  You may see them less often in classes, galleries, and museums, and hardly at all in the media, markets, or on the internet – that web that's so wide you get lost in it and forget what you were looking for.  This marginalization, this invisibility is about access and money and who owns and controls what.  It's true that story's been told; unfortunately, it repeats itself over and over so that it must be told again and again.

Virtual Studio Visit - Sonya Clark

Sonya Clarke – www.sonyaclark.com

I first came across Sonya Clarke's work in the "Pricked" exhibit at the Museum of Art & Design.  In it was her great little piece, "Afro Abe," a five dollar bill with the esteemed president sporting a righteous fro.  The best work on view on Clarke's website, shows the same playfulness and attention to detail.  The website organizes Clark's art by medium, date, and concept.  Jujustring chose concept for this virtual studio visit (although browsing by date gives you a better sense of how the work has developed).

Clark describes the first section, "Hands," as elegies to other craftspeople in her family.  The beaded sculptures "Little Hug," a necklace, and "Golden Touch," tiny gloves made to fit on the fingertips have a great sense of humor.  Other pieces, such as the hand with plant-like roots entitled "Growing" and "Handy," a collection of tiny hands linked to a photograph of human hands, are more poignant. "Fingerprints," images silk screened on cloth, is also very effective and is the only piece in the series that does not involve beads.

None of Clark's work is precious, a criticism often levied against fine craft.  Interestingly, though, her less compelling pieces are often on a larger scale.  It seems as though the bigger the object, the harder the artist seems to be trying, and the more obvious the message becomes. In contrast, with the smaller works not only is her fine workmanship evident, but somehow the link between creativity and message seem more effortless.

 Clark's "Roots/Biology" section references science, history and, of course hair.  Most of the pieces here are not beaded, but instead use wire, cloth, and human hair.  And even when it's not made of hair, much of the work in this section references black hairstyles.  "Two Trees," a half-dome that is both landscape and disembodied scalp is both amusing and slightly disturbing.  The heads of "springy pair," "brown pair," and "black pair" featured in a later section titled "Pairs" are similarly affecting.  Easily moving from sculpture to wearable art, "Roots Necklace Green" and "Hair Necklace" are both beautiful and functional, if you're a bit daring.

Sculptures such as "Synapse" and "Mitosis" are less notable not because they more directly reference science, but because they merely illustrate science, rather than adding the twist or commentary that appears in Clark's other pieces.  A few sculptures that have the depth evident in the artist's best work are:  "Chromosomes," which consists of several dozen assorted beaded Xs and one Y; "Plexus," which is a beaded landscape; and "Dendrite," made of crocheted cotton and copper leaf, and resembling both a sea organism and an outrageous hairstyle. 

 Developing from the hair theme, after the "Roots" section comes "Head," which is broken down into the subsets "Wigs" and "Yoruba."  Unfortunately Clark's wigs are too literal to be very interesting.  The standout here is "Gossiping Hairdressers," in which the open eyes of two large-eyed ceramic heads are connected by a chain of beads.  Similarly, "Wigs" is one of Clark's larger groups of work, and though it is meticulously made, much of it is repetitive – again we see the half scalp with different hairstyles created in thread that first appeared in "Roots/Biology."

The Yoruba section is much more interesting – the shapes are more uncommon, the colors more vibrant, and the materials more varied, from felt, to beads, to velvet, grass, and nails.  While the shapes seem to largely be modeled on actual headdresses (and some will be familiar to those knowledgeable about West African religions), their unusualness in everyday life – and in contemporary fine art – makes them compelling.

 The final thematic section, "Combs," however, is an absolute revelation.  Using plastic black combs, the work recalls Chakaia Booker's use of another humble material to create moving, arresting, and technically outstanding sculpture.  It is hard to single pieces out of this wonderful set, but the curves of "Wavy Strand," and "Waves," are especially compelling.  The viewer doesn't need to read Clark's artist's statement to understand the cultural information and moments these pieces are referencing – or to appreciate the work's beauty.

For some reason the video pieces found under "Medium" do not appear at all under "Concept."  While Clark has been professionally creating art for almost 15 years, these shorts are all from 2003-2005.  They seem to be an exploration of the medium by someone who is more comfortable in the material world.  The videos are pretty straightforward, and are more interesting as part of Clark's evolving oeuvre than as individual works of art.  If she continues working with the moving image, perhaps she can imbue it with the nuances of humor, politics, and skill that her objects employ.

(By the way, if you enjoy Clark's work as much as JJS, don't neglect to check out her very reasonably priced catalogs.)

 

Virtual Studio Visits are just what they sound like.  They are an opportunity for JJS to examine – in as much depth as the artist's website allows – artists whose work was seen in a gallery, museum, or magazine.  It is also a way for you to interact with JJS – you can see all of the pieces discussed, and leave feedback about whether you agree or disagree with JJS' judgment.  If you know of – or are – an artist that you think JJS should conduct a virtual studio tour of, let JJS know!