SCALLOPS (DARK VERSION), ROCKING, 2014
Cosima von Bonin’s “Who’s Exploiting Who in the Deep Sea?” reveals
an assortment of delightfully colorful tableaus connected by an ocean theme. The
artist’s first museum show in New York is full of larger-than-life sea
creatures sewn from bright textiles and installed among various pieces of
furniture and beachside scenes. A stuffed shark, made out of beige cotton, sits
at a wooden desk that’s rather too small for its droopy body; a vivid octopus,
sewn out of a dozen or so solid and patterned textiles spreads its tentacles
across a patchwork stage; and a richly textured vermillion hermit crab lies
flaccid across a white table base. There are also scallops, starfish, coral,
and an over-sized white bikini.
Ms. von Bonin’s aquatic creatures are enticing and
approachable, but hardly childish. Their careful placement among various
objects puts forward a complex narrative that offers more than lighthearted
child’s play. The aforementioned beige shark, for example, suggests the
exhaustion or tedium of corporate life. Its eyes appear to stare up at the
ceiling while its fins reach forward in seeming fatigue or exasperation. The
difference between the scenes of beach life and the scenes from the inner sea
further complicate the narrative. There seems to be a distinction in tone, for
example, between the sunny playfulness of the lifeguard stand and the creatures
that thrive in the dark depths of the sea. If there’s a metaphor here, it’s
that these differences probe at the contradictions you might find in anything.
The show imparts the strange sensation that all of these
creatures have been marooned in some way; plucked out of their natural
environments, and posed as if taxidermied for our enjoyment. This feels a
little at odds with the sound of crashing waves playing in the background, and
to good effect: despite all the props, we’re certainly not at the beach. Despite
the vibrant accessibility of the exhibition’s scenes, von Bonin reminds us that
what seems familiar might ultimately remain unknown to us.
Lia, I really like the overall flow of this review. Each paragraph transitions well and overall there is a nice mix of both descriptive and analytic sentences. You say some of the pieces are "harder to read" and maybe you might want to include a description of one of the pieces you thought was more open ended. You could fit this in by shortening the opening paragraph, the description of each piece is nice but the number of pieces described is somewhat excessive. The ending is well done but I'm wondering what your position is on the show. Was the pondering feeling that it left you with a good or bad thing?
ReplyDeleteLia, I really like the overall flow of this review. Each paragraph transitions well and overall there is a nice mix of both descriptive and analytic sentences. You say some of the pieces are "harder to read" and maybe you might want to include a description of one of the pieces you thought was more open ended. You could fit this in by shortening the opening paragraph, the description of each piece is nice but the number of pieces described is somewhat excessive. The ending is well done but I'm wondering what your position is on the show. Was the pondering feeling that it left you with a good or bad thing?
ReplyDelete