Sascha
Braunig: Shivers
On View
October 23, 2016-March 5, 2017
In the MoMA PS1 one of the exhibits is the rethought portraits of Sascha Braunig’s Shivers. The exhibit features pieces of Braunig’s from over the past five years which show highly rendered portraits that depicts sculptural constructs. The pieces are held in a rectangular room with one wall in the middle towards the back third of the room that is open on both sides and breaks up the space, making the back a little bit more closed. The pieces hanging in the back space towards the corner can be seen from across the gallery. They appear to be three-dimensional until you approach the pieces to see that they are still just paintings.
Braunig’s portraits are different from traditional portraiture, masking the faces in various shiny textures, such as circle’s and ribbons. The backgrounds match the colors of the figures, allowing them stand out and blend in at the same time, which speaks to the way of modern life. Living in a society where standing out almost seems to blend in. Her pieces brought out themes of self identity in a world where there is a constant feeling of confinement. She even goes as far as to deconstruct the figure completely, creating their presence through materials like wire and fabric. As well as having them in distressed positions, adding to the concepts of the overall show of depicting bodies under duress. The show Shivers by Sascha Braunig is of beautifully done portraits that speak to the instabilities of modern life.
I really enjoyed reading your piece on this exhibition, as it was one of my favorites of all the artists we have seen so far. I like that you touched on the sculptural aspects of her work, as well as the fact that in society today standing out is essentially still blending in. I think something that you could have added to enhance your writing piece is a personal note from Sascha and how she felt about her pieces, she talks a lot about how these paintings were inspired by encompassing the space of the canvas to twist the portraits, and I think that is something important to touch on. Overall a very well written piece that leaves the reader intrigued and ready to go see Shivers!
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