HowardArt Intervention on Abramovic at MOMA
March 15th 2010 01:29
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Link: www.amirbaradaran.com/
Abramovic Poetic Quarrel and Amir Baradaran
The intervention of Amir Baradaran into the Marina Abramovic's retrospective exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in NYC, could be described as a "Poetic Quarrel." The exhibit includes many of the 'performance art" pieces that she has done during her long career. In particular, Abramovic performs her piece called "The Artist is Present," with the added element of people being able to sit next to her, though she is silent. Abramovic sits in a flowing dark blue dress at a table in the middle of a big white square, under spotlights. Several of Abramovic's other performance art pieces are performed by artists at the same time in the Museum. In Abramovic's portrayal of "the Artist is Present" another artist, Amir Baradaran got to artistically intervene into the exhibit.
In fact, Baradaran's intervention can be viewed as a four-act play performed on a Friday afternoon. In his first act, Baradaran offers marriage, as a metaphor to the true body of Abramovic's work. Abramovic resists speaking, as Baradaran also takes off a trench coat that reveals a red, long-flowing dress, and questions of sexual identity. In the second act, Baradaran is in a suit jacket, but has over his face a series of veils made out of canvas. The first veil has written, "In-out" This conjures up the question of what defines the artist as able to go on display in a museum, or approved by society, or on the contrary, those on-the-outs and not recognized. The second veil-message is vague, saying, "I am a nurse from New Zealand." It refers to Abramovic's known desire to be anonymous when she wants to be. Another veil has written "the passing of the artist," symbolizing the independent identity of the art work. Finally the last veil states, "Non-resident alien," a difficult identity. The alien is one who is not accepted, and is confronted with regulations, and in this case the nearby presence of security guards. Baradaran turns in his third act to chanting a Sufi chant in Arabic and is drawn into mysticism. Baradaran is trying to act as beautifully as possible, playing on one of Abramovic's work titles, "Art is Beautiful, the Artist Must be Beautiful" and trying with his prayer to be as beautiful and spiritual as possible. As Baradaran leaves, his pocket objects are still left on the table, forcing the taciturn security guards to react and pick up and take his objects to him. Baradaran has interrupted the minimalist exhibit of Abramovic, bringing to it his spiritual intensity and even his tears.
A final act is added to Baradaran's intervention of "The Other Artist is Present," this time outside the museum. Now Baradaran is outside, but is the mirror image of the exhibit inside, seating at a replica wooden table. The other artist is an independent focus of public attention, with many people photographing him with their cell phone cameras. Baradaran is outside, but still penetrates inside the art exhibit as an outsider. Though Baradaran is now beyond the glass, he is fully participating in the artistic experience of Abramovic, only a few feet away from him, inside beyond the glass.
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