Post Modern Exhibit: Deconstruction Art
Deconstruction Art During the Post Modern Era
Deconstruction art is seen as a philosophy that rejects universals. This means Deconstruction rejects the tradition of art needing form because "all artistic creations have the same potential to communicate with anyone" (Arts & International Affairs). Art is like a universal language that can connect the world and represent its people, cultures, and freedom. Deconstruction art speaks for all of these ideas, but without the conceptual distinctions of art which means everyone is free to interpret art as they see fit.
Yuichi Ikehata
I was not familiar with Yuichi Ikehata until doing this blog and I'm so happy I found her because, wow. Her work is so interesting and beautiful and can be interpreted in so many ways, it was really difficult to pick just two of her pieces. In her series titled An Observer's Report, Ikehata displays this character, man or woman, who seems to be wandering through distorted reality. Ikehata explains this by saying, "The relationship between reality and fiction is such an intimate one that it is not possible to distinguish between which is which at times, being that we place our reliance on one while acknowledging the existence of another" (The ReArt). It's a hard concept to grasp, but that's okay because Deconstruction art isn't meant to mean just one thing, it can mean anything the individual wants; it's a break from absolutes. All of Ikehata's pieces give off the same vibe as An Observer's Report, uncomfortable and unfamiliar yet strangely settling. I don't know about you, but I can't stop looking at these sculptures.
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| "An Observer's Report 1_No.18" 2014 |
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| "An Observer's Report 1_No.16" 2013 |
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh is a popular sculptor known for his explorations of space and home. While he is mostly seen as an Installation artist, I believe these three particular sculptures constitute Deconstruction. In his two-piece series titled Fall Star 1/5, we can see that he is representing a house that is divided. This could be seen in a quite literal sense, or in an emotional sense, it is truly up to the viewer. These sculptures represent the definition of Deconstruction as Suh has taken an idea of home and pulled it apart- or split it in half. Suh's sculpture Some/one can be an emotional piece or just a very cool piece, again, depending on the viewer. Do Ho Suh grew up in South Korea, so this piece is made entirely out of stainless steel dog tags which was inspired by the mandatory South Korean military. As you can see, the garment lacks human form to fill it and the dog tags represent thousand's of individuals. So, this piece really belongs to someone and no one at the same time. There's a sort of mystery cloaked within this piece and it seems as though Suh has deconstructed the idea of war and the military and chose to represent it in a stand-alone way. All three of these pieces can definitely be argued as Installation art because that's kind of what they were created for. However, when you really examine each piece and what it can represent, they're all a deconstructed idea without a defined form. Each piece has the power to communicate with anyone in any way. For me, these pieces make me feel different things. In his Fall Star 1/5 series, I instantly felt the house was divided in an emotional sense like it's a broken home. Obviously, the home is literally broken, but in my eyes, the house is only falling apart because the family living inside has fallen apart. A home is only as strong as its foundation, and that goes for any relationship or family.
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| "Fall Star 1/5" 2008 |
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| "Fall Star 1/5" 2008 |
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| "Some/One" 2001 |
Christine Liebich is a German artist who utilizes steelworks made of coated steel, cut and welded to produce "relief-like images of great virtuosity" (Artsy). I'm honestly not sure how these pieces make me feel, I just kind of see them for what they are. Perhaps you have a different interpretation, which would be understandable because like I've been saying all along, Deconstruction art allows us to view the subject matter in any way we want. Liebich's pieces, especially Sphere 2, give off the impression of a drawing style that expresses itself on its own, much like in the way we see in a painting. The pieces of metal she uses are not gentle- or even graceful, but they are sharp and precise. Despite this, and the material's heaviness, there is a nice lightness and elegance being displayed, especially in Dark Knight Dinky Fusion. I don't think I would ever own one of the sculptures but they would be very cool to see in person.
Work Cited.
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| "Dark Knight Dinky Fusion" 2019 |
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| "Sphere 2" 2018 |
Elements of Art
Each piece I have chosen represents Deconstruction art in one way or another, but I love how every piece can truly be felt or viewed in a contrasting way. Deconstruction rejects the conceptual distinctions of art which means everyone is free to interpret art as they see fit. This also means that pieces reflecting this style do not have an element of form as the whole philosophy of Deconstruction denies this element of art. Nonetheless, there are a few elements we can see in this style. Space is utilized to add a feeling of depth or three dimensions. In paintings, space can mean a few different things, but with sculptures, especially the ones I have chosen to talk about, I'm referring to the artist's use of three-dimensional space. While there are no rules to how a Deconsctive artist uses space, there are definitely distances around, within, and between components of a piece. Another element we can see is shape. In some cases, however, there is no defined shape because it is almost abstract. We can see organic and geometric shapes being used interchangeably in each sculpture which, ironically, creates a sense of balance.
Chey, Chankethya. “Art Is Universal – Society Is Local.” Arts and International Affairs, 24 July 2017, theartsjournal.net/2017/07/18/art-is-universal-society-is-local/.
“Christine Liebich ‘Dark Knight.’” Artsy, www.artsy.net/show/galerie-jahn-1-christine-liebich-dark-knight/info.
Suh, Do Ho. “Do Ho Suh: Some/One.” Whitney Museum of American Art, whitney.org/collection/works/16102.
“Yuichi Ikehata: A World of Reality and Non-Reality.” The ReArt, 9 Sept. 2018, thereart.ro/yuichi-ikehata-works/.
I agree with you that Deconstruction art is organic and geometric shapes are used in each sculpture. I love An Observer's Report that you chose for this blog. It is fascinating to look at and it looks like if they were evolving into something else.
ReplyDeleteI gotta get this out of my system. The piece called "Some One" made me laugh. Symbolism aside, I'm trying to imagine wearing that, and it'd be funny to walk around wearing something that long. Everyone listed, their art is absolutely amazing. I can't imagine trying to make any of these by any means, and the effort these people put into making these is deserving of praise in and of itself.
ReplyDeleteI love the art pieces you displayed in your exhibit! My favorites would be the first two sculptures as I think they are perfect examples of Deconstruction. I like how the sculptures appear to be in movement as well.
ReplyDeleteDeconstruction art is definitely the most intriguing style of post modern art for me. I think what really catches my eye when it comes to the art pieces you included in your exhibit is just how random the ideas for deconstruction art can be sometimes. Which shows just how much creativity can be applied to this style of art. Great blog post!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog exhibit Laura! I really enjoy Deconstruction art and I too was super impressed by Yuichi Ikehata’s series An Observer’s Report. I think this series is so beautiful and even looking at it for a few minutes I could see multiple different interpretations being pulled out from it. I totally agree with you that it is uncomfortable because of its unfamiliarity but the longer I look at the series I find comfort in it. The way that there is no ending of the figure and the piece wander off gives it that wandering feel and I really enjoyed that.
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