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Contributor:
Indianapolis Museum of Art
Babble On. | Login
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Channels: Contemporary ArtOrly GengerSculpture
Orly Genger meets up in the IMA’s Nugget Factory to discuss her latest installation at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the names for her sculptures and installing in a very public location.
My name is Orly Genger, and the title is Whole.
Well, this project is a series of nine different sculptures that are basically stacks and they are spread throughout
the entry pavilion. Sort of, dealing with minimalism, post-minimalism and a lot of those guys who made those
big steel sculptures in the '60s, sort of a response to all that.
The process is quite intense, actually, because the rope is extremely heavy and what I do is knot the rope,
so it's a very physical process, you end the day feeling like you've used every part of your body to make the work.
So, sometimes, you know, you're on all fours or you're pulling or shoving at this rope. It's a lot of, I think a lot of the process has to do with the idea of persistence
and a continual devotion to something. So the process is knotting the ropes, then
I spread them out across the floor of my studio and spray them with a very large sprayer. In this case, all the pieces were painted black,
so my studio, at one point, looked like, literally like a cave. There was, I mean, the whole place was black and the ground of the studio
was almost like mud because the paint never had a chance to dry, so you are sort of sinking into this floor of latex paint and
you know, the paint gets everywhere. By the time you leave the studio, there is like black coming out of every hole of your body, so it's quite an intense process, making the work.
Whole came from the idea, I mean I have a tough time with titles, but I was thinking about what I was actually trying to do
and what I am attempting to do is to create sculpture, to make sculpture from the beginning to the end and instead of let's say
a steel sculpture that the artist might send out to get made, this is made by hand
and this idea of actually making a sculpture whole was one of the thoughts and the idea of
because of the nature of the work and it's layered and it's porous and you see the handwork, you are sort of immediately being very honest with the viewer, in revealing the structure
of the piece. There is nothing hidden in there, I mean, you see, you see how each layer is built, it's like seeing layers of the earth. So that idea
of making something whole and seeing it whole and understanding how it is what is and then also this idea that because of the nature of the space
and its nine different sculptures that you really can't take in the show from one vantage point and that it's a constantly changing view
as you move around the space.
Each of the sculptures are named after the first names of some of the guys who won Mr. Universe.
Okay, the big one upfront is Arnold, then we've got Reg, we have Joe, which is the super tall one,
and Earl, Paul, Boyer, and Frank, it's my guys.
It was cool to hear some people's comments, who didn't know I was the artist, who said that they don't like it and that the piece beforehand was better
because it made people smile. So, that was okay.
For me this project shifts gears a bit because most of my previous work has been quite organic looking and
I wanted to, for a while now, I have been wanting to sort of somehow contain the organicness into an object. I have really wanted to make objects,
something that was in a way self-contained and had boundaries to it,
so it's different in that sense. It's also something that can be picked up and moved somewhere else.
There are always challenges but that's, you know, that's the fun of it, it's like a puzzle trying to figure out how you play with the challenges,
how you push the challenges, how you fool the challenges, but I mean, this indoor space is huge, in and of itself,
so it's almost becomes like an outdoor space. Yeah, it's challenging because it's indoor but it's still public, I mean it's an entry way,
so you have people walking in and out and it has to be quite functional. It's challenging because it's the only natural light,
so there is no smoke and mirrors at all, what you see is what it is.
Yeah, I mean those were some of the challenges, I am sure there are plenty more.
I just want them to feel something, you know. I think the worst thing is not to feel anything and whatever it may be.
I look at a lot of other art. I look at a lot of nature and
a lot of it is more cerebral than visual, so I think about a lot of ideas, so I think
a lot of the work comes out of that.
Yeah, that's a really tough question. It's like what's my favorite color, I don't know, I know, I have to get back to you on that.
If I wasn't an artist, I would be in a really bad place because I would have no idea of, I mean, yeah...I don't know what I'd do, I don't know.
Cool... Sure... Make sure I look good........ most importantly.......
Tylor (Augustus)
Art
12-8-2009
The way that the artist explained her work was very interesting. She started out by telling us what it was made of. Her artwork, WHOLES, is made from large amounts of rope. It took a lot of hard work and determination to make this piece. Once all of the rope was gathered, it had to be knotted in order to obtain the shape that Genger wanted. It was a semi-diificult task to manage because the art had to be made indoors and some pieces of this 9-part sculpture were really large!
The message trying to be protrayed by this art is nothing to hard to understand. Genger says, "I just want them [viewers] to feel something." I do not believe that there is anything specific to be felt, but it would be bad not to feel anything at all. Genger made this art as a type of response to the large sculptures that were built back in the 1960's.
Overall, I believe this art is good. The way it was constructed made the art seem hard, but that just shows how well of an artist Genger really is.
This was very insightful. I wish I could have seen this work in person.
The middle aged man who had "seen enough" was dead right - listen to how Orly attempts to explain her work - it's just total and utter rubbish.
The tension created in that magical space between object and viewer, between the organic material and geometric forms, the matte black sucking in light and beguiling us to consider the mass and volumes and rhythms, I am enchanted, speechless, curious and stunned! Many thanks to the camera director, giving us so many angles, distances and perspectives within the space. As a remote viewer, I am very grateful for this experience. Thanks to the artist for pushing and stretching so hard beyond the obvious limitations of the media to create something wondrous and new. Please tell the folks at the IMA and the Nugget Factory that yes, this video, combined with Richard McCoy’s IMA blog and the artist’s guest blog really has made me commit to a journey from Santa Fe to Indianapolis – I can’t wait!
I was walking into the museum one weekend at the same time as a middle-aged couple. When they got inside the man saw this installation and said sarcastically, "Well, I've seen enough." I thought it was too bad he shut down when confronted with the sculpture instead of realizing the confrontation IS the experience...at least to me it is. They are right in your face when you walk in, or go down the escalator from the gallery levels and you are forced to interact with them. You can't ignore them. I love it.
Wow.....I wondered about these......great stuff.
what an awesome format to learn about art! I love all the related notes/videos on the right side of the screen.
:) :( :) :( :)
Great to heAR THE ARTISTS INTERPRETATION OF HER WORK. hELPS TO HEAR HER PERSPECTIVE; BECAUSE EVERYONE TAKES WHAT THEY WILL FROM ART ,AND IT IS NICE TO FIND OUT WHAT THE INTENDED RESPONSE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE
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