|
The body relevant - An appetite for the real
Technology now dominates ever increasing segments of contemporary European life. In visual terms, everything is simultaneously available everywhere via virtual technology; what’s more, it’s available 24/7. The dominant economic system feeds this virtual visual world with images of the apparent, rather than the existent, of the wanted rather than the owned. Capitalism thus enlightens our life with an appetite; the appetite for more. When viewing Otzko’s quiet, unassuming video art, the viewer has an orchestrated peek into a different reality. Time is an essential tool in this artist’s repertoire – these are brief but intensely memorable moments. The images of a staring face or clattering pebbles are etched on to the memory, whilst each video’s brief life span simultaneously parodies the brevity of utterly forgettable adverts or pop songs. But what differentiates Otzko’s video art from adverts? How do they create a different viewing experience? I believe it is the combination of formal precision and universally relevant content. The content of Otzko’s work is always centred on a performance in a specified environment, often the Norwegian landscape. Early works included wrapping herself in plastic film and filming meditative séances in woodland settings. These works showed a search for spiritual union with nature, and one was reminded of Rebecca Horn’s elegant description of a friend’s performance using the body sculpture Unicorn (1970-1972). The performance took place in early morning – still damp, intensely bright – the sun more challenging than any audience... her consciousness electrically impassioned; nothing could stop her trance-like journey: in competition with every tree and cloud in sight...and the blossoming wheat caressing her hip’. Horn’s “body extension” sculptures were designed to be attached to a performer and were used to illuminate the body’s isolation and vulnerability. Ina Otzko has a more pronounced element of self exposure in her work than Rebecca Horn. But Otzko uses the landscape in a similar manner to investigate themes with symbolic and spiritual resonance. One pertinent question is; why is there an inherent bond to landscape for this Norwegian artist who resides in London or Berlin for extended periods? Mother’s Garden (2006) is a simple concept; when a stark frontal portrait is given such a strong title, an artwork is produced with symbolic resonance. Otzko’s carefully clipped face stares unblinkingly down toward us, she has a pale intensity with mouth slightly open and teeth showing. Faint movements of the body and background confirm a living picture; these almost imperceptible movements highlight the viewer’s subjectivity regarding the perception of time. Yet this is not a family garden of Eden, with the lush vegetation of a glossy magazine or the nostalgic picnics of French Impressionism. Otzko’s slightly overexposed background glares bright cold snow. The garden shows no trace of care or domestication. Indeed, we are on the border of woodland and the trees are unkempt and formed by natural, rather than human, forces. Otzko’s unclothed state, the paleness of her skin and the visible blood vessels, accentuate physical coldness and the solitary status of the performer. Her open mouth stance betrays resilience in the face of the cold, and by metaphor, resilience in the face of confrontation, even denial. The harsh Norwegian winter is contrasted in Pebbles and Panties (2004) with sun and sweaty beach climbing. Again simplicity dominates this playful confrontation between man and woman, and, between body and landscape. The challenge is carried out just two times, exact repeats of a vibrant game. With wristwatch, belt and assured movements the masculine tormentor constrains the female by placing pebbles in her panties. Never has the battle of the sexes had such an ironic and playful smile. Power and potential energy also exude from Otzko’s lean and well tuned athletic body; short cropped hair and crunching boots emphasise the sexual role-play of the challenge. The performer’s first attempt at scaling the heights is unsuccessful, and Otzko folds amongst the bank of pebbles into an embryonic position. However, as the white smoke rises diagonally above the cottage in the background, the female succeeds at the second attempt. Otzko escapes, and canters away with the slightest hint of a smile on her face. The sky’s the limit. The formal qualities of these two videos are vital to their success. Otzko has a photographer’s eye for concision and composition; one is reminded of Imogen Cunningham exquisite nudes and floral studies. All unnecessary detail is excluded from each scene, much like the scenography of a Renaissance tableau vivant. Also the close attention to surface textures & details lead the viewer to ponder these slow moving videos as if they were living paintings. Indeed the orchestrated movement of the figures has a captivating intensity and stillness, a timely reminder of the importance of A.K.Dolven to all young video artists in Norway. As mentioned earlier, the proportion of secondary & tertiary experience that composes our life today is explosive. For younger generations, primary physical experience seems to be pale when compared to the virtual offers of internet based communities such as Second Life© and Facebook©. The eventual social repercussions of this evolution into tertiary lifestyles can only be guessed at, but they are happening fast. True realism consists in revealing the surprising things which habit keeps covered and prevents us from seeing. Thus if our daily habits are more and more concerned with non-primary experience; a media dominated screen based lifestyle. One can propose that Cocteau is here describing Ina Otzko’s realism. Her realism is that of the real body. Ina Otzko constructs symbolically loaded works of art that promote primary experimentation. By using the naturalness of her own body in a landscape, Otzko promotes an alternative appetite to that of capitalist purchasing. One gains an appetite for physical reality, for a simple primary experience of nature with all the laden metaphors and resounding questions that this entails. Martin Worts
|
|