Question: Are you likely to be more
empathetic and feel more connected if you experience the same as another
individual? Well yes, it goes without
saying that if two people both have the same experience - let’s say treading
over hot coals - then they’re pretty likely to form a bond with each other
regardless of whether they’re strangers or not.
This is the thought behind the latest theme
which Jennifer Rubell - queen of participatory art - asks the viewer to actively
immerse themsleves in at her Not Alone
exhibition, which includes Rubell completely naked, astride a horse, and she would
quite like us to do the same. Well, maybe not the horse part as there are limitations
to what you can do in a gallery, but she’d certainly like us to join her by disrobing.
Where a State of Undress is the State of the Art
It’s fair to say that Rubell has always
wanted her viewers to participate directly in her art and not just be voyeurs. This latest exhibition at the Stephen
Friedman Gallery is a
retrospective of her work from the last three years since the birth of her
second child, and there is a noticeably maternal empathy in her work, which
again draws visitors in to the experience in a very physical way.
The piece which has been attracting most
attention in the exhibition is her film ‘Posing’, in which visitors are invited
to disrobe in a changing room in the gallery and then enter a screened off
room, au naturel, to watch Rubell, also naked,
posing in a number of positions, but most famously astride a horse. It
might not exactly be what you’re expecting when going to a museum, but there is
more purpose to the experience than just to excite the naturalists amongst us.
Traditionally, portraits and sculpture featuring prominent figures atop a horse
have always hinted at power, superiority and dominance. But in her film, Rubell
asks ‘what if that’s a naked woman?’
She commented:
“Equestrian portraiture is kind of
doubling down on your position in regard to the viewer in that you’re
even higher than the viewer as a subject. But all of that is subverted when you’re a
nude woman because, well… you’re not quite Napoleon.”
‘Posing’ is a classic piece by Rubell
given her interest in creating works which require a level of trust and intimacy
with the viewer. Also showing in the exhibition is Rubell’s clever hand-blown
glass new born baby, which visitors are invited to hold, ideally with care. The
duality of purpose being to show the fragility of life particular to new-born
babies and entrusting complete strangers to respect her work and refrain from
any damage. It dispels the idea of not being able to touch a work of art and
morphs into a ‘I musn’t drop this’ moment.
In making the viewer the guardian, the work demonstrates Rubell’s
implicit optimism about humanity and the hope that we will essentially look
after each other.
‘Ultimately we as humans will actually
take care of each other, take care of the things that are dear to us. It’s a
very optimistic piece for what I feel are very pessimistic times.’
Jennifier Rubell, ‘Not Alone’, Stephen
Friedman Gallery
Gallery One
25-28 Old Burlington Street
London
W1S 3AN
United Kingdom
Taking Part in Art
Participatory art is just one of the forms being actively
promoted in London, and it is part of the diversity that makes the capital such
a vibrant and important artistic centre.
The ability of galleries, theatres and venues to be as liberal and
imaginative as they are is due to the support of government, commercial and
private sponsors who all appreciate the value of the arts to the city. These include the University of the Arts London
(UAL) and the Tate Foundation. Supporters
of these institutions include committed individuals such as Sir Nicholas Serota
, Sir Anthony Salz, Yassmin Ghandehari, Sasan Ghandehari and Peter Simon.
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