Gillian Wearing
Gillian Wearing was born in Birmingham, United Kingdom in 1963. Wearing is a photographer and video based artist who studied at both Chelsea School of Art as well as Goldsmith College. She is now a conceptual based artist. Wearing’s work often deals with discovering details about individuals. Wearing referred to her work stating, “I’m always trying to find ways of discovering new things about people, and in the process discover more about myself.” Some of Wearing’s influences are “English fly-on-the-wall” documentaries for instance Michael Apted’s 7-up and the 1970s documentary The Family. Gillian Wearing won the Turner Prize in 1997.
“A great deal of my work is about questioning handed-down truths,” states Wearing. This reflects Wearing’s project, “Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say”, was made shortly after graduating from Goldsmith College. This piece was created by Wearing approaching people on the streets of London, asking them to write something down and then she photographed the people displaying what they wrote. Most people would display their thoughts or write something personal down. Wearing continued to record individuals in this self- exposure manner in her video piece, “Confess All on Video. Don’t Worry, You Will Be in Disguise. Intrigued? Call Gillian.” Using the title of the project, Wearing recruited models through classified ads. Wearing would videotape individuals (wearing wigs and masks) as they shared secrets with the camera. Wearing used wigs and masks as a disguise for the models, many of the masks resembled famous people. Wearing stated, “… you think of a mask as being perfect, like a doll is.”
I am interested in Wearing’s fixation of studying individuals, and how she is able to open them up to the camera (and public). I am attracted to how Wearing used masks to cover the models faces in her piece, “Confess All on Video. Don’t Worry, You Will Be in Disguise. Intrigued? Call Gillian.” The masks are not perfect in fact some of them are messed up (cracked) yet the models still appear doll like.
Gillian Wearing, “Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say” "I like to be in the country" 1992-3
Gillian wearing, “Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say” "I'm Desperate" 1992-3
Gillian Wearing, “Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say” "Help,"1992-3
Gillian Wearing, “Confess All on Video. Don’t Worry, You Will Be in Disguise. Intrigued? Call Gillian.” "Lily Cole" year? (2009?)
Gillian Wearing, “Confess All on Video. Don’t Worry, You Will Be in Disguise. Intrigued? Call Gillian.” year?
Wearing’s most recent exhibit was during the summer 2009 at the Musee Rodin, in Paris, France, “Gillian Wearing: Confessions/ Portrits, Videos.”
Interview with Gillian Wearing: http://www.postmedia.net/999/wearing.htm
book: Difference in Contemporary Art: the visability of women's practice
Works Cited
“Gilding Lily: Gillian Wearing on her latest Muse.” The Independent. 24 January 2009. 2 October 2010. <http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/gilding-lily-gillian-wearing-on-her-latest-muse-1488486.html>.
Gillian Wearing. Wikipedia. 13 August 2010. 2 October 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillian_Wearing>.
“Biography.” Guggenheim Collection. 2 October 2010. <http://www.guggenheimcollection.org/site/artist_bio_230.html>.
No comments:
Post a Comment