Glimrende fravær

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Første utstilling i nyåpnete S12 i Bergen blir med den internasjonalt anerkjente glasskunstneren Beth Lipman fra USA.

Beth Lipman er kjent for sine installasjoner i glass hvor hun rekonstruerer en setting, ofte med utgangspunkt i malerier fra 1700 – 1800 tallet.

Maleriene hun tar utgangspunkt i viser overdådighet, ekstrem materiell rikdom og en komposisjon som framhever det ekstravagante.

Hennes bruk av klart glass i sin gjenskapelse av rikt fargede bilder, skaper hos seeren frustrasjon og gjør de ettersøkte objektene utilgjengelige.

Som en videre utvikling av dette arbeidet har Lipman det siste året begynt å ta i bruk fotografi for å presentere disse flyktige arbeidene.

Gjennom fotografiene har hun arbeidet videre med ovennevnte frustrasjon og tatt den fysiske tilstedeværelsen av objektet vekk fra tilskueren.

“For the past six years I have created still lifes in hand sculpted glass. The works pay homage to still life paintings from the 17th – 20th centuries.  The first true still life- a composition that depicts inanimate objects as the main subject- were painted at the turn of the 17th century in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Italy but the tradition of depicting objects dates back to the first century. Still lifes can be contemplated on a purely atheistic level, or they can be interpreted on a political, moral or theological level and were usually influenced by economic or socio-cultural events.

Mimesis- the ability to capture an object’s exact likeness- is one of the most outstanding qualities of the still life. Instead of striving for illusionary perfection, I use the glass process of sculpting and blowing to record of my ability to control the material at that moment. It is a relinquishing of the moment.

The use of glass creates a tangible third dimension, capturing the painting’s polished quality; it foils the viewer’s eye; it frustrates efforts to claim and own what is seen. Its clarity and absence of color captures the essence of an object and offers a counterpoint to trumpe l’oeil (deception of the eye) found in still life paintings. Glass makes perishable objects everlasting.

In 2003, I created the Bancketje.  The process of making this work was as important as the outcome.  Fifteen people with varying skills were invited to join me in creating over 400 components found on the table.  Bancketje is metaphorically the aftermath of each guest attending the event.

In its most recent manifestation, the glass still life is reduced to a photograph. I make the glass, create the composition, and use photography to capture the moment. The print is scaled to the actual size of the objects. Afterwards, the glass is destroyed or recycled.  The still life is returned to the two-dimension and the glass becomes inaccessible and unattainable.”  Beth Lipman

 
Dates:  16. mai – 30. juni 2007
Links:  Beth Lipman
Glimrende fravær | S12 Galleri og Verksted