Artist Lecture - Beatrix Reinhardt

     

Tourist India Image, Beatrix Reinhardt, University Galleries Lecture

       University Galleries recently hosted a visiting artist lecture featuring Beatrix Reinhardt. She is a photographer who grew up in Germany and has her M.A. in Media Studies from the New School for Social Research in New York, and her Master of Fine Arts Degree from Illinois State University. Going into the lecture I had no idea who Beatrix was, and I also had never been to an artist lecture, so I was really anxious to learn more about her and her artwork.

Hellenic Club, Conberra, Australia, Beatrix Reinhardt, University Galleries Lecture

       She started off by stating that every time she lives in India her work changes dramatically. One of the main elements that she has been exploring in her photos is space. She talked about both interior and exterior spaces and how she first explored one and then realized she needed the other in her work.

Tantra Club, London, England, Beatrix Reinhardt, University Galleries Lecture

       While focusing on interior space, she talked about how it was interesting to see the way people interact with spaces, whether it be the way they decorate, build or design, or even take care of the area. She also very much enjoyed photographing spaces that tried to create a certain time or feeling to bring back memories. All of the images that she showed were very beautiful and it actually made me want to explore the space and actually experience it myself. I believe that this makes her series of photos that deal with space very successful. It engages the viewer because even though they have never been to an area, they are able to imagine themselves sitting or moving throughout the room.

The 550km - Druschba - a friendship pipeline/ C-print, Beatrix Reinhardt, University Galleries Lecture

       After experimenting with interior space, she went to Greenland to photograph the mountains in hopes that it would give her the same satisfaction that the interior space did. Unfortunately it did not and she stated that she was a little disappointed. The first satisfying exterior space that she photographed was of a pipeline that transports gas from the Siberian area, to areas around East Germany, which is where she was from. She was interested in the specific part that East Germany built, mainly because she was from the area, but also because it was something man made that was out in nature. The pip apparently is underground most of the time, but comes to the surface every so many miles at stations where it could be worked on or fixed. Those were the areas that she mainly took photographs of. She met with former workers and received many old photos that they had taken from when they were helping build it.

Title Unknown, Beatrix Reinhardt, University Galleries Lecture Display

       The exterior spaces that interested her the most were those that were charged. She wanted it to have a history, past, present, future, and memory, all at once. If you try to think of an area with all of those qualities that have significant meaning, it can be sort of difficult. I am not particularly great with photography, but what makes her images unique is that they are different in the sense that she isn't always photographing something because it is interesting, but because of it's meaning.

Display of Images in Shadow Boxes, Beatrix Reinhardt, University Galleries Lecture

       Some of her exterior pieces have reference to archives and scientific record keeping. That is why she displays them in shadow boxes, almost as if you were keeping butterflies or insects. This is another aspect that is added to her photography that makes her stand out from most, especially because her images look so clean and smooth, almost as if they were painted.

Embossed Image, Beatrix Reinhardt, University Galleries Lecture Display

Embossed Image, Beatrix Reinhardt, University Galleries Lecture Display

       The next project that she explored was an artist expedition. She basically got to travel to Siberia where all she had to do was make work! They gave the artists a studio and said to come up with ideas, and so she did that for a period of time after exploring the exterior spaces. The landscape made her study embossing more, and she found that it was the perfect medium to attempt to express Siberia. She talked about the duality there was to embossments, and why she liked it so much. She likes that you have to make the image visible by moving closer to the piece or changing the lighting. There are so many variables that go into viewing the image.

Scroll, Beatrix Reinhardt, University Galleries Lecture Display

Scroll, Beatrix Reinhardt, University Galleries Lecture Display

       Later she started to photograph people and the way the reacted and lived everyday lives. She wanted to make a series that was more lighthearted, but kept photographic curiosity alive. She often photographed religious celebrations like mud wrestling in other countries. It was a religious festival where boys would wrestle, along with following strict rules of not eating meat, being a virgin, and many more. She said that it allowed her to stick her nose in something that wasn't her concern, but was still interested in. With many of the photos that involved people, she printed on a scroll. This allowed the viewer to interact with the photograph as opposed to just looking on the wall. Often times she said people would get angry because they would scroll through so many feet worth of one photo, to realize it was just people walking throughout the image the whole time. Whether that means it is a successful piece or not, it shows that people will continue to look through the image even if they are bored with it to get an end result, although it isn't there.
       I very much enjoyed this artist lecture, and loved listening to her experiences. It was crazy to listen to her and fathom all of the places she has been and all of the things she has seen. She is very knowledgable and puts so much thought into her photographs and the way she displays them. My favorite part about the whole lecture would have to be the end when we got to look at her artwork and actually interact with it. That just shows that she has so much passion for her work that she wants us to hold it and exam it, and not just stare at it from a wall.
     

Off-Campus Professional Art Show

     

Fenced in Rust and Dust, Acrylic, collage, oil, paper, inkjet print, dirt on canvas (2016), Luke Ahern,
Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

       While currently working on my own artist statement, I realized that the most consistent aspect of my work is the use of color. Luke Ahern also seems to let color play a large role in his work in the exhibit Fences and Courts. This immediately caught my eye and intrigued me to the point of me wanting to touch every piece almost like I needed to feel the colors he used.

Fenced in Rust and Dust (Close Up), Acrylic, collage, oil, paper, inkjet print, dirt on canvas (2016), Luke Ahern,
 Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

       I walked around looking at the work without knowing his intentions for the pieces, or his inspiration. I actually didn't even read the title of the show until I had finished looking at every piece. I was looking so closely at an image when my friend pointed out that they were supposed to mimic fences. I was so caught up in the color, texture, and different collage elements that I was unaware of the subject of the pieces. I was looking at every piece very specifically, almost as if they were just a bunch of diamond shapes with different collages or patterns inside, as opposed to one whole collective piece.

Fenced in Bleach and Toothpaste, Silicone, oil stick, acrylic, wood glue, eraser shavings, collage, enamel, crayon on canvas (2016), Luke Ahern, Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

Fenced in Bleach and Toothpaste (Close Up 1), Silicone, oil stick, acrylic, wood glue, eraser shavings, collage, enamel, crayon on canvas (2016), Luke Ahern, Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

Fenced in Bleach and Toothpaste (Close Up 2), Silicone, oil stick, acrylic, wood glue, eraser shavings, collage, enamel, crayon on canvas (2016), Luke Ahern, Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

       I believe this is one of the greatest visual affects his work has. It can be viewed as a whole piece, looking at the balance between the foreground and background, or you can get as close as you want to the work and see the different elements and techniques that he used. Without both elements the piece would seem incomplete because they need to make the viewer switch their eyes back and forth to each section. His work seems so simple to make, yet probably took him hours to perfect.

Selected Works on Paper, Mixed media on handmade paper and Rives BFK (2016), Luke Ahern,
Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

       He stated that most of the inspiration for his work is raising his mixed race family, images of activism based on racial tension, and identity. I believe that this goal is shown very well in his work. The playfulness of his work makes me believe his children are younger, along with the cartoon like imaging and use of colorful papers or bright colors. On the other hand, the use of the chainlink fences blocks everything in and shows the tension that he references, and the images of mugshots or other people show hardship and wrongdoing.

Selected Works on Paper (Close Up 1), Mixed media on handmade paper and Rives BFK (2016), Luke Ahern,
Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

       He says he spends most of his day within a playground that has a fence, which then makes him think about prison fences, or a basketball court, and then thinking about the municipal court. While these two ideas are on opposite ends of the spectrum, I think he does a great job of making his work viewable from each end, or both at the same time. You could bring children into the exhibit to look at his work and they would love it for the sole fact that it has so many different areas to look at and examine, but an adult could view the meaning and history behind the pieces.

Selected Works on Paper (Close Up 2), Mixed media on handmade paper and Rives BFK (2016), Luke Ahern,
Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

For me, the first image that popped in my head after realizing he painted a fence over most of the pieces, was a lower income area with a playground that is somewhat deserted, but just the few children playing and not having a care in the world. Why did this image pop in my head, I'm really not sure. I probably remember it from a movie or T.V. show, but I believe that is what the artist is wanting you to do, view these and think back to a specific time you remember experiencing, or have seen in your lifetime.

Fenced in Pink and Hurt, Solid marker, enamel, silicone, crayon, acrylic, inkjet collage on canvas (2016), Luke Ahern,
Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

       My favorite piece by far is Fenced in Pink and Hurt because it is such a contradiction. To me, pink is the best color to ever exist, so I associate it with happiness and everything wonderful, but when he adds, and Hurt, to his title, it makes me wonder why he chose this piece and why he made the decisions he did. He is really making the audience think about his work and his experiences by making pieces like this one, because I still can't fully understand the it's meaning.

Fenced in Pink and Hurt (Close Up), Solid marker, enamel, silicone, crayon, acrylic, inkjet collage on canvas (2016),
Luke Ahern, Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

I left the show very pleased and wanting to see more of his work. If you visit the show, you will see that you can buy some of the work that was displayed from the show, which I was very tempted to do. If you love color, texture, and the use of found objects or recycled materials, I highly recommend going to see this show while they still have it! It made me re-evaluate why I love art and how I can make my own artwork better by doing what visually looks right to me!