View the clip and list Aran’s toolbox of actions for “how to solve the day in the studio”. Uri Aran 2013:0:40

Read Valérie Mréjen’s piece, ‘Start Working’, instructional piece for ‘Do It’, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist from ed. Hoffman, Jens (2012) The Studio, Documents of Contemporary Art.

Reflection of my own approach can be viewed at Project 4 – Studio reflections at this LINK

Start Working, Valérie Mréjen (b. 1969)

Valérie Mréjen’s procrastination to ‘Start Working’ caught me off guard – even surprised me! Having previously viewed her work and interviews online, I was expecting an insight into an artist’s motivation and studio practice rather than a list of fifteen bullet points to mask the dithering, delaying and hesitation of starting work.

‘Start Working’, instructional piece for ‘Do It’ is taken from ‘The Studio’, in the Whitechapel Documents of Contemporary Art series.  The prmice of the book looks at the function of the studio and how it has evolved over the past 50 years.  Mréjen’s text is a list –  things that she ‘must’ do before work can start. 

During Level 1 I often found myself procrastinating – which was most likely as a result of my limited understanding and going back to an academic enviroment. Now, and in comparison, my own approach appears regimented. I have reflected on this and my own studio practice at Project 4 – Studio reflections.

How to solve a day in the studio, Uri Aran (b. 1977)

A fascinating insight into the relationship between artist, his collated objects and the process he undertakes to resolve his works.  In his large studio space, Aran was able to display objects he had collected so that they become familiar for him to create new narratives, juxtapositions or harmonies within groupings. In doing so he aims to make sense of their new associations.

Through an evolving cycle of organising, waiting for objects to age or deteriorate, rethinking and reorganising objects, Aran visually maps his own thought process, both to make sense and convey the understanding of their narrative.

I have used accumulated objects to convey their association for a contemporary still life. But this was on a very small scale and the narrative between objects already existed. The process of organising, rethinking and reorganising resonates with my own approach to composing a still life and on wider examination, something that fleets through the development of my artwork, both physically and mentally.  

During further research of the relationship between artists and their surroundings, I came across a short article written by Nick Walsh, published in the Guardian in 2000. During Walsh’s own investigation he finds the varied views and opinions artists have of their studio or surroundings. An intangible scale of multiple variants from those who don’t want to talk about their studio space, to those who are prepared to replicate it for public display, and everything in between.

My own conclusion was that there was no one answer, model or concept of what makes or constitutes an artist’s studio, space or surroundings. Inevitably there will be factors that influence an artist’s chosen space; its location, type and scale of work, access or, in the case of Chapman’s studio, the McDonald’s fast food restaurant just down the road. (Walsh, 2000)

References:

Hoffmann, J. (2012). The studio:Documents of Contemporary Art. London: Whitechapel Gallery, p.180.

Tate. (2017). Valérie Mréjen: Stories, memories and language – TateShots | Tate. [online] Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/valerie-mrejen-9571/valerie-mrejen-stories-memories-and-language [Accessed 3 Mar. 2020].

Walsh, N. (2000). An artist’s home is his studio. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2000/sep/10/features.review17 [Accessed 3 Mar. 2020].

YouTube. (2020). Biennale Arte 2013 – Uri Aran. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHQ–mq_lRY [Accessed 3 Mar. 2020].