gillian wearing

»very private...*«
19. november 1999 – 5. december 1999, otvoritev 19.11.1999 ob 18. uri
Galerija likovnih umetnosti Slovenj Gradec*
Kustos razstave: Vanesa Cvahte
Koordinacija: Katarina Hergold

Gillian Wearing
Gillian Wearing je rojena v Birminghamu, v Veliki Britaniji, leta 1963. Študirala je na Chelesea School of Art in na Goldsmiths College. Leta 1997 je dobila Turnerjevo nagrado Tate Gallery. Imela je številne samostojne razstave po Evropi in USA. Sodelovala je na mnogih pomembnih skupinskih razstavah, to leto na primer na 6. Internacionalnem istambulskem bienalu. Leta 1998 je razstavljala v galeriji Dante Marino Cettina v Umagu. Opus Gillian Wearing obsega video-dela, projekte na televiziji in akcije v urbanem prostoru.
Wearingiva v svojem delu v veliki meri tematizira problem javnega in privatnega; skupinske razstave na to temo: Private View, Durham, Private Face – Urban Space, Atene, La Sphere de L’Intime, Saint-Cloud. Leta 1994 je v osebni kolumni revije Time Out objavila oglas: ‘Izpovejte se na videu. Ne skrbite, zamaskirali vas bomo. Vas mika? Pokličite Gillian.’ Ljudje, ki so se odzvali, so izpovedali svoje najglobje skrivnosti: od prepovedanih razmerij do tega, kako so nezvestega partnerja pustili golega in brez vsakega denarja v hotelski sobi. Kot je bilo obljubljeno, so bili izpovedovalci prikriti z lasuljami in maskami (skupaj z obrazi Neila Kinnocka in Georgea Busha). Rezultat projekta ‘Izpovejte se na videu’ je pretresljiv, smešen in trpek 30-minutni video.

SAŠA IN MAMA, video, 4:30 min, 1996, Galerija Interim Art (London)
V tem virtuozno zmontiranem videu Wearringova ustvarja podobo nevrotičnega odnosa med materjo in hčerko. Protagonistki videa sta odrasla hčerka, ki se je očitno znašla v problematični življenski situaciji, ki ji ne moremo enoznačno določiti vzroka – zdi se, kot da naj bi bila to mati, po drugi strani pa hčerka pri materi išče zavetje na način, kot da bi bili vzroki njenih problemov zunaj tega odnosa. Mati se odziva razumevajoče, vendar tudi agresivno in posesivno. Zdi se, kot da sta mati in hčerka ujeti v krog emocionalnosti, iz katerega ni izhoda. Gledalec niha med odločitvami, komu naj pripiše krivdo za nemogoče stanje, ki je izbruhnilo med materjo in hčerko.

GILLIAN WEARING
Gillian Wearing was born in Birmingham, Great Britain, in 1963. She studied at the Chelsea School of Art and the Goldsmiths College. In 1997 she won the Tate Gallery Turner Prize. She held numerous personal exhibitions in Europe and the USA. She participated in important group exhibitions; e.g., this year at the 6th International Biennial in Istanbul. In 1998 she exhibited in the Dante Marino Cettina Gallery in Umag, Croatia. Her opus comprises video works, projects for television and actions in urban space.
In her work, Wearing frequently deals with the problem of the public and the private; she participated in group exhibition on the subject: Private View, Durham; Private Face – Urban Space, Athens; and La Sphere de L’Intime, Saint-Cloud. In 1994 she placed an advert in the personal column of Time Out magazine: »Confess all on video. Don't worry, you will be in disguise. Intrigued? Call Gillian.» The people who responded confessed their most innermost secrets: from illicit affairs to leaving an unfaithful partner naked and penniless in a hotel room. As promised the confessors were disguised in wigs and masks (including the faces of Neil Kinnock and George Bush). The outcome »Confess All On Video» is a disconcerting, ridiculous and poignant 30 minute video tape.

SASHA AND MUM, video, 4:30 min, Interim Art Gallery, London, 1996
In this ingeniously edited video Wearing creates a neurotic relationship between mother and daughter. The video presents an adult daughter who obviously found herself in a problematic situation, which cannot be univocally defined: although it seems that her mother is the main cause of her problems, the daughter seeks refuge with her mother as if these problems were not part of this relationship. The mother responds considerately, but also aggressively and possessively. It seems as if the mother and the daughter are entrapped in an emotional circle with no escape, and the viewer is uncertain whom to blame for the hopeless situation.