Friday, November 18, 2005

Mirna Massengale

So, what do you think of Mina's presentation? (My paper post and lecture coming up)

14 comments:

Dominic Halley-Roarke said...

I saw a lot of beautiful elements in her work--use of colors, richness of printing, and the strange elegance of movement in the video. As to content, she says she is making a statement in one of the series about restricted roles of women as homemakers; as I perceive her work, she is using even more confined spaces (than the entire kitchen or bedroom) to place the female figure in, such as the shopping cart, recycling bin, and shower stall, to convey this by exageration. The glamorous nature of the models is I think in recognition of a truth about women being allowed a certain flashiness of appearance as a false expression of indviduality. But I am undecided as to if anyone is going to be enlightened to this by it being coded in an image; it seems one would need this concept in mind already to read the coded meaning. The exageration is, I guess, supposed to make the work revelatory. But does it in practice....?
Cindy Sherman did almost immediately come to mind; of course, Mirna remarked that she did not want to be perceived in this way. I think it's going to be very difficult to avoid this unless she changes something significant in her content or style. Sherman has done what she did so well that I think it would take a great distance in some aspect-content, style, or whatever-to avoid the comparison, if that's what Mirna really is seeking. But again, since its a high standard, the comparison is not so bad if its a favorable one...there will always be charges of being "derivative" when there are similarities between the works of an emerging and establish artist. So, to apply a Triff principle-use it as stimulation; if its a weakness, Mirna might discover interesting variations if she tried for a period to purposely emulate Sherman.
I am not sure what the actual meaning of the summertime kiddie pool series was; it mostly resonated with the part of me that feels most people use their leisure time in very trivial ways. Although I enoyed the color aspects again, there wasn't much else to pull my attention, aesthetically or otherwise. The commentary on the interaction by the models with each other was somewhat interesting, but it really just made it seem like stills from another (ugh) so-called "reality show".
The texture of the video (the graininess) was also very enjoyable visually. Meaning here again is lost-unless its again about the emptiness of glamourization (heavy make up in the shower?). I was however, really intrigued by the movements; they had a certain elegance to them, in spite of the goofyness suggested by the extreme closeup. So perhaps this is another strength that could add to her future work if she incorporates more movement.
To summarize, a lot of talent, but I think it is still looking for its best expression.

amanda said...

Mirna's presentation seemed more personal than any other artist that has visited, maybe because we had more conversation with her than others. Her photos were interesting but i wasnt crazy about all of them. there were some excellent shots from the housewives series. some of the compositions and angels were very impressive. i liked the make up, costume, and materials in each picture. i hated the miami summer series...to me it seemed random and something that would be in a personal photo album. i didnt find them very artistic in any way...i know she was talking about the interaction between couples and those that were not...but i felt like that is something you would only get from the photos if you knew the peoples past. her video i wasnt very drawn into..i liked the vibrant saturated colors, but i was not impressed with the idea, i didnt feel like it had any meaning and i didnt really get one when she explained it. she has great talent with color but i feel her ideas are lacking spunk and meaning...none of her work was totally mind blowing or off the wall i think she will definitly get there though.

Josh said...

the lack of meaning in some of her work was evident to me as well. she had a very thoughtful concept behind the photo series of women's roles. but there didn't seem to be much, if any, concept behind the video or miami summer photos. luckily, the video had a interesting look with the color saturation and the fluid movements. i think that the fact that it was impromptu is what made it. the miami summer series was just so rehearsed looking and lacking any substance. then, to see so many of them really ruined any interest that i would have had in them. the value of quantity definitely outweighed the quality of those photos.

i definitely think that her style of photography can lend itself to great work when her concepts click better.

AT said...

I'm glad you're pointing to the importance of a conceptual scheme supporting the work. For the Romantics these questions were not important at all. The artist did not need to express with words what she was expressing already with images. What has changed?

naomi Witt said...

I think she should stick to photography. She seams more in love with the elements that go into making a good photo then she does with the video and in turn her photography is way stronger and visually interesting. My saying in class that it look like David La Chapel’s work is high praise from me, if she can get his vividness with out thriving on the celebrity models so grab attention she has a strong future. The video though, was just dull to me, we live in a society that thrives on over stimulation and her photos get that while the video just fell flat.

Heidi said...

I like photography and color and I think her photographs are great. In my opinion an art piece (a photography in this case) doesn’t have to have a strong meaning to be successful. Good contrast of color, the angle where it was taking and selection of elements make it possible. Her satire about women who has to do housework and be well dress was not offensive. I don’t care much about her film, but I think she can get good photographs out of it.
Heidi

Lisa Schwal said...

There were many things that i enjoyed about her presentation, but there were also things that i disliked very much. Her video was in a way, haunting. Being a girl, i did enjoy how she incorporated her makeup skills into her art, both in her video and her photographs. The colors definately help some elements pop out, in my opinion. The Summer in Miami series i found to be her strongest works, but i can't really view them as art. They look more like advertizements for a trendy chain of shoes or something. Very colorful, though, and I like that. I like the fact that she processes all her own photos so that she can manipulate her colors so well.

What i didn't like very much was her housewife/domestic abuse series. Like dominic, I agree when he said that Cindy Sherman immediately popped into my head. Seriously, i see so much potential in Mirna's work, but she can push it SO much farther. Domestic abuse has more connotations now and you can make it ever so much more provocative, over the top.. It just didn't hit me the way that it should have. Another thing that didn't sit right with me is how she described how she was able to get her work to be shown. Yes, she was ambitious and showed her work every other day, but the fact that it was her husband that finally had to get her the show.. it bothers me a bit. She has an advantage that not many women have in the art world: a husband who is also an artist. It just.. bother's me that she needed a man to get her her show. Kinda pissed me off.

Josh said...

i thought about the same thing that lisa said, but i didn't want to say it. it's kind of ironic (i wouldn't say hypocritical) that she got her break through her husband all the while having a show based on housewives.

triff, concept reigns supreme today. it's just so easy to render a good painting. to think of something original with an impact is much harder.

Dominic Halley-Roarke said...

Yes, I agree that its unfortunate that she could not get a show on her own...but do we have any details to support the claim "she needed a man" to get her show?(There may have been; I don't recall specifically the circumstances she refered to here.) The issue may have in fact not been gender, but rather that Jordan is more of an established artist that Mirna, and so had a certain amount influence on that basis-or perhaps that his greater experience may have allowed him a more articulate presentation. The fact that there may still be a great deal of gender bias in the gallery world does not mean it was the deciding factor here.

sierra said...

I think that one of mirna's stong points is being able to stick with a motif. I think its brave of her to stick with whats shes doing, even when critics are telling her to change. if anything that should tell you that maybe she doesnt depend on others (such as her husband.) i feel that "summer in miami" would be a lot stronger if it were closer up, maybe not full bodies. i think she would benifit from trying it out.

Nydia said...

Sorry it's taken so long, but I have to say Mirna was among my favorites because I am a true lover of photography and have often liked fashion photography, but I love all kinds of photography from documentary photographs to the ohter end of the scale! I loved her colors and found them vibrant and new. The Miami series I find funny because it is an experiment of how people interact withone another which reminded me of what I am doing for my final project with Boris. I also see a lot more potential in her with her work and thnk she will be able to achieve it soon. I also admired the fact that she doesn't do digital-although I love dogital, don't get me wrong-but it's god to see that some of the old traditions and materials are still in use. I still like to shoot in black and white and it is hard to find places that still sell black and white photography. All in all, great show!

Heidi said...

I’m with Nydia. I love photography and color and I think she is a good artist. She is probably my favorite. Give her more time!
Her husband is a known artist and helps her. What’s wrong? Everybody needs help to start his/her career.
Heidi

Heidi said...

I’m with Nydia. I love photography and color and I think she is a good artist. She is probably my favorite. Give her more time!
Her husband is a known artist and helps her. What’s wrong? Everybody needs help to start his/her career.
Heidi

Natalia said...

I found her presentation pretty impressive. I found a lot of sensuality and sexuality in the video. Her eyes and her body language were very powerful even though she was just eating a tomato. I also like the idea that the viewer expects something to happen at some point and at the end nothing happens. Her work in photography was also outstanding. I found her work in photography very colorful and with a unique style. The makeup adds an artistic touch to each picture and the different positions and customs of the models make the composition of the photo very fresh and with a strong concept. I found the housewives series to be more successful than the pool series because they represent a stronger concept and style. Overall I think that she has a great potential, especially in photography. I like the idea behind the video but she just needs more experience