Turning Inside out Janine Antoni’S New Perspective on Sculpture and Dance by Wendy Vogel Portrait by Kristine Larsen

Turning Inside Out Janine Antoni’s new perspective on sculpture and dance By Wendy Vogel Portrait by Kristine Larsen

42 ModErn PaintErs march 2015 blouinartinfo.com Janine Antoni, Luhring Augustine, New York, and Anthony Meier Fine Arts, San Francisco I and Lather and Lick her sculpture in 1993 again these use materials ongo to methodthe and artist’s her would female position. Antoni empathetican position able better awitness, as understand to eating, the and disordered piece putscravings, the viewer in body, theto related feminine it as Loaded signifiers with is pigmented them the displaying near chewed lipsticks, cubes. into for containers and the candies lard heart-shaped into spitting out She formed the material. the gnawed chocolate one of chocolatewhich and she one bit of lard, repeatedly, into cubes, two Topolitics. 600-pound cast the make work, Antoni showcased that era’s engagement young artists’ identity with which about works Biennial, the Whitney from controversial 1993 Gnaw and performance. conceptual worka young age that for blended daring sculpture by Gober— by that workrather a adding influences, unassuming sculptural back the us body,” to of her explains earlybringing Antoni were Gober New to Icame Smith York, and Robert “When Kiki butartist that excluded defined an heras heras a woman.) history art an toward and “destructive” gesture “intimate” an as it characterizing expressionbiting an as of her marginalization, early interview, an she the of act to referred corporeality. (In of agenerationalpart engagement questions with of identity and as language for her avisceral in search vocabulary Minimalist soap thatchocolate or she and lard washing. eroded by licking spirituality, and her embodiment.extends in desire, interests movement, and dance Antoni’s new sculpture in corpus and somatic birth thebody from inside by out. giving Inspired intertwined with Antoni’s understanding of feminist of feminist Antoni’s understanding with intertwined about its backstory. for room leaving while speculation its making workence, creating the of traces that bears herwith viewers beyond experi- apassive visual out sought has her aconnection career, Antoni Through- way?” power accrue this something in the How for mattress into does him. sank of this all and sickness and birth, energy catcher:the an Sex is bed concept that said his of aura. “Beuys particularly influence, an was also of fat, felt,materials and honey, whosculptor frequently the used German Beuys, the shamanic my whole world was shaken.” Joseph saw that Ifirst piece of “When plywood, development.impact on her artistic indelible an ready-made”—had “handmade alayerwith of fir, whatas a she describes Antoni contextualizes her subversive contextualizes appropriationAntoni of neutral at known became Antoni 1964, in the Bahamas in Born This engagementThis embodiment with equally is , a group of busts cast from her of, agroup busts from cast body own in Plywood than on learning about and depicting the on learning than processes bodily less external on indexing Herand relic. recent work, however, focuses actions occupy aspace between performance of these results The installation). tural ( ofbathtub lard full photograph), and dumping a herself in ( Building a copper gargoyle statuette the Chrysler off through a photograph urinating 1999), from ( eyeball partner’s her works, she performed has such licking as acts Antoni’s practice. To past Janine create in centerntense take physical stage rituals , 1987, chipboard laminated , 1987, laminated chipboard , 1992, was one of the, 1992, most buzzed- Conduit

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have for of become her research” “a kind work: For Touch movementparallel that such practices, tightrope as walking, that body. shefelt, always explains has internal pursued Antoni which involves proprioception, or movement on that the focuses past seven she somatic been exploring has years, movement, and movement dance therapy.long been marginalized: For the that have of contemporary the art ecology to practices vital another her to set focus of recently has shifted Antoni surface. about subject formation. dialogue important an aesthetic and representative both powerful as gestures of Antoni’s work in and the performative history critique of art viewed the of absence, strategies embodiment, historians art of emotion.” was “bereft Subsequently,assumed that Minimalism that Kolbowski Antoni’s work claimed Silvia incorrectly writer theory,” of feminist and the while “spectacularization artist Buchloh Benjamin attacked Antoni’s historian art art, 1960s October a1994 In who the undertook subject of embodimentartists and identity. her work was sometimes derided that along with of other academicnot In always circles, acclaim. viewed critical with her predecessors, early pieces were on hergrasp art-historical Wadsworth made the rendition even more powerful. Care Ukeles’s her action in choice Loving of performing reference chose to Antoni the That of time Antoni’s performance. it for recently was athas little known its been hailed radicalism, the Though makers. male Ukeles series attributed to often is female or lower-class labor, alongside the “creative” work that as regarded work, typically sought “maintenance” validate to Performance Ukeles’s Series.” project Art for her “Maintenance the such steps of washing the as tasks museumin 1973 in where Connecticut, Ukeles had engagedAtheneum Hartford, in performed the piece Antoni atwork. the 1996 Wadsworth In Mierlelike who Ukeles, Laderman the tackled notion of women’s artists the of influence dye—shows feminist brand hair Care® her head abucketrepeatedly dunking into of Clairol’s Loving mop floor, to the her gallery used hair which Antoni in 1993 Care of the climate Loving era. art driven the theory- in who essentialists as some were in circles scorned Mendieta, and Ana Wilke, Hannah Schneemann, Carolee as early work recuperated the themes such and ideas of artists Schor. Antoni’s Mira and writer artist one of her instructors, through about learn body art she to began the 1980s, in Design agraduate student history. As art at of the School Rhode Island But her exploration of embodiment not has stopped at the and had notoriety quickly afirm gained Although Antoni video from 2002, the artist strung a slack wire along along aslack wire strung the artist 2002, from video the horizon line of a beach in the Bahamas and the of abeach Bahamas in the line horizon journal roundtable journal about the reception of appeared to walk on water; during the 2003 the on 2003 water; walk during appeared to opening of the installation To aLine of Draw theopening installation —a performance from from performance —a blouinartinfo.co at the the at

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Halprin, now 94 years old, now who years and 94 practiced adancer as has Halprin, where they worked therapist Perls. Gestalt with Fritz at the Sur, Big retreat the Institute, California, in Esalen spent time practice, all and spiritual healing, dance, of art, says women, thatAntoni the three who straddled the disciplines developed and Gabrielle Roth Conrad, the techniques. respective Emilie Halprin, (a Anna form5Rhythms of dancing). ecstatic based the thearound idea fluidbody), through of moving and whata witness explains one sees), continuum (a practice movement (a method where one moves closed eyes with and forms of somatic studies three movement—authentic artist The somatic movementdiscovering “a as huge revelation.” her experience describes of Antoni drives, experiences and inner says. reference herspace,” often Because artworks past Antoni movement“The generated is psychological inner an from performative to contradistinction in action for audience. an woven hemp and then apile fell of into raw hemp fiber. she along composed arope walked of handwoven and machine-

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a piece about the female of traditionally modesty, gesture and says that she artist long make has foot. The wanted to to hip askeleton with of Antoni’s leg acast legs by fused from featuring depicts for the one’s instance, behaviorsculpture, of crossing and bones. between organs One“impossible meetings” different assemblages the surrealistic She 2013. calls in Pittsburgh in together that she for created ashow at Factory the Mattress she fused casts made ofa series resin body parts of various molding. sophisticated existing thecontrasts with gallery’s parlance, industry molding in hip-height chair molding, called bones hip product, with embedded the plaster. in Antoni’s wonky method The awavering, creates atool. as clearly handmade plaster modelers the the create moldingItalian bone using to IdoCould that She bone?” ahip with worked traditional with the theof profile the molding across plaster.thought,So I the way you made that articulated atool molding was by pulling “Traditionally, mansion. Francisco San 19th-century a restored made complement to of Meier’s structure space, the existing features molding Asecond room that Antoni hell!” that like hurt have movesacrum to out let to the baby’s head come through— Eadweard Muybridge,” like “almost and the where coccyx “the entitled vases, three Hearth Anothergroup of theto handles. as objects thenwhich affixed are the shape extruded was made the of edge the from inner bones, along thewas wet dragged says, vessel,” that adding the artist on the wheel, the and while wet, clay the bone hip was still woman amedical-supply from company. vessel was thrown “The when orderedbegan the bones hip Antoni of achildbearing the vessels molding.”vessels of making and “crown process The the mother’s negotiate hips, one another birth.” for asuccessful forms, the baby’s headcompromise,” notes. “Two and Antoni moment asculptural as of of crowning I’m asculptor, Ithink Jonas. “Because Paul Ramirez practice artist husband, the social she gave her 10 her ago to with daughter—her birth years child apiece make on wanted to the has subject since Antoni canal. engages the with mother’s loosened before pelvis it the exits birth when and its the head childbirth, baby in turns of crowning former The of work 25. consists April based onto the notion Newspace 21 in York’s March from that runs Chelsea district Augustine’s and ashow at Luhring Francisco, San in Art Fine which opened 27at February Anthony Meierexhibitions: “Turn,” with work was filled foroftwo Brooklyn gallery upcoming work and dance. encompasses installation both sculptural two Thein shetheresulting been has decades. most prolific made has her language on the from body and decentering She sayscome practice explains. of out,” that focusing this Antoni my lodged in body,are and Ijust move need have to to them and the somatic-movement that my ideas Irealized modalities, both the ecstatic-dancing pioneering territory. “In like again notion one’sthis of surrendering the body work to seems once media, social on shared selfies backdrops and as images to as homogeneous world, art where virtually, function seem objects to feel ever says. themselves an more In Antoni their bodies,” in Halprin’s practice, and my viewers make to strive objects embodiment journey toward follows “My and performance. art of contemporary the discourses dominant into assimilated be of her the toward work aspects gravitated less easily that can task-based movement their compositions. into Yet has Antoni and pedestrian incorporating of dance, aspects virtuosic Halprin’s and postmodern protégés eschewed the spectacular such Yvonne as dancers garde and Simone Forti. Rainer the world, as teacher known best is of avant-art Halprin the contemporary In the since 1950s. thehealer Bay in Area At Luhring Augustine, Antoni will expand and re-situate will Antoni Augustine, Luhring At Meier feature of aseries pit-fired two-part showThe will past winter, the Antoni’s studio Gowanus in neighborhoodThis , articulates asequence of movement,, articulates

Janine Antoni, Luhring Augustine, and Anthony Meier Fine Arts “I realized that my ideas

this work expresses are lodged in my body, with them. She the subtle violence of and I just need to move will also strengthen the act. “I can’t uncross an intergenerational them, which is a comment to have them come out.” connection, as Petronio on how my body has absorbed once danced for Trisha Brown these female gestures.” She adds and Steve Paxton, who are that she considers “the bone leg my former students of Halprin. Antoni inevitable future and the meaty leg says that she plans to perform one as the present. I am crossing the future of Halprin’s older dances; that Halprin with the present.” She stresses, though, will develop a new dance for Antoni and that it was not her intention to represent Petronio; and that she and Petronio will death. Another work plays on the act of listening collaborate on a new work. Antoni was thrilled to the heart of a loved one. The sculpture consists at Halprin’s suggestion to “place a classic choreog- of a cast rib cage with a head on top of it, whose ear raphy on her,” the dance term for inviting someone to pokes through the ribs, entering the chest cavity. Antoni perform a piece. Because she is not a trained dancer, the considers the gesture one of desperate desire to hear a lover’s artist’s kinetic vocabulary naturally draws from the gestures heartbeat. On closer inspection, one can see that the cast head and movements of her older work. In this way, the project is from Antoni’s Lick and Lather mold. A third piece unites a circled back around to the idea of a retrospective in movement. hand and a sacrum that appear to rest comfortably within each To give a sense of the work she will produce for the Fabric other as a gesture of affection. She describes it another meeting Museum show, Antoni plays a few minutes of raw video on between our ancestral past and our present, noting that the her laptop from a recent improvisation session with Halprin. sacrum attaches to the coccyx—the vestige of our primordial Nude, the artist stands on Halprin’s wooden dance floor in a tail. The series also experiments with sculptural pedestals: The California forest, a sheet of brown butcher paper in front of her. hand-and-sacrum object rests upon a cast stool in which one Antoni scoops the paper up and bends it into a cocoonlike form, joint assumes the form of a tree branch, and the rib-cage-and- then, with a dramatic flourish, she uncovers herself. Fluidly head sculpture is fused to a cast pillow, evoking a bedroom. she wraps herself in the paper again, weaving it between her These dry bones, Antoni says, will contrast with the viscous long limbs, stopping only for a few seconds to strike an extended materiality of Honey Baby, 2013, a video that Antoni made pose before reworking the surface. In the video’s short duration, with the choreographer Stephen Petronio. In the video, Nick she creates more than a dozen unique forms. With eyes closed, Sciscione performs a dance—naked in a mysterious tunnel filled she seems in a trance, transmitting something from her inner with honey—that Petronio developed, based on a sonogram consciousness. The choreography is from Halprin’s 1965 dance of a fetus in utero. In addition to the birth canal, another sculptural reference that comes to mind is Nancy Holt’s 1976 earthwork Sun Tunnels, four large cement cylinders that are positioned to perfectly frame the rising and setting sun of their Utah site’s summer and winter solstices. Antoni’s tunnel frames an off-camera golden light that evokes both a heavenly source and a doctor’s flashlight aimed inside a woman when giving birth. Throughout the video, the camera moves ever closer to Sciscione, playing with scale and grandeur. The work is not Antoni’s first collaboration with the choreographer, who has become another central character in her engagement with dance. Antoni and Petronio’s first large-scale collaboration, Like Lazarus Did, debuted at the Joyce Theater in New York in 2013. As a counterpoint to the choreographer’s dynamic gestures, Antoni lay suspended and meditating in a harness installation above the stage, “offering Petronio stillness.” Around her body, she suspended casts of the company rts dancers’ body parts holding poses from the piece; they function as partial freeze-frames of the choreography. The idea for her contribution, she explains, came from her interest in milagros—

Meier Fine A Fine Meier sculptural replicas depicting sick body parts, either made by y the suffering or purchased, that are strung up from the ceiling of churches by Catholic worshipers throughout Latin America called Parades and Changes, which she suggested to Antoni nthon and parts of Spain. The wearing down of the milagros, “how because she thought it might suit her sculptural sensibilities. the detail goes away and how it starts to become a thing unto “The paper is so provocative. It is very suggestive,” Antoni says. itself,” has also influenced Antoni’s recent sculptural work in “I went on for two hours the first day. I was waiting for her to resin, sanded down to a soft “sea glass–like” finish. stop me.” The short clip shows the artist euphoric, responding ugustine, and A and ugustine, Antoni’s work with movement and dance will be the basis of to the paper itself and not any outside directive, fully in her an experimental show with Petroni and Halprin at Philadelphia’s own world. It’s an apt illustration of Antoni’s new somatic pro- Umbilical, 2000. Fabric Workshop and Museum in 2016, supported by the Pew cess and the personal turn that her embodiment work has Sterling-silver Grant program. “It began as this idea of a retrospective of my taken, her interests in spirituality and healing transforming cast of family silverware work in dance, working with choreographers,” Antoni says, her performance practice from an outward gesture to an almost and negative ntoni, Luhring A Luhring ntoni, “and it has evolved into a three-way collaboration.” mystical process of plumbing her inner depths. Recalling the impression of artist’s mouth Rather than giving over her visual ideas or sculptural end of her day at Halprin’s, Antoni says, “It had gotten dark and mother’s

Janine A Janine language to the dance makers, Antoni will create new pieces and I hadn’t noticed; I was still at it.” MP hand, 8 x 3 x 3 in.

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