Installation view: Whatever Happened to Painting? (wall text), Media Whore (artist book), Commodity (object), “Rape Me” (artist book), PICA, Australia, 2010, photo by Bewley Shaylor
SOLO EXHIBITION – installation, 1 & 4-channel videos, artist books, works on paper, mixed media |
November 6 – December 19, 2010 | Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts Australia
Installation view: Who will smoke the ashes of Kurt Cobain?, 4-channel video, sound, 10:03 min, PICA, Australia, 2010, photo by Bewley Shaylor
In 2008, Natascha Stellmach sent out an international call, inviting six volunteers to join her in smoking the ashes of the dead rock star, Kurt Cobain, in a private, undocumented ritual. Immediately hype, hysteria and intrigue spread across 58 countries, while the online world erupted with the news. Hundreds of unsolicited comments such as, ‘I hope you die of the worst kind of cancer after watching your entire family die in a car fire,’ (Eric, from Canada) and ‘It would truly hurt me if you are doing this only for art and not for Kurt,’ (Sabrina, from Germany) were sent to the artist. The public’s responses of anger, confusion and admiration, spurred the artist on to further examine what this invitation meant both to the public and herself.
If the smoking of the ashes was the final act, then Complete Burning Away is the epilogue. In this suite of ten works, across PICA’s four ground floor galleries, Stellmach interrogates the public ownership of celebrities while critiquing the role of the artist, the media and contemporary art in society. More than that, it is a reflection on suicide, tragedy and commemoration. (more)
Installation view: Whatever Happened to Painting? (wall text), Overture (1-channel video), “Rape Me” (artist book), PICA, Australia, 2010, photo by Bewley Shaylor
See WORKS for more information.
NATASCHA STELLMACH 