An Analysis of the Work of Marina Abramovic: 8 lessons on emptiness with a Happy Ending
The work of art encompasses the ability to communicate the events that transpire around the world in a more artistic and innovative manner. Various artists have incorporated the use of art to express their feelings based on the routine observations they notice from their environment. It is presumed that those who are not directly affected by the violence may not be able to feel the exact repercussions of these ordeals and will hence not act to condone such practices. Artists, therefore, can sensitize on the awareness campaigns to bring to the fore the plight of people exposed to violence through innovative designs of art (Meltzer 46). This is often accomplished by drawing artworks that people will relate to. This paper, therefore, looks in the artistic work titled ‘‘8 lessons on emptiness with a Happy End’’ by Marina Abramovic. Her ideology on working on this type of work was generated by the numerous acts of violence that she witnessed being instilled on defenseless people, especially the Israelis (Lacis 30). Since the thesis statement is’ ‘Communicating Violence through Art’’, the analysis will, therefore, involve the evaluation of the different virtues of art that are recognizable in her paintings with regards to the above-mentioned exhibitions. Likewise, the assessment will look into establishing a practical human life experience that the exhibition tries to define.
The paintings in this regard were uploaded to her YouTube channel in the form of video installations in the year 2008. The different images in the exhibition are arranged in a manner that brings about an alternation in the archetypical warfare events that the painting demonstrates. The exhibition is made up of a larger image which is centrally located and surrounded on both its vertical and horizontal sides by other images. The images that can be seen from the exhibition are children in warfare scenes sleeping while carrying guns, a video game, television, an island, spirit tree and a waterfall. The dimension of this exhibition is 1.8 x 22 x 28.8 cm and is generally rectangular.
There are elements of color contrast used throughout the various images in the exhibition. Bright pink color has been applied to the child’s beddings. Protruding within the pink colors is the purple nature of the child’s jumper. A grayish color covers the entire space that has not been used in the drawing of the painting. Similarly, the use of bright colors is further enhanced in the background images of the waterfall, island, and spiritual tree paintings. The bright color code makes it possible for one to clearly see the various image surroundings such as the sky and trees. Some pale color forms are evident in the painting frame but to very limited occasions.
The paintings of the images on the frame appear to be stable throughout the different images. For instance, the images are all focused on occupying the central part of the frame thereby leaving some spaces towards the edges. The size of the different images, however, varies as some are bigger horizontally while others tend to be bigger in height than the rest. The texture of the drawings is slightly smooth. Both edges of the drawings are sharp at their four corners of the rectangular drawing frames. Most of the frame background comprises a very dark color. The painting has been drawn with the use of thick colors.
Through the exhibition, the theme of violence in the community is highlighted. Acts of violence and a state of lack of peace is depicted by the image of a young child sleeping while holding a gun. The repetitive display of people holding guns further relays the act of violence. Similarly, the video games portrayed in the paintings demonstrate bloody affairs hence placing more emphasis on violence. The various elements of natural resources depict the ideal kind of environment where these acts of violence occur. The spirit tree signifies that act of spiritual life which is a common idea among the people of Laos. Installation method used in this work, therefore, enables people to visualize the real effects of war by how the artist wanted to pass the message.
Abramovic worked on this painting due to the desire of expressing what she felt was occurring to those who are ever faced with situations of violence. Her ideal purpose was to enlighten the world of the dreadful life that these people undergo. The images of children sleeping while holding guns visualize the scenario of not having a peaceful night sleep due to the high number of attacks which mostly occur unexpectedly. The children henceforth, paint a gloomy picture of people half asleep and ready to defend themselves in case of any attacks. The natural environment images are a depiction of the real world situation where the events of violence go un-noticed. The image of the island visualizes a scenario whereby those suffering from acts of injustices are alienated alone as people tend to give them a cold shoulder and expect them to solve their misfortunes (Lacis).
The painting showcases elements of irony in regards to the painting title, which stipulates that happiness will be achieved from the events of emptiness. This is further enhanced by the use of spiritual tree which is associated with the after-life. An individual’s happiness cannot be guaranteed by being exposed to acts of injustices leading to his demise, and then propagate illusions that they will eventually find joy in the spiritual world. The use of bright color complexion for the exhibition also acts contrary to the normal procedures of applying color as a mode of symbolism. In the ideal situation, bright colors depict events that are not likely to cause sadness to people. However, this particular painting avoids the more shadowy and gloomy colors thus creating an element of irony whereby sad situations are depicted by happy environments.
In conclusion, the work of Marina Abramovic in ‘‘8 Lessons on Emptiness with a Happy Ending’’ highlights the various skills which artists deploy to come up with innovative paintings that can capture the minds of the viewers and elicit some deeper considerations for the communication being passed to them. The above work is able to streamline the thoughts of the viewers to visualize the kind of sufferings being inflicted to different people through acts of violence. The paintings also ensure that the main theme, that is violence, is adequately addressed by giving it much space in the exhibitions through the repetitive images of weapons. Consequently, the artist shows the prowess in the use of irony in painting, through the title and bright color combinations hence shedding more light on how the violated are usually alienated.
Works Cited
Lacis, Indra K. Fame, Celebrity and Performance: Marina Abramović--Contemporary Art Star. Diss. Case Western Reserve University, 2014.
Meltzer, Donald, and Meg Harris Williams. The apprehension of beauty: The role of aesthetic
Conflict in development, art and violence. Karnac Books, 2008.
