Page 65 - Reader's House magazine

An abstract representation of connection and preservation, featuring an organic form encased in transparent plastic, symbolizing the delicate balance of human interaction and containment. flesh-like tones hold in relation to created by tying one knot after ano- distances’—the spaces between the “cold” statistical language used ther in a compulsive manner until in the titles? the rope can no longer be folded. Each piece in the CORPUS series Your work brings a visceral, almost consists of various components. To tangible presence to abstract mea- answer your question, we can focus surements. How do you balance the on four: the knots, color, titles, and contrast between the technical and bodily measurements. I appreciate the corporeal in your art? how you frame your question in My artwork is the embodiment terms of ‘coldness.’ To me, two of of data, often related to our bodies, these components are ‘cold’—the into physical objects. This process measurements and color—while the involves a back-and-forth between other two, the knots and titles, feel ‘warm.’ By ‘cold,’ I mean purely conceptual elements lacking traditi- onal artistry. The measurements Daniel Cerrejon masterfully represent body data, while the color comes from covering the bridges the technical and the knots with makeup in a shade that approximates the average emotional, creating art that skin tone of the American population at the time the works transforms data into deeply were made. Each piece in the human experiences. D R A F T people interacting—and transform them into objects. The resulting ob- jects serve as index of an absence. How does the concept of “average” influence your art, particularly in terms of bodily metrics and flesh to- nes, and what commentary are you hoping to make on standardization? I became interested in the concept of the average because it transforms something universal a scientific approach—an empirical into something particular. The data method of acquiring knowledge tables I use in my work are already —and an artistic approach, which the result of averaging—data taken is more intuitive in solving and from a large group of people within understanding a situation. As we a specific segment of the popula- discussed, some works begin with tion, with the average presented a system of bodily measurements. as a universal. In my work, I often These measurements transform into reverse this process, calculating the language, which is articulated in average of various universal data a specific way, and this language, points to produce a singular value, in turn, influences the form of the which then becomes an art object. CORPUS series reflects ‘the work. This form is then recei- The average calculation explo- average American person,’ as ved by the viewer, shifting their res the relationship between the indicated by the titles. perception of themselves. It is in universal and the particular, or the The two elements I consider this final stage, when the work is collective and the individual. ‘warm,’ as opposed to the ‘cold’ perceived, that I would describe By using this averaging method, I ones, are the knots and titles. Each the experience as visceral. Not break the typical logic of data extra- title in this series combines various only because some pieces resemble ction. While averaging is normally standard bodily measurements, guts or internal organs, evoking part of data analysis, in my work it arranged in a poetic way. The rules raw, physical sensations, but also serves no practical purpose other for these poetic titles vary for each because the perception of objects than to create art. piece. Sometimes, the poetry lies in appeals to physical sensations rather the sound and rhythm of the words, than logical reasoning. I believe while other times, it emerges from this sensory engagement shapes the sequential meaning of specific how we understand ourselves. It’s measurements. An example title not just in artworks; all the objects from this series is From One Hand around us play a role in shaping our to the Other, whilst Each Holds the self-perception. Other, of the Average American Person. Could you share more about your exploration of proxemics in your The last of the four elements work? How do you approach repre- we’re discussing is the knot, which senting human relational distances I described as a ‘warm’ element in through sculpture? this temperature analogy. Each knot is made by cutting a rope to the Proxemics is the study of how For viewers of your work, what emotions or reactions do you hope to evoke as they encounter the embodied and recontextualized measurements in your sculptures? As I mentioned before, more than emotions or reactions, I’m in- terested in art and the act of making because of how our surroundings influence our perception of oursel- ves .Making art is a way for me to engage with the constellation of things around us. length specified in the title and tying people use space and distance in it into a continuous knot without a communication, and how these beginning or end. The process of distances can convey meanings, knotting is arbitrary and emotional, emotions, and social dynamics. In my work, I explore these ‘empty Reader’s House II 65