Thursday, September 4, 2008

Candice Breitz's Mother + Father: What is the goal? Up to the viewer's interpretation?

The piece titled Mother + Father by Candice Breitz really struck me as bizarre. Though, as I watched it more and more, the emotion really struck me. The out of context presentation of these character’s dialog while only capturing their figure against a black backdrop really allowed for the viewer to pay attention to the character and their emotion. Breitz also utilized repetition of certain phrases, sounds, and expressions to further stimulate her audience. I found all of these aspects to be fascinating as the piece was my favorite in our museum visit.
After viewing the piece, I began to try and put myself in the artist’s shoes to see what they may have been trying to achieve, and further, if they had achieved that in me as a viewer. It was clear that emotion stood out. The shouts, the cries, the anger and the seriousness were presented very well, allowing the viewer to easily connect to the characters, sometimes passionately. In my opinion, this was a strength of the piece. I figured this must have been a goal of the artist based of the fact that it was done so well.
Though, the more I reflected on my viewing of Mother + Father, the more I realized how much one could get out of it. How it could be interpreted in so many ways. A Mother or Father viewing the piece could react totally differently than I, as a son viewing the piece. That also brings me to think about the artist once more. Is she a mother? Could that have influenced her to create the piece in the first place?
Mother + Father is a remarkable piece of art to be interpreted by the individual viewer, however that may be. I think this is what makes it so special.

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