KIKI SMITH’S ‘SOJOURN’ TO THE PAST AT THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM

Photos: Brooklyn Museum

Rachel Dainer-Best

February 9, 2010

What with the whole nineties revival thing making itself known with the resurgence of Doc Martens, crop tops, and Clintons in the White House, it seems like a brand new girl power trend might not be far behind. Kiki Smith has long been a champion of feminine awareness and is known for incorporating social and political themes in her work. She provides a post-feminist argument, acknowledging femininity without overdoing it.

Smith continues her feminist heritage with a new installation titled Sojourn at the Brooklyn Museum. Sojourn was inspired in part by a quotidian needlepoint from 1783, Prudence Punderson’s “The First, Second, and Last Scenes of Mortality.” The handwork highlights the stages of a feminine life, while mysteriously sidestepping domestic scenes and children.

Visitation of the Bird I, 2007 Ink, graphite, colored pencil, mica, glitter and collage on Nepal paper 87" x 85" (221 cm x 215.9 cm) Photo by: Ellen Labenski/ Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York © Kiki Smith, Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

Visitation of the Bird I, 2007 Ink, graphite, colored pencil, mica, glitter and collage on Nepal paper 87" x 85" (221 cm x 215.9 cm) Photo by: Ellen Labenski/ Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York © Kiki Smith, Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

Opening this Friday at the Sackler Center for Feminist Art in the Brooklyn Museum, Sojourn is a site-specific installation incorporating elements of sculpture, casts, photographs and works on paper. The show will also snake into adjacent period rooms nearby.

Like the needlepoint, Smith’s art  is about process with more attention paid to cycles and creation than to a particular medium. In an interview with the curator of the museum, Katherine Morris, the artist commented, the work was like “making a model for being an artist.”

Sojourn opens February 12 and runs through September 21 at
The Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, New York

Walking Puppet, 2008 Papier-mâché with muslin 80" x 30" x 40" (203.2 cm x 76.2 cm x 101.6 cm), overall Photo by: Volker Dohne/ Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York © Kiki Smith, Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

Walking Puppet, 2008 Papier-mâché with muslin 80" x 30" x 40" (203.2 cm x 76.2 cm x 101.6 cm), overall Photo by: Volker Dohne/ Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York © Kiki Smith, Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

Messenger III, 2008 Cast aluminum, white gold and gold leaf 31-1/2" x 42-1/2" x 42" (80 cm x 108 cm x 106.7 cm) Photo by: Joerg Lohse/ Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York © Kiki Smith, Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

Messenger III, 2008 Cast aluminum, white gold and gold leaf 31-1/2" x 42-1/2" x 42" (80 cm x 108 cm x 106.7 cm) Photo by: Joerg Lohse/ Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York © Kiki Smith, Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

Teaching, 2007 Ink, graphite, colored pencil, and collage on Nepal paper 8' 5" x 4' 8-3/4" (256.5 cm x 144.1 cm) Photo by: Ellen Labenski/ Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York © Kiki Smith, Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

Teaching, 2007 Ink, graphite, colored pencil, and collage on Nepal paper 8' 5" x 4' 8-3/4" (256.5 cm x 144.1 cm) Photo by: Ellen Labenski/ Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York © Kiki Smith, Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

Singer, 2008 Cast aluminum 65" x 27" x 24" (165.1 cm x 68.6 cm x 61 cm) Photo by: Volker Dohne/ Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York © Kiki Smith, Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

Singer, 2008 Cast aluminum 65" x 27" x 24" (165.1 cm x 68.6 cm x 61 cm) Photo by: Volker Dohne/ Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York © Kiki Smith, Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

Open Coffin (on table), 2008 Ink on Nepal paper with lithographic crayon 96" x 8' 8-3/4" (243.8 cm x 266.1 cm) Photo by: G.R. Christmas/ Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York © Kiki Smith, Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

Open Coffin (on table), 2008 Ink on Nepal paper with lithographic crayon 96" x 8' 8-3/4" (243.8 cm x 266.1 cm) Photo by: G.R. Christmas/ Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York © Kiki Smith, Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

Annunciation, 2008 Cast aluminum 61-1/2" x 32" x 19" (156.2 cm x 81.3 cm x 48.3 cm) Photo by: Joerg Lohse/ Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York © Kiki Smith, Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

Annunciation, 2008 Cast aluminum 61-1/2" x 32" x 19" (156.2 cm x 81.3 cm x 48.3 cm) Photo by: Joerg Lohse/ Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York © Kiki Smith, Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

[del.icio.us] [Facebook] [MySpace] [StumbleUpon] [Twitter] [Email]

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.