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Chashmal (2011) - Tom Isaacs The title, ‘Chashmal’, is a hebrew...

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:00:26 +1000

Chashmal (2011) - Tom Isaacs

The title, ‘Chashmal’, is a hebrew word, meaning polished or shining brass, which refers firstly to the material nature of the mirror. My choice of brass is a reference to Beuys’ totemic use of the substance with its imbued energetic and healing properties. Beuys favoured copper and brass for their conductive qualities and interestingly in contemporary hebrew the word ‘chashmal’ also means electricity. The prophet Ezekiel even used the word ‘chashmal’ to describe the likeness of the glory of the LORD which he witnessed in a vision (Ezekiel 1:25-28).

This brass mirror is an art object which offers purification through examination. Like the brass snake, Nehushtan, raised up in the desert by Moses, this artwork invites individuals to look upon it to receive healing. But as this object is a mirror, albeit made of brass, it also offers the viewer their transformed reflection.

In psychoanalytical terms, Lacan’s theory of the Mirror Stage describes the period of an infant’s life when they first recognise their image reflected in the mirror. Lacan hypothesised that this recognition could lead to a tension between perceptions of wholeness and fragmentation. Lacan believed that this conflict could only be resolved by the individual’s identification with their reflection. Similarly the apostle James writes in his epistle that “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”

The artwork’s reflection also refers to the doubling motif employed by Joseph Beuys in his exhibition, ‘Show Your Wound’, intended to provide understanding through the re-presentation and re-experiencing of wounds. This re-presentation of our afflictions is characterised by its displacement from the original wounds, allowing for a therapeutic effect rather than a simple repetition of the initial trauma.

Ultimately the efficacy of this work is purely conceptual, but the ideas echo real truths, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

The Transformation of Things (2010) - Tom Isaacs For the...

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:00:35 +1000

The Transformation of Things (2010) - Tom Isaacs

For the exhibition Abstract/Object two live butterflies were released into the exhibition space.

The idea for ‘The Transformation of Things’ came from the Ancient Greek word, ‘psyche’. Its first meaning is “spirit, breath, life or animating force”, commonly interpreted as the soul. But it is also a homonym for butterfly, leading to a number of representations of the soul as a butterfly, often issuing from the lips of the dead or dying. Butterflies can also be viewed as a metaphor for rebirth or reincarnation due to their period of metamorphosis in a cocoon. This transformation from humble caterpillar into beautiful butterfly speaks to a spiritual transcendence. My aim with this intervention is to highlight a thread of mortality and spirituality in the home and the gallery, and in this exhibition.

“Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn’t know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakeable Zhuangzi. But he didn’t know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi. Between Zhuangzi and a butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called The Transformation of Things.”

In Exitu Israel de Aegypto (2010) - Tom Isaacs This installation...

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:00:48 +1000

In Exitu Israel de Aegypto (2010) - Tom Isaacs

This installation was exhibited at Rookwood Cemetery as part of the exhibition, Hidden: A Rookwood Sculpture Walk

In exitu Israel de Aegypto is an acknowledgement of death and its spiritual significance for the dying and those they leave behind. The work consists of several tonnes of rock gathered in a large pile like a monument or grave marker. The title refers to the hymn sung by new arrivals at Purgatory in Dante’s Divine Comedy. The form of the work echoes the mountain island which penitents must climb. The hymn itself refers to Israel’s escape from Egypt which resulted in their time in the desert, another spiritual trial. Again, the form of the work resembles the physically bleak desert that the Israelites travelled through for forty years.

The form of the work was partially inspired by the poetry of T. S. Eliot. The pile of rocks evokes the spiritual desert which Eliot portrayed in The Waste Land. Without spiritual water ours is a barren and hopeless existence. In his poems Eliot described death as a kingdom of dust and stone. This collection of stones catalogues the weight of death, a small part of the kingdom.

Conversely the work hints at a theme of salvation. The title refers to Israel’s escape from slavery which eventually led to their inhabiting the promised land. The pile of rocks could be Mount Sinai where the Israelites received the law or it could be Mount Zion in the Promised Land. Even as the mountain Purgatory it offers the chance of redemption and paradise for those who reach the top.

Saw Piece (2010) - Tom Isaacs The series of work exhibited in...

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:00:29 +1000

Saw Piece (2010) - Tom Isaacs

The series of work exhibited in Critical Tension explored the notion of the physical evidence left over after a performance. It began with an investigation of my painting and performance practices and their interrelation, before moving into a more general investigation of my relationship to performance documentation and artifacts:

I have been interested in the creation of the line as a performative act for some time, including works by Nam June Paik, Piero Manzoni and Robert Rauschenberg, but I was particularly inspired by the performances of Gunter Brus. This Viennese Actionist painted a black line on his body symbolising a cut or wound. Drawn to the similarity in our use of black paint in performance I was inspired to literalise this black cut. For Saw Piece I dipped my saw in black paint and cut through a stack of six wooden canvases.

Chisel Piece (2010) - Tom Isaacs The series of work exhibited in...

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:42 +1000

Chisel Piece (2010) - Tom Isaacs

For Chisel Piece I attempted to chip away all the black paint from the surface of the six wooden canvas, leaving behind new art objects. In Andre Stitt’s performance, Second Skin, he chipped away at the enamel of a bath with a hammer and chisel. I was inspired to combine this action with a regular theme of mine, removal of blackness (usually black paint). While I was interested in the re-emergence of the removal theme, it was utilised more as a familiar tradition of my own practice than for it’s usual conceptual baggage.

Hand Piece #1 (2010) - Tom Isaacs Hand Piece #2 (2010)...

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:00:45 +1000

Hand Piece #1 (2010) - Tom Isaacs

Hand Piece #2 (2010) - Tom Isaacs

The two series’ of drip paintings, Hand Piece #1 and Hand Piece #2, were conceived with a set of performance constraints in mind. In the first set of six paintings, the performance brief was to dip my right hand in paint and then, with the aid of my left hand, to transfer as much paint from my hand as possible onto the wooden canvas without actually touching it. The second performance was limited even further by revoking the use of my left hand, so that I was effectively working one-handed.

Scrubbing (2006) - Tom Isaacs This work began with the process...

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:00:27 +1000

Scrubbing (2006) - Tom Isaacs

This work began with the process of painting one hundred abstract paintings on canvas boards using only black paint. Once all one hundred paintings were finished and dried the performance aspect of the work began. With a bucket of soapy water and a scrubbing brush I proceeded to scrub clean each of the one hundred canvases. This work referenced Rauschenberg’s Erased de Kooning 1953, and its idea of a destructive act also being a creative act, as well as Balkan Baroque 1997, by Marina Abramovic. I was attempting through this work to effect an outpouring of the negative, what you might call corruption, through the process of painting. This related both to abstract painting and to my understanding of Malevich’s Suprematist paintings. Then by scrubbing the canvases clean I was questioning the power of art to heal us, to leave us clean.

Catching Paint (2006) - Tom Isaacs In this performance I...

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:41 +1000

Catching Paint (2006) - Tom Isaacs

In this performance I recreated the video piece by Richard Serra, Hand Catching Lead 1968, but replaced the eponymous material with black paint. My intent was to initiate a dialogue with Serra and his verb list through an engagement with this work. My understanding of process work and its current influence on my practice was critiqued through my futile attempts to catch paint.

Collected (2008) - Tom Isaacs Collected (2006) - Tom...

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:46 +1000

Collected (2008) - Tom Isaacs

Collected (2006) - Tom Isaacs

These two photos reflect the bodies of work that I presented for the Undergraduate Degree Shows in 2006 and 2008 (honours). In 2008, I made the decision not to include all my work from that year in the degree show, as much of it had been exhibited elsewhere and was also documented in my honours thesis. Ultimately I think this was probably the wrong decision, but hindsight is 20/20.

Axis Mundi (2008) - Tom Isaacs For the 2008 Undergraduate Degree...

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:24 +1000

Axis Mundi (2008) - Tom Isaacs

For the 2008 Undergraduate Degree Show at Sydney College of the Arts I presented three works under the collective heading, Collected (2008). These works were linked by themes of meditation and maturation, struggle and spiritual growth:

This work is a diagram of the island purgatory with it’s levels of atonement. At the summit is the garden of Eden, innocence restored. The name of the work refers to the point of contact between the high and low realms.

Untitled (Seed) (2008) - Tom Isaacs For the 2008 Undergraduate...

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:00:31 +1000

Untitled (Seed) (2008) - Tom Isaacs

This work uses the bed as a metaphor for the womb/grave, with the rock as a stand in for a person and for my mental state, both a grave stone and a seed. The metamorphic nature of the volcanic stone, basalt, is something longed for and another reference to Beuys. The rock is a marker for a missing tree, perhaps present but unseen. The basalt is a seed, a beginning and the name is a reference to Acconci’s Seedbed.

Quercus/Augustus (2008) - Tom Isaacs For the 2008 Undergraduate...

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:48 +1000

Quercus/Augustus (2008) - Tom Isaacs

The video installation, ‘Quercus/Augustus’, consists of three complementary performances shown on televisions. On the left-hand screen I am putting acorns into my mouth one at a time, until I cannot fit any more. On the centre screen I am attempting to hold my arms above shoulder height for as long as possible. On the right-hand screen I am holding a candle in the palm of my hand while trying to remain completely still.

‘Quercus/Augustus’ is a meditation on the tree as a motif for ascension. This tree encompasses many ideas, like Beuys’ 7000 Oaks Project, the biblical tree of life and my own personal experience of trees as a place of refuge. The first part of the name, Quercus, is the Latin word for oak tree and the second part of the name, Augustus, means revered or exalted.

Tiresias (2008) - Tom Isaacs I sat outside, cross-legged in...

Sun, 12 May 2013 12:00:37 +1000

Tiresias (2008) - Tom Isaacs

I sat outside, cross-legged in front of a camera. I began by looking up from the camera into the sun and held my eyes open for as long as physically possible. When I could no longer stare at the sun I looked back to the camera and blinked away any tears, without using my hands to rub my eyes. When my eyes were clear again I returned to staring at the sun.

The performance is an articulation of my desire to express my emotional state both physically and artistically. This piece also references the work I’m too sad to tell you 1971, by Bas Jan Ader, in which the artist is recorded crying in front of the camera. Tiresias is the expression of my cyclical relationship to life and religion as well as my desire to stare into the face of God competing with a conflicting drive to turn away. To stare into the sun is ultimately a self-destructive act, like Icarus flying too high. The destruction of my eyes could be a reaction to divine enlightenment, like Paul, or to unbearable revelation, like Oedipus. The title Tiresias refers to the blind seer who helped Oedipus to discover that he had murdered his father and married his mother (causing him to gouge out his eyes). Tiresias is also the subject of several stories relating to the source of his own blindness, including witnessing Athena bathing and being punished by Hera for impiety.

Leviathan/Ouroboros (2008) - Tom Isaacs The video installation...

Sat, 11 May 2013 12:00:32 +1000

Leviathan/Ouroboros (2008) - Tom Isaacs

The video installation consists of two complementary performances shown on televisions side by side. On the left-hand screen (Leviathan) I am kneeling before a bowl of water, I pick it up and attempt to drink all of the water. On the right-hand screen (Ouroboros) I am also kneeling before a bowl of water, but this time I place my hands on either side of the bowl and bow so that my face is submerged in the water. I hold my face under water for as long as I can hold my breath before I resurface.

The work refers to the hermetic concept of a life divided into polar opposites to explain our feelings of brokenness and inadequacy. Through the practice of Hermeticism and the reconciliation of our disparate parts we can recover our wholeness and reach our full potential as spiritual beings. In this work the polar opposites of male and female, conscious and unconscious, active and passive are embodied in the two performances. These ideas are further complicated with the inclusion of Judaeo-Christian theology and psychoanalytical theory. The Leviathan is a biblical creature representing the chaos of the sea and is so great that it is said only God can slay it. According to Job 41:9, “Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering”. My attempts to drink the water belie my desire to subdue my sub-conscious/spirituality, to have total control. The Ouroboros is an alchemical symbol for rebirth and is complemented by the baptismal action that signifies passing into death and then rising to new life. Bowing into the water is an act of submission in contrast to Leviathan’s attempts at control. Leviathan/Ouroboros does not propose a superior tactic for achieving catharsis, both approaches fail. I cannot drink all the water and I cannot hold my breath forever. Instead, like Hermeticism, it suggests a synthesis of ideas.

Black Tree (2008) - Tom Isaacs This work was originally...

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:00:22 +1000

Black Tree (2008) - Tom Isaacs

This work was originally exhibited in the show ‘Notes from the Fall’ an exhibition dealing with notions of falling and failure. The diagrams from the exhibition contrast various myths and ideas about falling in an investigation of the fundamentally broken nature of humanity:

‘Black Tree’ is a black triangle painted, point down, on the wall. The form of the work relates to Malevich’s suprematist shapes and evokes his spiritual concerns. These concerns are echoed in the title, drawing on a wealth of biblical and mythological sources, such as the revelation experienced by Odin as he hung from Yggdrasil, the world tree, or the disastrous enlightenment granted to Adam and Eve through their consumption of the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge.

Valt - Manque (2008) - Tom Isaacs This work was originally...

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:00:31 +1000

Valt - Manque (2008) - Tom Isaacs

’Valt - Manque’ is the elucidation of two familiar conceptual structures, the Judeo-Christian understanding of God’s plan for salvation and the psychoanalytical concepts of the lack and the death instinct. Each diagram emphasises the idea of a paradise lost and then regained, of life as a period between two states of grace.

Hans/Icare (2008) - Tom Isaacs This work was originally...

Wed, 08 May 2013 12:00:33 +1000

Hans/Icare (2008) - Tom Isaacs

‘Hans/Icare’ compares the tragic death of the artist Bas Jan Ader with the Greek myth of Icarus. Parallels are drawn between their ill-fated journies, and the critical roles played by each of their fathers.

The work consists of two fragmented maps accompanied by passages of text, painted side by side on the gallery wall. The first map is of the Atlantic Ocean with Cape Cod, America on the left, the Azores in the middle and Groninger in the Netherlands on the right. Above the Atlantic Ocean is a Dutch poem written by the father of the artist, Bas Jan Ader. The second map is of Ancient Greece with the island of Crete at the bottom left. Delos, Paros, Samos, Lebinthos, Calymne and Icaria are all present as mentioned in Ovid’s recount of Icarus’ flight. Above the Icarian Sea there is an excerpt from Ovid’s description of the death of Icarus.

Circumcision (2008) - Tom Isaacs I sat cross legged in front of...

Tue, 07 May 2013 12:00:42 +1000

Circumcision (2008) - Tom Isaacs

I sat cross legged in front of the camera with my left arm painted black to midway between my elbow and shoulder. After a moment I began to bite and gnaw at my arm in an attempt to remove the paint.

The performance piece, Circumcision, explores notions of catharsis and the possibility of its attainment. Through the work I engage with theories relating to catharsis, particularly psychoanalysis and Judaeo-Christian theology, borrowing their language and formal structure to articulate my concerns. The performance is simultaneously an articulation of my desire or need for transformative healing and an attempt to achieve a cathartic experience. In Circumcision these desires are converted into ritualised actions, mirroring the processes of sublimation and fetishisation of the body. Painting my arm signifies the physicalisation of a psychical wound in an attempt to remove it.

Shameless Self-promotion

Mon, 06 May 2013 13:32:12 +1000

Up till now this blog has been purely images of work by other artists that inspire me, but I’d like to make a break with tradition and post some of my own work for a little bit. I hope you’ll indulge me and I promise that we’ll go back to our regularly scheduled programming soon. Thanks!

The Death of James Lee Byars - James Lee Byars

Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:37 +1000

The Death of James Lee Byars - James Lee Byars