Artist Voice/Artist Choice is a program where Minnesota artists use ArtsConnectEd.org to connect their own work with the collections and resources of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Walker Art Center.
Steven Lang is a Minneapolis artist.
His MNartists.org page is here.
His personal website is www.stevenlang.net
Statement:
The materials I use in my artwork are ephemeral materials never intended for art making, often sourced from garbage dumpsters, recycling bins and thrift stores. This salvaging is part of the artwork. Once collected, I search through the material, and cut or tear useful imagery into smaller pieces. Then, through various media and techniques, I create new imagery that both directly and indirectly responds to the source material.
One method I often employ is to attach found imagery to a foam panel using sewing pins. A finished work of this kind can consist of hundreds of individually cut or torn pieces of paper and hundreds or thousands of pins. While each piece tells its own story, common threads run from piece to piece. Often, a world emerges in which reality is built up from small bits, boundaries are distorted, and beauty is found in decay and loss.
I work at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and have a great affinity for the work of Tony Berlant--particularly the monumental "Mountain Journey" piece in the main lobby, but also this Tzedakah box. His use of found materials collaged together with nails informed my use of magazine paper collage and sewing pins.
Artist: Tony Berlant
Date: 1998
Medium: Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects, Judaica
Size: 8 1/4 x 8 1/4 x 6 5/8 in. (20.96 x 20.96 x 16.83 cm)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: 98.138
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This piece has probably affected my artwork more than any other single artwork in Minnesota. I love and envy his obsessive cutting, layering, and nailing combined with his ability to create dramatic flair with line and color.
Artist: Tony Berlant
Date: 1991
Medium: Sculpture
Size: 431 13/16 x 71 13/16 in. (1096.8 x 182.4 cm)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: 91.81a-m
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This study for "Mountain Journey" is a little gem. Zoom in to see the lined "message" paper Berlant used to sketch out his idea.
Artist: Tony Berlant
Date: c. 1989-1991
Medium: Drawings and Watercolors, Drawing
Size: 8 1/2 x 11 in. (21.59 x 27.94 cm)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: 96.143.2
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Ofili's use of magazine paper collage as well as the decorative nature of his work resonates with me strongly. His use of elephant dung...doesn't resonate quite as much. But I love this piece and his work in general. It's so dynamic and detailed, looking at it sends me back to my studio with a certain degree of humility.
Artist: Chris Ofili
Date: 1999
Medium: Paintings
Size: overall 96 x 72.375 x 6 inches
Institution: Walker Art Center
Accession #: 2000.11.1-.3
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I've never seen this piece in person; it's very large compared to how it looks here. Seems like a giant magazine ad for daydreams. I relate to his use of magazine (or magazine style) imagery.
Artist: Thomas Hirschhorn
Date: 1992
Medium: Drawings and Watercolors, Unique Works on Paper, Mixed media
Size: overall installed 53.5 x 85.5 inches
Institution: Walker Art Center
Accession #: 2007.19.1-.36
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Magazine paper, sewing pins on foam panel, 12"x12", 2009
This piece reminds me most of the Thomas Hirschhorn piece in this set. My goal with "Crazy World" was to amplify the mood present in the original magazine photos by appropriating the most compelling elements and combining them into a single image.
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Magazine paper, sewing pins on foam panel, 6"x8", 2009
With "Semaphore" I wanted to evoke the feeling of being in a new, unfamiliar place, one which has elements--street signs, traffic lights, and lamp posts--that are familiar but slightly different than those I am used to.
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Magazine paper, sewing pins on foam panel, 6"x8", 2009
"Sputnik" is all about the space race...to the bottom. While the world watches goverment rivalries play out on TV, the basic needs of society are routinely unmet.
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Magazine paper, sewing pins on foam panel, 12"x17", 2009
With "Lipps, Inc." I wanted to evoke a sense of fun, but with a twist of monotony, and perhaps even of obsession and/or fetish. The title is taken from the Minneapolis band of the same name, who produced the song "Funkytown," a worldwide smash hit single.
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Magazine paper, sewing pins on foam panel, 9"x12", 2009
This piece is a response to the social, political, military and economic ties between China and the United States, with particular emphasis on the question of nuclear power and nuclear weapons.
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