I will try to analyze my works as if they were created by someone else.
What do we know about the artist?
Aisle, 2022, recycled wood, paper, cardboard, rope, plastic; paint, polyurethane foam, plaster, 124 x 42 x 47 cm.
Marina Wittemann was born in Russia but lives and works in Germany. The artist is a synaesthete and she came to this through the use of newspapers in her artworks. Thus, the artist began to use found and unnecessary building materials. In her Artist statement, the artist points out:
“In my art, I translate this experience [Synaesthesia] by contrasting sculpture to painting, paper to canvas, abstract to realism, the action of making to statics of a ready object, spiritual to physical, and the colour has a leading role. I let the unconventional materials reveal themselves, to challenge the viewers' perception of physical objects or events. Chance can affect the final result. Time, gravity, temperature - everything is involved in creation. Thus, it is a language without words where new interpretations of ordinary objects or materials for recycling appear.”
Colour
Each of the presented works has its own unique colour. It supports the idea and enhances the feeling.
For example, in work "A Sound Of Thunder" yellow and blue translate a wooden board and building foam into the sun and sky.
A Sound Of Thunder, 2021, wood, paper, screws, paint, metal mesh, polyurethane foam, plastic, 49 х 27 х 55 cm.
Parasite, 2022, recycled wires, newspapers, plastic; paint, construction foam, plaster, 100 x 85 x 40 cm.
In the work "Parasite", the nondescript grey-blue colour of the external body of the Parasite differs from the red-orange inside from which the tentacles crawl out.
One work sheds light on the connection between the spiritual and the physical through colour. In the Sacrarium, a large part is devoted to the colour spot.
Sacrarium, 2022, recycled wood, paper, cardboard, rope; paint, polyurethane foam, plaster, 155 x 57 x 45 cm.
The Sacrarium is part of the church building, which is depicted here. So the author refers us to something religious, but in the modified form, since there is no clearly marked church, mosque, or synagogue. At the same time, this spiritual component appears through the name of this artwork. Red becomes spiritual here. If you come closer, it seems to drag you in and offers to stay alone with yourself. Knowing this, the general idea of Wittemann's individual colour compositions becomes clear. She transfers the emotional state through colour and rejects foreign objects as interfering with the process of solitude.
Here a parallel can be drawn with Mark Rothko and his relationship with colour. The artist was interested in depicting simple emotions through colour (Rothko C., 2017, p.12). The colour was a tool for conveying drama, the tension of a person's inner state through the size of the work and drawing him into this colour field. Likewise, Wittemann's work draws and engages in colour where the emotional narrative is complemented and/or revealed through the relationship of materials.
Materials
The relationship between artistic and everyday reality has occupied many artists. Robert Rauschenberg integrated the found objects into his works in order to represent these relations. This moved objects into the area of not-quite paintings and not-quite sculptures. Joseph Beuys treated all objects as "social sculpture" were they perceived not as derived from life, but rather as influencing it. Phyllida Barlow, on the other hand, does not use found objects and building materials for such "social sculptures" or for demonstrating the relationship between the artistic and the real world. She uses these objects to create her compositions where the viewer would find and build an interpretation. (Wilmes, about Phylida Barlow, 2021, p.137 - 141).
In the case of Wittemann, this is rather a narrative-abstract reflection on everyday life, through ordinary and found materials.
HD wallpaper: Shining Sun, blue sky, Nature, Sun and Sky, cloud - sky, sunlight [online] At: https://www.wallpaperflare.com/shining-sun-blue-sky-nature-sun-and-sky-cloud-sky-sunlight-wallpaper-pkhfl (Accessed 15.02.2023)
Altar of Materiality, 2021, wood, paper, nails, screws, paint, varnishes, rope, sheepskin, wire, the face of St. Matrona of Moscow, candle, 56L x 58H x 23D cm
Der Altar in Hl. Kreuz [online] At: https://www.katholisch-bielefeld-ost.de/12897-Gemeinden-Kirchen-im-Pastoralverbund-/12912-Heilig-Kreuz/13593-Geschichte--Kunst/104260,Der-Altar-in-Hl.-Kreuz.html (Accessed 15.02.2023)
Balance, 2021, wood, paper, paint, adhesive tape, plaster, rope, cardboard, 109 x 50 x 18 cm.
Datei: Balance scales symbol.svg [online] At: https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Balance_scales_symbol.svg (Accessed 15.02.2023)
Parasite, 2022, recycled wires, newspapers, plastic; paint, construction foam, plaster, 100 x 85 x 40 cm.
The New York Times, First the Worm Gets in the Bug’s Head. Then the Bug Drowns Itself. [online] At: https://www.google.com/search?q=parasite+bug&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjCgIrT4Jf9AhX6wwIHHZKyA-0Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=parasite&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgFMgQIIxAnMgUIABCABDIECAAQQzIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgQIABBDMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABFAAWABg4h5oAHAAeACAAVCIAVCSAQExmAEAqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWfAAQE&sclient=img&ei=gu7sY8K3LfqHi-gPkuWO6A4&bih=1004&biw=2133#imgrc=wcEXRcNxUEpEvM&imgdii=NFm_8e4VJQpBtM (Accessed 15.02.2023)
On the surface, 2022, recycled wood, paper, cardboard, plastic rope; paint, building foam, golden leaf, plaster, 140 x 70 x 50 cm.
An iceberg in the Arctic Ocean [online] At: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceberg#/media/File:Iceberg_in_the_Arctic_with_its_underside_exposed.jpg (Accessed 15.02.2023)
These sketches of everyday life are like impressionist works trying to capture the state of the place and the light. They notice what seems ordinary, but not everyone pays attention to it.
The artist mainly works only with building materials. There are no ready-made plastic objects, although we can see that, for example, adhesive tape of cables is used to connect materials. Using wood, cardboard, paper, rope, metal grating, foam, the objects for building or constriction, may indicate the intention to create something that has not been intended to be created or something without a plan. Occasionally, natural things appear in the works, such as stones, fur, dry branches, glass, and fire, but this is rather caused by the need to add an additional connotation.
Tree of Knowledge, 2020, plaster, wood, leaves, golden paint, hot glue, sheepskin, 77H x 78L x 40W cm.
For example, in "Eager", the stone emphasizes heaviness or burden, a problem that can slow down the aspirant.
Eager, 2021, wood, paper, paint, tape, plaster, sand, rope, stone, screws, cardboard, 35D x 107H x 135L cm.
Recycling
If we compare the early work of Wittemann and the latest, we can see a trend in the last three years towards ecology. In her early works, the artist worked with clay, plaster, video projections, ultraviolet light and with readymade.
Termites glitch, 2020, plaster, acrylic, video projection of termites 37H x 38L x 13.5W cm.
But over time, a transformation took place in which the focus on, as the author says "Ecology of Mind". The artist uses what is already in our lives. What was once intended for something has been partly used, partly obsolete and will be recycled. The artist visits sawmills and construction sites and collects materials that engage with her or begin to communicate in one way or another. Such a collection process is the first stage of interaction with the material. An idea may appear here, which the artist will later begin to develop in her studio without preliminary sketches or drafts.
It is worth considering the example of artists, how do they collect and select objects to work with and why?
Gabriel Orozco collects objects that seem to reflect our reality. And then organizes them according to colour, shape, context, and material. Putting two objects side by side is a direct comparison for the viewer. It is here that the original meaning of objects is distorted, which provokes new plots and meanings in the viewer's imagination.
Gabriel Orozco. Working Tables, 2000-2005. 2005. 2005 [Objects] At: https://www.moma.org/audio/playlist/240/3094 (Accessed 09.03.2021)
Another artist, Uri Aran, explores the meanings of behaviour through everyday objects. Interpretations arising in the process of such interactions between the viewer and objects become a moving and living object of this art.
Uri Aran “Here, Here And Here”, Kunsthalle Zürich, 2013 [Objects] At: http://kunsthallezurich.ch/en/uri-aran (Accessed 09.03.2021)
‘Once my work is advancing or else stalled, my work-table becomes cluttered with objects that have sometimes accumulated there purely by chance (secateurs, folding rule) or else by some temporary necessity (coffee cup). Some will remain for a few minutes, others for a few days, others, which seem to have got there in a somewhat contingent fashion, will take up permanent residence.’ (Georges Perec from ‘In Its Place, Decoding Uri Aran’s mysterious worktables)
Thus, or with the removal of the original purpose of the subject and bringing it into a new reality, as well as the creation of nonsense and provocation of the creative imagination of the viewer, can also be found in the works of Marina Wittemann. But there are obvious differences in intention. It's a matter of transforming raw recyclable materials into something esthetical, redefining their value and beauty through additional artist work.
Interpretations (Figurativeness or abstract)
Чернорабо́чийChernorabochiy (Labourer), 2017, enamelled ceramics, Russian fur hat, 35H x 26W x 27L cm.
If in the early works, it was possible to find figurative forms, then in the latest works the artist completely switched to the language of interpretations. Wittemann seems to be hinting at something, without indicating a clear position.
Cohesion (Сплоченность), 2021, wood, paper, screws, paint, varnishes, rope, sand, cardboard, polyurethane foam, part of my soul, 45 х 36 х 40
For example, Richard Wentworth uses such methods in his works. Pointing to seemingly understandable things, heavy and light, natural and made, but speaking about this, Wentworth, as it were, will return us to the ordinary and asks us to reconsider it.
Domino, 1984 Richard Wentworth. granite with 28 lb block-bottomed brown paper bag. Artwork size 53.3 x 61.0 x 33.0 (cm) [Sculpture] At: https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artwork/26582/Richard-Wentworth-Domino (Accessed 09.03.2021)
Wittemann does the same but in a more complex way. Wentworth exposes an object or material and sticks out a contradiction or duality, while Wittemann seems to enjoy the process, and pays attention to details, colour, and composition while pointing out the same.
Family, 2022, cement, wood, paper, adhesive tape, hot glue, construction foam, paints, 80 x 40 x 36 cm.
For example, the artwork "Family" is a colourful and bright composition, the elements are roped together. This connection, on the one hand, unites, and on the other hand, it suffocates ... Here everyone will see and read his own meaning. This layered use of materials and paint reveals the detailed work on the object. This attitude attracts the viewer in the interest of what the artist has been doing for so long and so carefully and for what.
Sunset, 2022, recycled wood, cardboard; paint, screws, glue, 109 x 45 x 110 cm.
In the work "Sunset" one can interpret the paint as coloured rays, but on the other hand, this is a multifaceted composition in which the elements seem to be at the end of their existence, at the moment of sunset and darkness, materials that are tired and recycled for the last time...
Such ambiguity fills our lives everywhere. After the outbreak of the war in 2022, Marina pays special attention to such points of view and dual understandings of the situation.
This is a provocation - a discussion of the burning topics of religion, family, politics and relationships through building scraps and materials intended for recycling. As if either the author is laughing at the seriousness of the problems, or it is a designation of the meaning of things. Everything once was something else. The artist works with constant changes of the materials. How do such shifts occur and why do they sometimes become critical that even begin to transform the essence?
Tower, 2022, recycled wood, paper, plastic; paint, spray paint, screws, plaster, 202 x 60 x 55cm
It should be noted the special detail of the work and the complexity of the process. It is impossible to say for sure that these objects were made without respect, care or even love. For example, in the work "Tower", with each crookedly nailed lath, we see rhythm and balance. Paint smudges emphasize the structure of the wood, and the colour is balanced and restrained, as befits a religious building.
Bibliography and references
1. Rothko. The color field paintings, Rothko Christopher, 2017 Chronicle Books, San Francisco
2. Mark Rothko from the inside out, Rothko, Christopher Publisher: Yale University Press, Year: 2015
3. Phyllida Barlow 2021 Frontier. Damian Lentini. Haus der Kunst Munich. Hirmer
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