Tutorial 1: Constructive Critique

Image Reference: Evarisitti, M. (2001). Helena. Retrieved from: http://artelectronicmedia.com/artwork/helena-by-marco-evaristti

Mario Evaristti

Helena

2001

Goldish, Moulinex Optiblend 2000 Mixer

Mixed Media Installation

In today’s tutorial, we had each brought a piece of artwork/design for the constructive critique exercise. Helena is an art installation from the early 2000s and even though some time had elapsed since I first saw it in a class back in Junior College, it’s still a piece that is very much etched in my mind (maybe because of the shock effect that it had. I’m still not over the trauma. I kid.)

Response

A goldfish. And a blender. Doesn’t quite sound like complementary things, or in facts words that you would even place together in a single sentence, but prolific contemporary artist Marco Evaristti managed to. Consisting of mundane household items – a blender, a household pet like the goldfish – confusion and disbelief will set in once you realise the cruel dilemma behind Helena. Once I got past the initial disgust and shock, I started to question the meaning intended by the artist behind this artwork, and the moral/ethical implications that plagued this complex paradigmatic setting.

Description

Consisting of 10 ordinary white blenders filled with water and a live goldfish in each, Helena places its audience in the role of an arbiter of life and death. Each mixer is visibly plugged in, with a bright yellow button ready for anyone to press and turn the blender on, implying instant death for the goldfish. From what I have gathered, one of the blenders was turned on by an unidentified member of the audience one hour into the exhibition, turning into a spectacle that was one of contemporary art’s most publicised legal cases as the public and institutions were divided in a heated debate over ethics and animal cruelty in art.

Analysis and Interpretation

As the audience interacts with Helena, it becomes almost a performative work of art, with the stage, an actor, and the rest of the audience as impromptu causal actors. There are three clearly defined roles: “The Sadist” (the person who chooses to push the button), “The Voyeur” (the rest of the passive audience) and “The Moraliser” (the police, and the animal rights protection groups who have taken up in arms after the fish has been liquidised). Helena questions the power humans have over animals, the double standards in society, and is also a reflection of the human condition, of how humans respond in the face of dilemma, tension, and morality.

I was also wondering why the artist chose to title the piece Helena. Further research showed that Helena referred to Helen of Troy, who sparked the infamous Trojan war. Perhaps the artist was also trying to portray the loss of beauty (goldfish) and innocence in the face of war (blender) and violence.

Evaluation and Judgment

Image Reference: Abramovic, M. (1974). Rhythm 0. Retrieved from: https://media.boingboing.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/abramovich-rhythm.jpg

Image Reference: Hirst, D. (2007) Mother and Child (Divided). Retrieved from: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hirst-mother-and-child-divided-t12751

While people may criticise Evaristti for trying to jump on the “shock factor” bandwagon to garner attention about his art (truthfully Helena reminded me very much of Marina Abramovic’s equally controversial performance art piece Rhythm 0, and Damien’s Hirst works of maniacal proportions), I can’t help but wonder if the significance and meaning of Helena can still be conveyed if he had changed the medium of the work, as he did in newer versions of Helena by using preserved goldfish specimens suspended in jello instead of live animals. It prompts us to think about the necessity and parameters of using animals in art and the double standards we subconsciously hold. In all honesty, why do we get so riled up when a goldfish is killed instantly in a humane manner, but are so indifferent to even worse acts of violence against other animals and not to mention humans that happen on a daily basis?

Note: I’m still very much trying to figure out how to categorise my thoughts and opinions into the Response-Description-Analysis&Interpretation-Evaluation&Judgment framework… so this was a good exercise before the Tutorial 0B submission to get the rusty cogs in my brain moving hahaha!